Explaining Crises: Ideas, Instability and Change from Gold Standard to GFC. This project aims to explain recurring international economic instability. While global orders spanning the Classical Gold Standard, Keynesian Bretton Woods institutions, and contemporary Neoliberal order each provided key sources of stability, each also yielded to crises in the 1930s Great Depression, the 1970s Great Stagflation, and the Global Financial Crisis. To explain such instability, this project advances an inno ....Explaining Crises: Ideas, Instability and Change from Gold Standard to GFC. This project aims to explain recurring international economic instability. While global orders spanning the Classical Gold Standard, Keynesian Bretton Woods institutions, and contemporary Neoliberal order each provided key sources of stability, each also yielded to crises in the 1930s Great Depression, the 1970s Great Stagflation, and the Global Financial Crisis. To explain such instability, this project advances an innovative constructivist argument that ideas which initially enable policymakers to restrain market excesses can over time obscure new sources of instability. Over case studies of these crises, this project will produce high quality publications and contribute to debate over national interests in an era of populist challenge.Read moreRead less
Introducing China: The World's Oldest and Newest Major Power. China's weight in regional affairs is growing rapidly on all fronts, and will continue to do so into the indefinite future. China will be the largest single source of dynamism and turbulence in our region. Australia's political and business leaders will be confronted with decisions and choices with significant ramifications for our well-being into the longer term future. A deeper understanding of China's aspirations, and of the impa ....Introducing China: The World's Oldest and Newest Major Power. China's weight in regional affairs is growing rapidly on all fronts, and will continue to do so into the indefinite future. China will be the largest single source of dynamism and turbulence in our region. Australia's political and business leaders will be confronted with decisions and choices with significant ramifications for our well-being into the longer term future. A deeper understanding of China's aspirations, and of the impact that China is having on the outlook of others in the region, will improve the odds for sensible decisions and choices. It may also be the key to avoiding choices that we do not wish to make.Read moreRead less
Expectations and commitments in the Australia-USA alliance. This project aims to investigate the gap between the high expectations of mutual support and the lack of detailed security commitments in the Australia-US Alliance. The project intends to use a focused approach that captures thematic aspects of the alliance through project frames and historical slices across time. Expected outcomes can advance understanding of how alliances operate as security institutions. The outcomes can help to prom ....Expectations and commitments in the Australia-USA alliance. This project aims to investigate the gap between the high expectations of mutual support and the lack of detailed security commitments in the Australia-US Alliance. The project intends to use a focused approach that captures thematic aspects of the alliance through project frames and historical slices across time. Expected outcomes can advance understanding of how alliances operate as security institutions. The outcomes can help to promote a more informed national conversation about the costs and benefits of Australia's security relationship with the United States of America (USA) and contribute to debates over the future of the Australia-USA Alliance during a period of strategic uncertainty.Read moreRead less
Global Challenges, Reluctant Publics? The Role of Public Opinion in International Cooperation on Crucial Global Issues. When challenges emerge that demand international cooperation, what is the facilitating or constraining role of public opinion in states’ ability for joint action? Which factors, under what conditions, influence citizens’ attitudes? Can governments or issue activists meaningfully change public opinion about crucial issues? Human society faces a number of major challenges to its ....Global Challenges, Reluctant Publics? The Role of Public Opinion in International Cooperation on Crucial Global Issues. When challenges emerge that demand international cooperation, what is the facilitating or constraining role of public opinion in states’ ability for joint action? Which factors, under what conditions, influence citizens’ attitudes? Can governments or issue activists meaningfully change public opinion about crucial issues? Human society faces a number of major challenges to its environmental, economic, and political wellbeing that are not contained by international borders and may require international cooperation for effective action. Developing and testing new theory, this project aims to address these under-explored issues of the role of opinion in multinational cooperation, and the degree to which opinion is an independent agenda setter.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101505
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$319,630.00
Summary
The rise of the national economic interest. How did we come to think of economic welfare as an end in itself? This project examines the process by which wealth was disentangled from other national goals and the consequences, good and bad, of doing so.
Democratization, Institutional Reform and Ethnic Politics in the Asia-Pacific. The democratisation of the Asia-Pacific has significant implications for Australia. Consolidated democracies are better able to manage internal conflicts, and less likely to pose a threat to their neighbours via arms trafficking, refugee flows, and transnational terrorism. However, the initial transitional period of democratisation can be highly fraught, and many of the new democracies of the Asia-Pacific are fragile, ....Democratization, Institutional Reform and Ethnic Politics in the Asia-Pacific. The democratisation of the Asia-Pacific has significant implications for Australia. Consolidated democracies are better able to manage internal conflicts, and less likely to pose a threat to their neighbours via arms trafficking, refugee flows, and transnational terrorism. However, the initial transitional period of democratisation can be highly fraught, and many of the new democracies of the Asia-Pacific are fragile, beset by internal cleavages and conflicts. If ways can be found to manage ethnic and other cleavages within a democratic framework, the prospects for peaceful and stable governance in the region will be significantly enhanced. This has the potential to transform the security of the region and Australia's relations with it.Read moreRead less
Crafting Authoritarian Politics. Although Russia is nominally a democracy, strong elements of authoritarianism remain dominant. This project examines how Russia has accommodated these authoritarian themes within a representative democracy and, more generally, seeks to shed new light on the process of democratization in postcommunist societies. Russia is the 8th largest country in the world by population and the 11th largest economy based on GDP; it also remains nuclear-armed. Understanding th ....Crafting Authoritarian Politics. Although Russia is nominally a democracy, strong elements of authoritarianism remain dominant. This project examines how Russia has accommodated these authoritarian themes within a representative democracy and, more generally, seeks to shed new light on the process of democratization in postcommunist societies. Russia is the 8th largest country in the world by population and the 11th largest economy based on GDP; it also remains nuclear-armed. Understanding the dynamics of democratization in Russia has implications for political stability across a large section of the world which is currently in transition from authoritarianism to democracy.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL140100154
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,616,265.00
Summary
Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. In an increasingly complex world the processes of achieving fair, effective and equitable solutions to major problems are under challenge. Deliberative democratic methods, where informed citizen groups are used to make decisions, have been used in many countries to develop effective policy responses to a range of problems. This research will develop the understanding of del ....Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. In an increasingly complex world the processes of achieving fair, effective and equitable solutions to major problems are under challenge. Deliberative democratic methods, where informed citizen groups are used to make decisions, have been used in many countries to develop effective policy responses to a range of problems. This research will develop the understanding of deliberative democratic processes and test their applicability and capacity to address issues such as global justice and environmental governance in settings of deep cultural difference. The knowledge gained will inform political theory and contribute to world-wide efforts to solve international policy problems.Read moreRead less
Responding to Globalization: Firms, the State and Upgrading in the Automotive Industry on the Western Pacific Rim. The automotive industry is arguably still the most important manufacturing sector in the world economy. It is one of the most 'globalized' of industrial sectors, whether considered in terms of geographical dispersion of production or of trade. In Australia, the turnover of the auto industry is around $17 billions per year. It employs more than 50,000 people. Like other auto industri ....Responding to Globalization: Firms, the State and Upgrading in the Automotive Industry on the Western Pacific Rim. The automotive industry is arguably still the most important manufacturing sector in the world economy. It is one of the most 'globalized' of industrial sectors, whether considered in terms of geographical dispersion of production or of trade. In Australia, the turnover of the auto industry is around $17 billions per year. It employs more than 50,000 people. Like other auto industries around the region, that in Australia must adjust to several rapidly changing contexts driven by technological developments, industry consolidation, and new trade regimes. This project will provide a better understanding of the forces driving change, and of the range of possible policy responses available to firms and governments.Read moreRead less
Deliberative Global Governance. The worldwide movement building deliberative democracy should now address deliberative capacity in whole systems, not just micro innovations such as citizens' juries. This includes global systems such as that addressing climate change; substantial environmental benefits will result. A world populated by more effective democracies - especially in East Asia - is in Australia's national security interest. A century ago, Australia was a world leader in innovations suc ....Deliberative Global Governance. The worldwide movement building deliberative democracy should now address deliberative capacity in whole systems, not just micro innovations such as citizens' juries. This includes global systems such as that addressing climate change; substantial environmental benefits will result. A world populated by more effective democracies - especially in East Asia - is in Australia's national security interest. A century ago, Australia was a world leader in innovations such as the secret ballot and votes for women. Work on deliberative democracy can put Australia back in the forefront of democratic progress, with many associated social, political, and economic benefits.Read moreRead less