Clarifying transparency: Chinese aid and trade in Latin America. Consensual understandings of transparency and good governance are crucial to the international accommodation of China's economic rise. Through a quantitative survey and qualitative case studies, this project aims to clarify how these terms generate misunderstandings and hinder potential for dialogue between key U.S., Latin American and Chinese actors.
Remaking the poor: poor people's responses to donors' market citizenship programs in Southeast Asia. Contemporary international aid attempts to help the poor participate in the market economy, with highly variable results. Often poor beneficiaries appear not to co-operate with these programs. This study investigates the factors driving the responses of poor people to donors' poverty reduction programs, to offer new models for donor interventions.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100603
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,773.00
Summary
Making resource investment responsible in mainland southeast Asia. This project aims to provide an enhanced understanding of resource investment and its effects in Southeast Asia. The project will study Chinese resource investment in the neighbouring region's poorest countries, Myanmar, Lao and Vietnam, to produce new data and policy understanding of how investment in the extractive industries can potentially benefit the sustainable development of host countries. This project endeavours to speak ....Making resource investment responsible in mainland southeast Asia. This project aims to provide an enhanced understanding of resource investment and its effects in Southeast Asia. The project will study Chinese resource investment in the neighbouring region's poorest countries, Myanmar, Lao and Vietnam, to produce new data and policy understanding of how investment in the extractive industries can potentially benefit the sustainable development of host countries. This project endeavours to speak to Australia's strategic interests as a key investor in the region, and the policy priority of understanding the nexus between resource extraction, community rights and environmental justice. Findings are expected to inform future policy making in this area, improve business conduct and strengthen regional resource governance.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100559
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,109.00
Summary
People smuggling in Indonesia: causes, pathways and responses . This project investigates political, economic and legal aspects of people smuggling from Indonesia to Australia. Over the last decade, people smuggling networks have grown substantially due to rising demand among asylum seekers and other migrants. Despite prevention campaigns and the criminalisation of people smuggling in Indonesia in 2011, people smuggling networks remain resilient and resistant to anti-people smuggling law enforce ....People smuggling in Indonesia: causes, pathways and responses . This project investigates political, economic and legal aspects of people smuggling from Indonesia to Australia. Over the last decade, people smuggling networks have grown substantially due to rising demand among asylum seekers and other migrants. Despite prevention campaigns and the criminalisation of people smuggling in Indonesia in 2011, people smuggling networks remain resilient and resistant to anti-people smuggling law enforcement. The project produces insights into the embeddedness of people smuggling in illicit local, regional and transnational economies and will develop alternative solutions to curb people smuggling from Indonesia, solutions that are consistent with Australia's obligations in refugee protection under international law.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101252
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$401,000.00
Summary
China and the future of international peacebuilding. This project aims to enhance the understanding and evaluate the impact of China's expanding role in international peacebuilding. Over the past decade, China has assumed a more proactive role in international peacebuilding. This project will generate new data to assess China as an emerging peacebuilding actor, and offer the first systematic cross-regional analysis that evaluates the impact of China’s new peacebuilding activism using case studie ....China and the future of international peacebuilding. This project aims to enhance the understanding and evaluate the impact of China's expanding role in international peacebuilding. Over the past decade, China has assumed a more proactive role in international peacebuilding. This project will generate new data to assess China as an emerging peacebuilding actor, and offer the first systematic cross-regional analysis that evaluates the impact of China’s new peacebuilding activism using case studies on Myanmar, Afghanistan and South Sudan. The expected outcome is an evidence-based policy analysis that can help policymakers and peacebuilding practitioners respond to China’s expanding peacebuilding presence in order support sustainable peace.Read moreRead less
Appropriate Development Interventions to Violent and Hateful Extremism. This project investigates how the international development/humanitarian activities of Plan International should best address violent and hateful extremism (VHE). VHE impacts about 70% of Plan’s $1bn global activity, and around USD80bn foreign aid globally. This project thoroughly examines VHE impacts on their work in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Philippines and Indonesia, to develop new situation assessment tools and indicators, in ....Appropriate Development Interventions to Violent and Hateful Extremism. This project investigates how the international development/humanitarian activities of Plan International should best address violent and hateful extremism (VHE). VHE impacts about 70% of Plan’s $1bn global activity, and around USD80bn foreign aid globally. This project thoroughly examines VHE impacts on their work in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Philippines and Indonesia, to develop new situation assessment tools and indicators, in order to facilitate mainstreaming VHE into project planning and design and offer recommendations for primary (population), secondary (at-risk) and tertiary (those involved) interventions. Reduced VHE will benefit not only individuals participating in programs, but societies in those countries plus regional stability.Read moreRead less
The politics of public administration reform: capacity development and ideological contestation in international state-building. Why do expensive international aid programs often fail to achieve public administration reform in fragile states? This study investigates how the beliefs of public servants about the nature of their role reflect societal conflicts and alliances. Understanding this offers aid practitioners a means of designing tactical responses to reform agendas.
Community Rule-Making in the Pacific Islands as Regulatory Innovation. Our study investigates the widespread phenomena of ‘community rule-making’ in Pacific Island countries, in which local communities engage in deliberative processes oriented towards development of new normative orders. Occurring largely outside of state-sanctioned authority, such processes may address social problems such as gender based violence, crime and poverty, and frequently occur in the context of other locally-driven ....Community Rule-Making in the Pacific Islands as Regulatory Innovation. Our study investigates the widespread phenomena of ‘community rule-making’ in Pacific Island countries, in which local communities engage in deliberative processes oriented towards development of new normative orders. Occurring largely outside of state-sanctioned authority, such processes may address social problems such as gender based violence, crime and poverty, and frequently occur in the context of other locally-driven attempts at community regeneration. Through collaborative empirical research in PNG, Solomon Islands and Samoa, our project will build an evidence base to better understand the potential and the dangers of community rule-making, and develop ‘responsive hybridisation’ as a new analytical framework to theorise about it.
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Political leadership in international affairs. This program of research will make a contribution to judging our place in the world by assisting in our understanding of the importance of leadership in international relations; specifically in the various international leaders and persons of influence with whom Australia has of necessity to deal. The examination of regional institutional leadership will provide insights into the importance of international organisations and their potential to augme ....Political leadership in international affairs. This program of research will make a contribution to judging our place in the world by assisting in our understanding of the importance of leadership in international relations; specifically in the various international leaders and persons of influence with whom Australia has of necessity to deal. The examination of regional institutional leadership will provide insights into the importance of international organisations and their potential to augment or limit state leadership. Finally, the mapping of the sites of leadership in developing states will allow Australia to see how to best invest in aid and regional security through programs that focus on education as a foundation for future leadership.Read moreRead less
Climate change and environmental security in the Pacific: the role of regional organisations. This project through exploring the twin features of climate change and security in the Pacific region and assessing the role of regional organisations to respond to these threats will enable Australian policy-makers to better design and implement policies to promote sustainable development and human security in the region.