Courts, the Judiciary and Social Change. While few Australians have direct experience of courts, nearly all agree that courts are important to the community, though public confidence is low. Social changes and the ambiguous position of courts in relation to change are part of this tension. This project will undertake a concrete examination of one aspect of social change and the courts: the increasing number of women in the judiciary. The focus on how gender interacts with judicial work and th ....Courts, the Judiciary and Social Change. While few Australians have direct experience of courts, nearly all agree that courts are important to the community, though public confidence is low. Social changes and the ambiguous position of courts in relation to change are part of this tension. This project will undertake a concrete examination of one aspect of social change and the courts: the increasing number of women in the judiciary. The focus on how gender interacts with judicial work and the wider roles of courts will produce new and valuable understandings of gender and judging, gender and work, and courts and social change. Better knowledge about these complex relationships will strengthen Australian society and its legal integrity.Read moreRead less
The Australian Judiciary: A National Socio-Legal Analysis. Courts and judges constitute a key social and legal institution, with a distinctive obligation to maintain the rule of law. The knowledge produced by this research will benefit the judiciary, the courts, government and the public they serve. Research findings will be used by courts and government to shape policy in recruitment, selection and professional development. It will assist individual judicial officers to manage their workload ....The Australian Judiciary: A National Socio-Legal Analysis. Courts and judges constitute a key social and legal institution, with a distinctive obligation to maintain the rule of law. The knowledge produced by this research will benefit the judiciary, the courts, government and the public they serve. Research findings will be used by courts and government to shape policy in recruitment, selection and professional development. It will assist individual judicial officers to manage their workloads and provide valuable information for courts in managing independent professionals. This research will improve public and scholarly understanding of Australia's courts and will help sustain an institution essential for safeguarding Australia.
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Changing Judicial Performance: Emotion and Legitimacy. This project examines emotion and emotional expression in judicial performance. Although judging is understood as unemotional, changing norms demand judicial emotional awareness and impose greater scrutiny of in-court judicial behaviour, creating practical tension for the judiciary and conceptual tension in understanding judging. Using surveys, interviews and observations of the Australian judiciary, and judicial performance evaluation data ....Changing Judicial Performance: Emotion and Legitimacy. This project examines emotion and emotional expression in judicial performance. Although judging is understood as unemotional, changing norms demand judicial emotional awareness and impose greater scrutiny of in-court judicial behaviour, creating practical tension for the judiciary and conceptual tension in understanding judging. Using surveys, interviews and observations of the Australian judiciary, and judicial performance evaluation data from the United States of America, this research examines whether judicial emotion and emotional display enhance or detract from judicial performance, considering impartiality and legitimacy of judicial authority. It aims to generate substantial new knowledge about judicial decision making and judicial behaviour.Read moreRead less
Food/body encounters: New approaches and alternative solutions to obesity prevention and policy. There is growing recognition of the need for new ways to tackle the obesity problem, and for forms of intervention that move beyond the limitations of individual behavioural changes. This project provides a paradigm for re-orientating how we have come to know obesity by investigating the cultural and institutional processes that shape everyday food and activity practices. Understanding and intervenin ....Food/body encounters: New approaches and alternative solutions to obesity prevention and policy. There is growing recognition of the need for new ways to tackle the obesity problem, and for forms of intervention that move beyond the limitations of individual behavioural changes. This project provides a paradigm for re-orientating how we have come to know obesity by investigating the cultural and institutional processes that shape everyday food and activity practices. Understanding and intervening in these dynamics of social practice are central to the challenges of reversing trends in the prevalence of obesity.Read moreRead less
Indigenous nationhood in the absence of recognition: Self-governance insights and strategies from three Aboriginal communities. Based on evidence that effective governance is a necessary precursor to Indigenous communities’ economic, social and cultural outcomes, this project aims to strengthen Australian Indigenous communities by learning and sharing lessons about sustainable and effective Indigenous governance. In collaboration with three Aboriginal communities in Victoria, South Australia and ....Indigenous nationhood in the absence of recognition: Self-governance insights and strategies from three Aboriginal communities. Based on evidence that effective governance is a necessary precursor to Indigenous communities’ economic, social and cultural outcomes, this project aims to strengthen Australian Indigenous communities by learning and sharing lessons about sustainable and effective Indigenous governance. In collaboration with three Aboriginal communities in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales that are differentially engaged in Indigenous governance processes, the project aims to identify innovation in community governance, test the usefulness of Australian governance assessment tools, and foster an Indigenous Australian and global network to share successful strategies. In doing so, the project contributes to an emerging theory of Indigenous nation building.Read moreRead less
Work/Life Balance, Well-Being and Health: Theory, Practice and Policy. This project links to the national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health in two ways. It establishes a new annual national measure of work/life balance, a critical element of good health and well-being, assisting understanding about work/life conflict and informing workplace and government policy responses to it, strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. Deep study of work/life issues in the h ....Work/Life Balance, Well-Being and Health: Theory, Practice and Policy. This project links to the national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health in two ways. It establishes a new annual national measure of work/life balance, a critical element of good health and well-being, assisting understanding about work/life conflict and informing workplace and government policy responses to it, strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. Deep study of work/life issues in the health sector will also inform recruitment, retention and well-being in the health workforce, with flow-on to the health system more broadly. The project includes analysis of 'pre-retirement' work/life issues, also linking to the 'ageing well, ageing productively' priority. Read moreRead less
Theoretical and policy implications of changing work/life patterns and preferences of Australian women, men and children, households and communities. This project establishes a Research Fellowship for Ass. Prof. Barbara Pocock, that will principally analyse and investigate, over five years, the relationship of changing patterns of work (broadly defined) in Australia, and the changing nature of Australian households, communities and workplaces. The study explores the effects of work upon househol ....Theoretical and policy implications of changing work/life patterns and preferences of Australian women, men and children, households and communities. This project establishes a Research Fellowship for Ass. Prof. Barbara Pocock, that will principally analyse and investigate, over five years, the relationship of changing patterns of work (broadly defined) in Australia, and the changing nature of Australian households, communities and workplaces. The study explores the effects of work upon households, along with individual preferences and household, community and workplace structures (and their interaction), drawing out implications for social theory and policy. It will analyse policy, quantitative data, and collect and analyse new qualitative data at Australian sites, within an international context.Read moreRead less
Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contra ....Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contrasting institutional configurations by focusing on the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey and Nigeria. This will be achieved through a study of random/purposive samples of respondents in the three countries using survey methodology. The objective is to develop a theoretically and empirically grounded model of social, political and religious trajectories of Muslim societies.Read moreRead less
Young people's understandings of the relation between work, the labour market and education: Their origins and effects. Young people's pathways between school and work have become much more diverse and complex than in the past. Yet the impact of family background on their education and employment outcomes has hardly changed. This project focuses on young people's perceptions of the relation between work, education and the labour market and the pathways open to them. Taking account of recent m ....Young people's understandings of the relation between work, the labour market and education: Their origins and effects. Young people's pathways between school and work have become much more diverse and complex than in the past. Yet the impact of family background on their education and employment outcomes has hardly changed. This project focuses on young people's perceptions of the relation between work, education and the labour market and the pathways open to them. Taking account of recent major changes in the youth labour market, the research aims to understand the role of these perceptions in shaping young people's choices and pathways, how these vary according to social background and experience, and how they affect employment outcomes.Read moreRead less
Solar solutions to improve energy affordability for low-income renters. This Project aims to develop solutions for low-income renters to access solar energy. Low-income households spend higher proportions of income on electricity costs. Solar energy is a key way to reduce electricity costs and thus improve energy affordability. Renters are largely excluded from this opportunity. Intended Project outcomes are solutions to access solar energy suitable for widespread application to low-income priva ....Solar solutions to improve energy affordability for low-income renters. This Project aims to develop solutions for low-income renters to access solar energy. Low-income households spend higher proportions of income on electricity costs. Solar energy is a key way to reduce electricity costs and thus improve energy affordability. Renters are largely excluded from this opportunity. Intended Project outcomes are solutions to access solar energy suitable for widespread application to low-income private, public and community rental housing. Adoption of the Project’s outcomes are expected to benefit low-income renters, assist electricity retailers to maintain and extend their customer base, and provide commercial incentives for the many stakeholders providing rental housing and residential solar and battery systems.Read moreRead less