Agriculture, politics and trade: Understanding Japan's reform processes and prospects. Japan's continuing agricultural trade liberalisation is essential to Australia's future export prospects in Asia because Japan is Australia's largest export market for agricultural products. By assessing the nature and strength of key domestic factors encouraging reform of Japan's agricultural trade policy, the research will advance knowledge about an area of Japanese political economy that directly affects Au ....Agriculture, politics and trade: Understanding Japan's reform processes and prospects. Japan's continuing agricultural trade liberalisation is essential to Australia's future export prospects in Asia because Japan is Australia's largest export market for agricultural products. By assessing the nature and strength of key domestic factors encouraging reform of Japan's agricultural trade policy, the research will advance knowledge about an area of Japanese political economy that directly affects Australia's trade position and commercial policy. This knowledge will provide intellectual support to the design of current and future Australian multilateral and bilateral trade bargaining strategies at the World Trade Organization and in relation to the Australia-Japan Free Trade Agreement respectively. Read moreRead less
From Emergence to Demise: Examining the Dynamic Life Cycle of Terrorist Campaigns. Australia has made a long term commitment to the global campaign against terrorism, under the sound premise that it will take a persistent investment of energy and resources to succeed, and the notion that success in this struggle will be contingent on the depth of our knowledge about the nature of the threat. This project will contribute to this effort by enhancing global understanding of the different stages of ....From Emergence to Demise: Examining the Dynamic Life Cycle of Terrorist Campaigns. Australia has made a long term commitment to the global campaign against terrorism, under the sound premise that it will take a persistent investment of energy and resources to succeed, and the notion that success in this struggle will be contingent on the depth of our knowledge about the nature of the threat. This project will contribute to this effort by enhancing global understanding of the different stages of the dynamic life cycle of terrorist campaigns, and by formulating empirically based policy recommendations that will move beyond flawed quick-fix solutions, toward the building of a consistent long-term incremental strategy for managing a threat that will never fully disappear.Read moreRead less
APEC, the WTO and bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs): which way forward for Japan's agricultural trade liberalisation? Japan is an important market for Australian farm products, but high import barriers prevent the full potential of this market from being realised. Japan has consistently presented stiff opposition to agricultural trade liberalisation - in APEC, at the WTO, and in bilateral free trade negotiations. The project, by identifying which negotiating arena is most likely to deliver ....APEC, the WTO and bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs): which way forward for Japan's agricultural trade liberalisation? Japan is an important market for Australian farm products, but high import barriers prevent the full potential of this market from being realised. Japan has consistently presented stiff opposition to agricultural trade liberalisation - in APEC, at the WTO, and in bilateral free trade negotiations. The project, by identifying which negotiating arena is most likely to deliver an agreement to liberalise agricultural trade, will contribute to the advancement of Australia's economic and trading interests. Improving access to the Japanese market for agricultural products in the context of a broader trade agreement will generate substantial dividends for Australian farmers as well as tangible benefits for the wider community.Read moreRead less
A comparative study on women's policy machinery in Korea and Australia. This project aims to contribute to the better understanding of women's policy machinery in Korea and Australia in order to develop more effective policymaking and implementation. This topic is theoretically and empirically under researched. The project, as a major comparative study on women's policies in two countries will make a significant contribution to the understanding of women's policy making process in a specific nat ....A comparative study on women's policy machinery in Korea and Australia. This project aims to contribute to the better understanding of women's policy machinery in Korea and Australia in order to develop more effective policymaking and implementation. This topic is theoretically and empirically under researched. The project, as a major comparative study on women's policies in two countries will make a significant contribution to the understanding of women's policy making process in a specific national context. This research will investigate the relevance of national machineries for the advancement of women. Appropriate mechanisms through which the mainstreaming of gender can take place are considered, and the levels of governance involved - the relationship between gender mainstreaming and state structures, and the effect of this relationship on policy implementation will be examined. Thus, this research will contribute to the better understanding of how and by what processes women's interests are represented to the state policy making structures.Read moreRead less
Assessing the Nation's Infrastructure: The Role of Financial and Non-Financial Information. Presently governments do not disclose information about the condition of legacy infrastructure, and the extent of projected (often, non-discretionary) expenditure to repair or upgrade the functionality of those assets. This project builds on an analytical framework developed by Walker Clark & Dean (2000). It examines the viability of alternative proposals for providing information to external stakeholders ....Assessing the Nation's Infrastructure: The Role of Financial and Non-Financial Information. Presently governments do not disclose information about the condition of legacy infrastructure, and the extent of projected (often, non-discretionary) expenditure to repair or upgrade the functionality of those assets. This project builds on an analytical framework developed by Walker Clark & Dean (2000). It examines the viability of alternative proposals for providing information to external stakeholders, on either an agency or ?whole of government? basis. Using a combination of case studies and stated preference data, the study seeks to derive an optimal reporting framework which can assist governments better measure and more effectively manage the nation's infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Ethics and Formal Theories of Decision. The benefits of this project will include improved methods for making ethically-informed decisions in various practical situations. Among the more important applications are legal decisions and conservation management. The theory developed in this project will also help shed light on both the statistical and ethical issues raised in much-debated areas such as racial profiling. The project will also serve to enhance Australia's reputation in technical philo ....Ethics and Formal Theories of Decision. The benefits of this project will include improved methods for making ethically-informed decisions in various practical situations. Among the more important applications are legal decisions and conservation management. The theory developed in this project will also help shed light on both the statistical and ethical issues raised in much-debated areas such as racial profiling. The project will also serve to enhance Australia's reputation in technical philosophy and decision theory.Read moreRead less
A naturalistic approach to rights, norms and practices of freedom. We offer a naturalistic account of the dynamic relations between rights, norms and freedom. Case studies of the emergence of new rights for women and indigenous peoples will show how this approach generates new ways of understanding human rights, cultural norms and the interactions between them. Further outcomes will include a multidimensional approach to moral cosmopolitanism which provides a distinctive pluralistic alternativ ....A naturalistic approach to rights, norms and practices of freedom. We offer a naturalistic account of the dynamic relations between rights, norms and freedom. Case studies of the emergence of new rights for women and indigenous peoples will show how this approach generates new ways of understanding human rights, cultural norms and the interactions between them. Further outcomes will include a multidimensional approach to moral cosmopolitanism which provides a distinctive pluralistic alternative to current theories.Read moreRead less
Government Finance Statistics versus Accrual Accounting Standards as the Basis for Financial Reporting and Budgeting on the Operating, Financing and Investing Performance of Governments. More than one third of our economic activity is subject to public expenditure management processes. However, recent decisions of the FRC to harmonize GFS and AASs will fundamentally reshape public sector financial reporting. Harmonization has certain benefits, but the proposal warrants careful consideration as ....Government Finance Statistics versus Accrual Accounting Standards as the Basis for Financial Reporting and Budgeting on the Operating, Financing and Investing Performance of Governments. More than one third of our economic activity is subject to public expenditure management processes. However, recent decisions of the FRC to harmonize GFS and AASs will fundamentally reshape public sector financial reporting. Harmonization has certain benefits, but the proposal warrants careful consideration as it is unclear whether a converged GFS system will better service the needs of the community and enhance public sector accountability more generally. Focusing on the heterogeneous information needs of key stakeholder groups, this study will provide one of the first pioneering empirical investigations of alternative GFS methods and practices in Australia.Read moreRead less
Improving effectiveness of Australian aid to the island-Pacific. Improving the effectiveness of aid to the island Pacific so as to secure peace and prosperity within our immediate neighbourhood is in Australia's own national interest. This research investigates issues of state functioning and state failure with a view to improving the effectiveness of external interventions and of bolstering state capacity in the South Pacific. It is now widely acknowledged that ?failed states? can generate ref ....Improving effectiveness of Australian aid to the island-Pacific. Improving the effectiveness of aid to the island Pacific so as to secure peace and prosperity within our immediate neighbourhood is in Australia's own national interest. This research investigates issues of state functioning and state failure with a view to improving the effectiveness of external interventions and of bolstering state capacity in the South Pacific. It is now widely acknowledged that ?failed states? can generate refugee flows and create havens for organised crime or terrorist groups, thus becoming a threat to neighbouring states. Such cross-border spillovers have major implications for Australia's national security and have been the primary rationale for the recent interventions into Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.Read moreRead less
Remaking Australian Politics: Electioneering from the 19th Century to the 21st. Critics have lamented the apparent decline of elections as meaningful opportunities for rational deliberation; journalists' election reports increasingly focus on campaign methods; politicians have expressed alarm at how little Australians know about Australia's democratic history. This project, the first long-term study of electioneering in Australia, will address each of these issues. It will provide a scholarly pe ....Remaking Australian Politics: Electioneering from the 19th Century to the 21st. Critics have lamented the apparent decline of elections as meaningful opportunities for rational deliberation; journalists' election reports increasingly focus on campaign methods; politicians have expressed alarm at how little Australians know about Australia's democratic history. This project, the first long-term study of electioneering in Australia, will address each of these issues. It will provide a scholarly perspective on sometimes overstated claims of contemporary decline. It will offer journalists and political professionals' insights into changing campaign practices. And it will produce an accessible account of the significance and history of elections for a new generation of Australians, thereby strengthening democratic life. Read moreRead less