Activating and maintaining community participation in natural and cultural resources initiatives in the Murray-Darling Basin. The project goes beyond the rhetoric of participation to discover what factors activate communities and individuals to become involved in programs and voluntary initiatives for natural resource management. It assesses the effectiveness of existing communication channels and develops new models for more effective and representative participation. It combines the National M ....Activating and maintaining community participation in natural and cultural resources initiatives in the Murray-Darling Basin. The project goes beyond the rhetoric of participation to discover what factors activate communities and individuals to become involved in programs and voluntary initiatives for natural resource management. It assesses the effectiveness of existing communication channels and develops new models for more effective and representative participation. It combines the National Museum of Australia's expertise in environmental history and public communication with the imperative of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission to improve community participation in natural resource management. The potential for harnessing communications technology to facilitate new channels for participation is assessed through carefully evaluated pilot programs.Read moreRead less
Nodal Governance and Human Security. Australia is in a region where a number of countries fail to provide their people with security in basic areas such as health and community security. Understanding the security problems of Australia's neighbours is vital, but not easy. This pathbreaking project will help Australians involved in working with these countries to gain an interrelated understanding of the problems facing our neighbours. The benefits that flow from this include an improved planning ....Nodal Governance and Human Security. Australia is in a region where a number of countries fail to provide their people with security in basic areas such as health and community security. Understanding the security problems of Australia's neighbours is vital, but not easy. This pathbreaking project will help Australians involved in working with these countries to gain an interrelated understanding of the problems facing our neighbours. The benefits that flow from this include an improved planning capacity for dealing with security issues in the region, better use of the resources that we provide, and strengthened relationships with our neighbours. We will do this while placing Australia at the head of an emerging, highly exciting field of study centred on human security.Read moreRead less
Cross-cultural institution-building and development interventions: linking applied and critical approaches. This project will examine cross-cultural institutions created in the context of development, planning and management interventions. The proposed collaboration will support two APAI scholars to research the social and cultural processes whereby such institutions engage local communities in resource mapping, planning and decision-making. One scholar will work in East Timor, the other in the ....Cross-cultural institution-building and development interventions: linking applied and critical approaches. This project will examine cross-cultural institutions created in the context of development, planning and management interventions. The proposed collaboration will support two APAI scholars to research the social and cultural processes whereby such institutions engage local communities in resource mapping, planning and decision-making. One scholar will work in East Timor, the other in the Northern Territory. A key objective is to combine applied and critical approaches in expanding our understanding of the interactions that takes place between external agencies and local communities. The research will contribute to the improved design and implementation of initiatives for managing local resources.Read moreRead less
'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. Th ....'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. The information provided by this project has the potential to contribute significantly to giving children 'a healthy start to life' in their early years. Read moreRead less
The 2006 Census and Indigenous People in Remote Areas: Assessing the Quality of the Enumeration Process and Resulting Data. Rigorous assessment of the quality of census data will benefit Indigenous communities, policy makers, and researchers in the area of Indigenous policy and service delivery. Of particular note is the direct benefit to the ABS in seeking to improve their methods for enumerating remote Indigenous populations. The research directly addresses the National Research Priorities rel ....The 2006 Census and Indigenous People in Remote Areas: Assessing the Quality of the Enumeration Process and Resulting Data. Rigorous assessment of the quality of census data will benefit Indigenous communities, policy makers, and researchers in the area of Indigenous policy and service delivery. Of particular note is the direct benefit to the ABS in seeking to improve their methods for enumerating remote Indigenous populations. The research directly addresses the National Research Priorities relating to rural and remote areas and strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric because it will enhance assessment of the reliability of statistical information for social, economic and community planning in remote Indigenous communities.Read moreRead less
The Political and Economic Agency of Africans in Australia. This project examines the nature and impact of political and economic agency among African migrants in Australia, using mixed methods (survey, interviews, media and policy analysis). With the right policy settings, African migrants and Australian communities stand to benefit enormously from projected African population growth. However, due to a two decade research focus on African refugees, little is known about the successful navigatio ....The Political and Economic Agency of Africans in Australia. This project examines the nature and impact of political and economic agency among African migrants in Australia, using mixed methods (survey, interviews, media and policy analysis). With the right policy settings, African migrants and Australian communities stand to benefit enormously from projected African population growth. However, due to a two decade research focus on African refugees, little is known about the successful navigation of political and economic life among the wider African diaspora. This project will generate new knowledge offering a blueprint for such policy settings. Outcomes include a monograph, 8 papers, and evidence-based policy advice on enhancing African migrant political and economic engagement in Australia. Read moreRead less
New Possibilities: Young People and Democratic Renewal. Vibrant democracies require generational renewal as norms, values and cultures evolve. This project is a systematic study of Australian students in the climate change movement. Examining who the students are, why they participate, how they organise, how they represent themselves and are represented by others in social and mainstream media, the project ethically advances ways of co-researching students’ civic and political participation in o ....New Possibilities: Young People and Democratic Renewal. Vibrant democracies require generational renewal as norms, values and cultures evolve. This project is a systematic study of Australian students in the climate change movement. Examining who the students are, why they participate, how they organise, how they represent themselves and are represented by others in social and mainstream media, the project ethically advances ways of co-researching students’ civic and political participation in offline and online settings. Expected outcomes include improved capacity for investigating student political action, new knowledge of the motivations, norms and practices that characterise student climate politics and concepts and tools for democratic renewal through engagement with young people.Read moreRead less
Land, Community and Governance in Rural China. Although China is becoming Australia's largest trading partner, we know too little about the control of land in rural China and the implications for the agricultural economy. Geo-politically, the stability of China is crucial to the region, and many commentators see rural unrest as the greatest threat to the regime. Since disputes over the use and ownership of land are the main source of this instability, providing much-needed information about Chin ....Land, Community and Governance in Rural China. Although China is becoming Australia's largest trading partner, we know too little about the control of land in rural China and the implications for the agricultural economy. Geo-politically, the stability of China is crucial to the region, and many commentators see rural unrest as the greatest threat to the regime. Since disputes over the use and ownership of land are the main source of this instability, providing much-needed information about China's agricultural economy and the potential for political unrest in rural China is directly in Australia's interest.Read moreRead less
Complex Ties: Investigating the Role of Networks in the Commercialisation of Public Research. This project seeks to understand the social processes that lead to commercialisation successes or failures in a competitive global economy and thereby identify activities that increase Australia’s ability to commercialise inventions from public research. Innovation is essential to Australia’s prosperity, bringing economic and social benefits. This project examines platform technologies which have a pote ....Complex Ties: Investigating the Role of Networks in the Commercialisation of Public Research. This project seeks to understand the social processes that lead to commercialisation successes or failures in a competitive global economy and thereby identify activities that increase Australia’s ability to commercialise inventions from public research. Innovation is essential to Australia’s prosperity, bringing economic and social benefits. This project examines platform technologies which have a potentially larger impact than single use technologies, because they can be applied in multiple ways. Using the latest advances in social network models, the project will detail the important substructures of collaboration networks which lead to commercialisation successes and failures, providing insights to improve the innovation process.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100859
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$359,000.00
Summary
The social dynamics of digital design: building an ethics-based industry. This project aims to cultivate socially responsible design practices within the Australian digital start-up industry through an industry-user design ethnography, and the development and delivery of a critical design toolkit for industry participants. Social ills associated with technological design have plagued Silicon Valley in the United States of America. Australia is positioned to avoid these issues while emerging as a ....The social dynamics of digital design: building an ethics-based industry. This project aims to cultivate socially responsible design practices within the Australian digital start-up industry through an industry-user design ethnography, and the development and delivery of a critical design toolkit for industry participants. Social ills associated with technological design have plagued Silicon Valley in the United States of America. Australia is positioned to avoid these issues while emerging as a global leader in ethical design practices. This project will provide Australian start-ups with crucial knowledge to serve diverse populations through thoughtful design decisions, positioning the industry as an exemplar model of social responsibility. This project will advance theories of science and technology studies while positioning Australia as a leading force in social responsibility.Read moreRead less