Time and Politics: A Rapprochement of Analytic Political Philosophy and Post-structuralism. The most obvious benefits of this project will be academic, in that it will enrich contemporary political philosophy and advance theoretical work on the post-structuralism of Derrida and Deleuze. I will also be consulting with philosophers across Australia of both analytic and 'European' persuasion, and encouraging such a dialogue contributes to what is an emerging movement to break down the oppositional ....Time and Politics: A Rapprochement of Analytic Political Philosophy and Post-structuralism. The most obvious benefits of this project will be academic, in that it will enrich contemporary political philosophy and advance theoretical work on the post-structuralism of Derrida and Deleuze. I will also be consulting with philosophers across Australia of both analytic and 'European' persuasion, and encouraging such a dialogue contributes to what is an emerging movement to break down the oppositional thinking that has pervaded the Australian philosophical community. Finally, the findings of this project will also be used to instigate new ways of thinking regarding political issues afflicting Australians and the world, particularly in regard to refugees and reconciliation.
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Deliberative Democracy and Citizenship: A Study of Deliberative Polling and Participatory Budgeting in China. The result of this research will enhance Australian democracy-promotion activities overseas, foster Chinese learning from Australian deliberative democratic experiences, as well as benefiting Australian governmental agencies such as AusAID and Australian NGOs working in this field. The project will also strengthen cooperation between Australian researchers and their counterparts in China ....Deliberative Democracy and Citizenship: A Study of Deliberative Polling and Participatory Budgeting in China. The result of this research will enhance Australian democracy-promotion activities overseas, foster Chinese learning from Australian deliberative democratic experiences, as well as benefiting Australian governmental agencies such as AusAID and Australian NGOs working in this field. The project will also strengthen cooperation between Australian researchers and their counterparts in China. The lessons learned from this Chinese experiment can be used to improve the quality of citizen participation and to develop more effective means of public participation and consultation in Australia. The project will contribute to the Australian government's dialogue approach to human rights issues in China since 1989.Read moreRead less
Western Theory of Deliberative Democracy and Chinese Practice of Participatory and Deliberative Institutions. This project is aimed to study how various participatory and deliberative institutions are pursued and promoted by peasants and residents in local governance in China. It is the first study that builds a bridge between Western theory of deliberative democracy and Chinese deliberative practice, adding to our knowledge of local participatory institutions in local China, contributing to a b ....Western Theory of Deliberative Democracy and Chinese Practice of Participatory and Deliberative Institutions. This project is aimed to study how various participatory and deliberative institutions are pursued and promoted by peasants and residents in local governance in China. It is the first study that builds a bridge between Western theory of deliberative democracy and Chinese deliberative practice, adding to our knowledge of local participatory institutions in local China, contributing to a better design of, and improvement of, these institutions, and developing lessons and policy implications that will be broadly applicable not only to most parts of China, but also to other developing countries and beyond.Read moreRead less
A Philosophical Investigation into Conditions of Conceptual Creativity. Australia as a young and striving society depends heavily on innovation and the integration of creative forces. Yet creativity can only be understood through a close analysis of its conditions. This philosophical project can contribute directly by investigating paradigm cases of successful groupings of individuals around specific clusters of related problems. It aims at exploring the nature of such structures and conditions ....A Philosophical Investigation into Conditions of Conceptual Creativity. Australia as a young and striving society depends heavily on innovation and the integration of creative forces. Yet creativity can only be understood through a close analysis of its conditions. This philosophical project can contribute directly by investigating paradigm cases of successful groupings of individuals around specific clusters of related problems. It aims at exploring the nature of such structures and conditions that determine the emergence and flourishing of conceptual creativity. Understanding the nexus between creativity, innovation and these groupings is of central importance to the promotion and maintenance of modern societies. It is central to the dynamics of societal processes and enhances creative responses in the realm of e. g. conflict solving.Read moreRead less
Neo-liberalism and the Decline of Democratic Governance: A Problem of Institutional Design? How well Australia's democracy is working is critical both for national policy making and for citizenship. Many scholars argue that populism is in the ascendant, political parties have weakened and that public confidence in political leaders has diminished. This project will provide an authoritative test of these propositions. If they are established, it will identify the ways democratic governance can be ....Neo-liberalism and the Decline of Democratic Governance: A Problem of Institutional Design? How well Australia's democracy is working is critical both for national policy making and for citizenship. Many scholars argue that populism is in the ascendant, political parties have weakened and that public confidence in political leaders has diminished. This project will provide an authoritative test of these propositions. If they are established, it will identify the ways democratic governance can be renewed.Read moreRead less
Australia and the OECD: A Neglected Arena in Multi-level Governance. Issues such as trade liberalisation and the development of international agreements are of considerable importance for domestic policy within Australia. Development of such ideas and policies often serve as the basis for subsequent agreements in the multilateral system through policy transfer or the strategy of ?forum shopping?. Australia's interests as a middle power lie in a rules-based system, and thus its ability to maximiz ....Australia and the OECD: A Neglected Arena in Multi-level Governance. Issues such as trade liberalisation and the development of international agreements are of considerable importance for domestic policy within Australia. Development of such ideas and policies often serve as the basis for subsequent agreements in the multilateral system through policy transfer or the strategy of ?forum shopping?. Australia's interests as a middle power lie in a rules-based system, and thus its ability to maximize its effectiveness in shaping those rules is of paramount importance. This project will contribute knowledge which will serve directly this goal, by enhancing our understanding of the OECD as an arena of multilevel governance and Australia's participation within it.Read moreRead less
Changing political careers in Australia. The outcomes of the project include (i) contributions to our knowledge and understanding of sociopolitical change, especially in the area of elite formation and circulation; (ii) addressing the key theoretical issues in the area of elite theory and political professionalisation, this contribution to understanding of Australian politics, especially the recent changes in political recruitment and careers; and (iii) updating and extending the computerised ca ....Changing political careers in Australia. The outcomes of the project include (i) contributions to our knowledge and understanding of sociopolitical change, especially in the area of elite formation and circulation; (ii) addressing the key theoretical issues in the area of elite theory and political professionalisation, this contribution to understanding of Australian politics, especially the recent changes in political recruitment and careers; and (iii) updating and extending the computerised career register of the Australian federal parliamentarians.Read moreRead less
Democratization and conflict management in Eastern Indonesia. The proposed project directly addresses the priority goal of understanding our region and the world to safeguard Australia. Indonesia is not only Australia's closest northern neighbour and the world's most populous Muslim nation, but also the third-largest democracy and the strategically most important country in Southeast Asia. The project will greatly enhance our understanding of some of the least known areas of Indonesia and is int ....Democratization and conflict management in Eastern Indonesia. The proposed project directly addresses the priority goal of understanding our region and the world to safeguard Australia. Indonesia is not only Australia's closest northern neighbour and the world's most populous Muslim nation, but also the third-largest democracy and the strategically most important country in Southeast Asia. The project will greatly enhance our understanding of some of the least known areas of Indonesia and is intended to prescribe concrete recommendations for the Australian government and aid organizations to assist them in their endeavours to promote democratization and help prevent and/or resolve communal conflict.Read moreRead less
Cabinet Government in comparative perspective. This project explores how cabinet government is, or is not, able to develop a collective will. Cabinets lie at the heart of parliamentary systems, but public and academic analyses question whether they work effectively. Using examples of majoritarian and consensus democratic regimes, this project plans to examine how cabinets work and identify the different functions cabinet plays in developing collective views of policy or political situations. The ....Cabinet Government in comparative perspective. This project explores how cabinet government is, or is not, able to develop a collective will. Cabinets lie at the heart of parliamentary systems, but public and academic analyses question whether they work effectively. Using examples of majoritarian and consensus democratic regimes, this project plans to examine how cabinets work and identify the different functions cabinet plays in developing collective views of policy or political situations. The project expects to illustrates how the different appreciations of cabinet, whether seen as constitutional or operational, or in terms of policy analysis or political contests, help define the values of cabinet and can allow us to understand in what circumstances cabinet government is important in terms of stability and sensible policy. It asks if collective cabinets like Australia's can survive in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
Place, Commonality and the Human: Towards a New Philosophical Anthropology. This project proposes a new philosophical vision of what it means to be human. Combining historical and conceptual approaches, the project aims to develop a new philosophical anthropology that centres on understanding human beings in terms of both place and commonality. This account is designed to provide the basis for a rethought conception of the ethics that are bound to human life and that understands the ethical as e ....Place, Commonality and the Human: Towards a New Philosophical Anthropology. This project proposes a new philosophical vision of what it means to be human. Combining historical and conceptual approaches, the project aims to develop a new philosophical anthropology that centres on understanding human beings in terms of both place and commonality. This account is designed to provide the basis for a rethought conception of the ethics that are bound to human life and that understands the ethical as essentially a matter of judgment rather than prescriptive rule. Given the centrality of the concept of the human to any thinking about our contemporary situation, the project would have both applied and interdisciplinary relevance.Read moreRead less