Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100640
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$404,000.00
Summary
United Nations peace and security reform for human protection. This project aims to investigate how reform of the United Nations (UN) peace and security architecture is shaping the organisation’s human protection practices in local conflicts. The project will develop a new interdisciplinary framework for studying the international-local interactions that influence global norm making and implementation, using methods drawn from international relations and international law. Expected outcomes incl ....United Nations peace and security reform for human protection. This project aims to investigate how reform of the United Nations (UN) peace and security architecture is shaping the organisation’s human protection practices in local conflicts. The project will develop a new interdisciplinary framework for studying the international-local interactions that influence global norm making and implementation, using methods drawn from international relations and international law. Expected outcomes include enhanced understanding of the factors driving major institutional reform in the UN and the impact of reform on UN prevention and protection. It will benefit those in Australia and internationally seeking to support the UN reform agenda to enhance international stability and human protection.Read moreRead less
Remaking rural China. This project aims to analyse the nature and impacts of the restructuring of China’s agriculture and rural society. New data collected in three provinces will enable in-depth analysis of China’s political and administrative system, the nature of agrarian change in rural China, and the pace of agricultural restructuring. The project design will strengthen international, domestic and disciplinary collaboration on research into food security and urbanisation. The analysis and ....Remaking rural China. This project aims to analyse the nature and impacts of the restructuring of China’s agriculture and rural society. New data collected in three provinces will enable in-depth analysis of China’s political and administrative system, the nature of agrarian change in rural China, and the pace of agricultural restructuring. The project design will strengthen international, domestic and disciplinary collaboration on research into food security and urbanisation. The analysis and expected outcomes have the potential to inform Australia’s agricultural trade relationship with China.Read moreRead less
Company states and international relations theory. This project aims to investigate the role of chartered companies in European colonialism. Chartered companies, profit-driven forerunners to today’s multinational corporations, wielded extensive sovereign powers (e.g. rights to wage war, conduct diplomacy, and raise taxes) normally reserved for governments. This project intends to establish the importance of chartered companies – not sovereign states – as Europe’s pre-eminent agents of colonial e ....Company states and international relations theory. This project aims to investigate the role of chartered companies in European colonialism. Chartered companies, profit-driven forerunners to today’s multinational corporations, wielded extensive sovereign powers (e.g. rights to wage war, conduct diplomacy, and raise taxes) normally reserved for governments. This project intends to establish the importance of chartered companies – not sovereign states – as Europe’s pre-eminent agents of colonial expansion before c1800, and uncover how their rise and fall shaped modern understandings of the distinction between public and private authority.Read moreRead less
Balance of Power vs. Empire in International Relations: A Global Study. Why have some international systems seen power-balancing between competing Great Powers, while others have been dominated by a single empire? Drawing from European history, International Relations (IR) scholars have conventionally assumed that international systems tend towards a balance of power. Yet recent analyses of East Asia highlight the historical dominance of successive Chinese empires. Other, neglected regional syst ....Balance of Power vs. Empire in International Relations: A Global Study. Why have some international systems seen power-balancing between competing Great Powers, while others have been dominated by a single empire? Drawing from European history, International Relations (IR) scholars have conventionally assumed that international systems tend towards a balance of power. Yet recent analyses of East Asia highlight the historical dominance of successive Chinese empires. Other, neglected regional systems vary between these extremes. IR scholars lack an explanation of when and why international systems tend towards balance of power or empire. This project aims to fill this knowledge gap. With US hegemony in doubt, and China rapidly rising, understanding what drives change in international systems is urgent.
Read moreRead less
The Proscription of Terrorist Organisations in Illiberal States . This project aims to investigate the use of anti-terrorism proscription powers in illiberal democracies after 2002. Although promulgated by the archetypal liberal institution – the United Nations – proscription powers are increasingly recognised as important tools of illiberal regimes in legitimising human rights abuses and suppressing political dissent. Using studies of Cameroon, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the project expl ....The Proscription of Terrorist Organisations in Illiberal States . This project aims to investigate the use of anti-terrorism proscription powers in illiberal democracies after 2002. Although promulgated by the archetypal liberal institution – the United Nations – proscription powers are increasingly recognised as important tools of illiberal regimes in legitimising human rights abuses and suppressing political dissent. Using studies of Cameroon, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the project explores the intersections of colonial proscription, UN anti–terrorism norms and illiberal regimes' security. The project will generate new comparative knowledge on the deployment of colonial instruments of control in the ‘war on terror’ and innovate conceptual insights into the global security politics of exclusion. Read moreRead less
Gendering Peace Mediation . This project aims to reconstruct international legal and political mediation frameworks to increase the chances of facilitating durable peace. Current peace mediation is ineffective as most peace agreements fail within 5-years. There is evidence that women's participation in conflict-resolution leads to better peace. This project will distil practical mechanisms and generalizable lessons from women’s successful community level mediation in a toolset that can inform an ....Gendering Peace Mediation . This project aims to reconstruct international legal and political mediation frameworks to increase the chances of facilitating durable peace. Current peace mediation is ineffective as most peace agreements fail within 5-years. There is evidence that women's participation in conflict-resolution leads to better peace. This project will distil practical mechanisms and generalizable lessons from women’s successful community level mediation in a toolset that can inform and transform high-level mediation processes. This project will generate an evidence base for rethinking peace mediation design and practice, traditionally characterised by male-dominated institutions and disciplines, to resolve conflict and benefit national and global security.Read moreRead less
In the National Interest? Large Firms and Public Policy in Australia. Institutional and other theories suggest large firms necessarily engage in public policy to mainly serve narrow firm-centric interests. Yet large firms sometimes also engage in national level policy, such as big business support for policy reforms in Australia in the 1980s. Our central question is: how do large Australian firms articulate their public policy interests and goals, what factors drive this, and with what outcomes? ....In the National Interest? Large Firms and Public Policy in Australia. Institutional and other theories suggest large firms necessarily engage in public policy to mainly serve narrow firm-centric interests. Yet large firms sometimes also engage in national level policy, such as big business support for policy reforms in Australia in the 1980s. Our central question is: how do large Australian firms articulate their public policy interests and goals, what factors drive this, and with what outcomes? Do they pursue narrow or broader national agendas and how might the two overlap from the perspective of large firms? In this greenfield research we link questions of big business policy engagement with questions of business power and legitimacy and also to questions of national governance capacity. Read moreRead less
Pathways to Power: Australian Political Careers. The project aims to uncover the determinants of successful careers of elected and non-elected political elites. The project expects to generate new knowledge about elite career paths (politicians, political staff, media, interest group personnel and bureaucrats), examine the impact of political elites on the quality of government, and whether this has changed over time. The project should provide significant benefits to academics via theoretical d ....Pathways to Power: Australian Political Careers. The project aims to uncover the determinants of successful careers of elected and non-elected political elites. The project expects to generate new knowledge about elite career paths (politicians, political staff, media, interest group personnel and bureaucrats), examine the impact of political elites on the quality of government, and whether this has changed over time. The project should provide significant benefits to academics via theoretical development of processes driving careers progression and establishing Australia as a benchmark case facilitating future international collaboration. It hopes to enhance the capacity of citizens and policy makers to assess the overall effectiveness of governance and the regulation of political life.Read moreRead less
The Cartography of Peace: Security Zones, Colour Codes and Everyday Life. This project investigates the impacts of security mapping and the use of specific color-codes by United Nations peacekeeping operations when assessing risks. It will for the first time trace the origins of United Nations security mapping practices and compare key case studies: Afghanistan (green zone), Somalia (white zone), South Sudan and Kenya (blue zones) and Haiti (red and yellow zones). Expected outcomes include bette ....The Cartography of Peace: Security Zones, Colour Codes and Everyday Life. This project investigates the impacts of security mapping and the use of specific color-codes by United Nations peacekeeping operations when assessing risks. It will for the first time trace the origins of United Nations security mapping practices and compare key case studies: Afghanistan (green zone), Somalia (white zone), South Sudan and Kenya (blue zones) and Haiti (red and yellow zones). Expected outcomes include better understanding of how policy-makers assess risks on the ground, how security maps are drafted and modified across time, as well as an understanding of the meanings given to specific color-codes. The findings expect to benefit Australian and other policy makers seeking to design better security interventions.Read moreRead less
Islam and the left in Indonesia and Turkey. This project aims to examine how secular regimes, even after long periods of economic development, give way to a politics based on identity and appeals to religion. This will be done by investigating two major Muslim-majority societies where such transformations have taken place - Indonesia and Turkey. In Indonesia, the focus is on old communist party bases; in Turkey on former radical union strongholds. The expected outcomes will provide a unique lens ....Islam and the left in Indonesia and Turkey. This project aims to examine how secular regimes, even after long periods of economic development, give way to a politics based on identity and appeals to religion. This will be done by investigating two major Muslim-majority societies where such transformations have taken place - Indonesia and Turkey. In Indonesia, the focus is on old communist party bases; in Turkey on former radical union strongholds. The expected outcomes will provide a unique lens for examining the socio-economic conditions that provide fertile ground for transformed articulations of political demands.Read moreRead less