Natural Hazard Vulnerability: A study of risk, vulnerability, behaviour, attitudes and perceptions of warnings. This project builds on original research into community vulnerability, awareness and preparedness for natural hazards. During the second half of the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, the trend in emergency management and disaster mitigation research has been towards the social and community impacts of natural disasters. The aim of the project is to exa ....Natural Hazard Vulnerability: A study of risk, vulnerability, behaviour, attitudes and perceptions of warnings. This project builds on original research into community vulnerability, awareness and preparedness for natural hazards. During the second half of the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, the trend in emergency management and disaster mitigation research has been towards the social and community impacts of natural disasters. The aim of the project is to examine risk perception amongst hazard vulnerable communities. The expected outcomes include an improved awareness campaign and a better understanding of the ways in which warnings and forecasts are filtered and distorted by the public.Read moreRead less
Emerging assisted reproduction markets in Southern Africa. This anthropological study aims to investigate the global networks and emerging markets for assisted reproduction in Southern Africa. It will focus upon the mobilities of patients to South Africa for assisted reproduction and mobility of ova providers, gametes, embryos and medical staff across Africa and to and from Australia. This ethnographic study includes an analysis of the development of the industry, surveys of the numbers of inte ....Emerging assisted reproduction markets in Southern Africa. This anthropological study aims to investigate the global networks and emerging markets for assisted reproduction in Southern Africa. It will focus upon the mobilities of patients to South Africa for assisted reproduction and mobility of ova providers, gametes, embryos and medical staff across Africa and to and from Australia. This ethnographic study includes an analysis of the development of the industry, surveys of the numbers of international patients travelling to clinics in South Africa and interviews with staff, patients, gamete donors, and facilitating agencies. This study is anticipated to provide theoretical insights on the social impacts of reproductive travel across national borders for improved public policy responses.
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Capacity building and social enterprise: Individual and organisational transformation in transitional labour market programs. This research will produce new knowledge about the sustainability of social enterprise based transitional labour market programs, and contribute to the development of such programs nationally and internationally. The study of the factors that shape the success, or otherwise, of the most vulnerable, marginalised young people's involvement in these programs will contribute ....Capacity building and social enterprise: Individual and organisational transformation in transitional labour market programs. This research will produce new knowledge about the sustainability of social enterprise based transitional labour market programs, and contribute to the development of such programs nationally and internationally. The study of the factors that shape the success, or otherwise, of the most vulnerable, marginalised young people's involvement in these programs will contribute new knowledge about young people's transitions into labour markets. Together, these innovative understandings of social enterprise, marginalisation and social inclusion/transition will make significant contributions to the National Research Priority goals strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric and promoting an innovation culture and economy.Read moreRead less
Managing and mitigating social risks of major infrastructure projects. This project aims to reduce social risks of major infrastructure projects by generating an evidence-based social risk management framework. It brings together leading ANU researchers with top organisations in Australia's infrastructure sector, already working together via the ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society. The project seeks to improve social risk management in a multi-billion dollar sector, vital to all Australi ....Managing and mitigating social risks of major infrastructure projects. This project aims to reduce social risks of major infrastructure projects by generating an evidence-based social risk management framework. It brings together leading ANU researchers with top organisations in Australia's infrastructure sector, already working together via the ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society. The project seeks to improve social risk management in a multi-billion dollar sector, vital to all Australians. The project is significant because it adopts a sector-wide view to systematically define social risk, co-create a social risk management framework and implement it via a new social risk management toolkit. This should lessen harm to communities, reduce delays and costs and benefit national infrastructure delivery.Read moreRead less
Getting a job: vocationalism, identity formation and schooling in communities at disadvantage. This research will use young people's stories to investigate the barriers and obstacles to getting a job, and from their vantage point, identify the educational, policy and practice contexts that need to be created and more widely sustained in order to assist their career aspirations and life chances.
Academic Curriculum and School Setting : How school subjects live different lives in different schools. What is it about some schools that enables success to occur even in the most unlikely settings? This project will investigate differences in how the senior school subjects of mathematics, English and chemistry are 'delivered' in particular settings, despite curricula that are centrally determined and examined. It will explore the impact of factors such as school organisation, teaching and asse ....Academic Curriculum and School Setting : How school subjects live different lives in different schools. What is it about some schools that enables success to occur even in the most unlikely settings? This project will investigate differences in how the senior school subjects of mathematics, English and chemistry are 'delivered' in particular settings, despite curricula that are centrally determined and examined. It will explore the impact of factors such as school organisation, teaching and assessment methods, teaching resources and student background characteristics on students' experience of, and success in, these subjects. This project will identify the changes in curricula, school organisation and teaching needed for more students to successfully complete their senior secondary education.Read moreRead less
A socio-cultural analysis of eating disorders among pre-teen boys and girls. This project tackles the tough question of why there has been a dramatic increase in eating disorders amongst very young boys and girls by examining the social conditions of children's lives in contemporary Australia. The findings will provide important information for policy makers, educators and clinicians working with children and families.
Unions and Regional Regeneration. Unions face many challenges in older industrial regions, where they previously have had a strong presence. Successful regeneration of such regions depends on the active involvement of unions and their members as well as business. In some places, however, unions have remained marginal to these processes. Not only does this project extend theory on union purpose, capacities and organisation in support of economic, political and environmental change towards sustain ....Unions and Regional Regeneration. Unions face many challenges in older industrial regions, where they previously have had a strong presence. Successful regeneration of such regions depends on the active involvement of unions and their members as well as business. In some places, however, unions have remained marginal to these processes. Not only does this project extend theory on union purpose, capacities and organisation in support of economic, political and environmental change towards sustainable futures, it applies a novel combination of methods. This application examines the consequences of involvement and non-involvement in these processes. The project seeks to extend theories of social change and social mobilisation.Read moreRead less
Participation versus performance: managing (dis)ability, gender and cultural diversity in junior sport. Playing sport can benefit young people but by its nature is competitive. This project will examine how well, if at all, junior sports clubs manage a need to be successful alongside providing an inclusive environment welcoming people of all backgrounds and abilities.
The invisible postmodern family: Investigating the interface between the private and public worlds of lesbian families. This study investigates family diversity and post-modern kinship through a study of lesbian parented families. These families are a recent and significant new family type and knowledge about them is crucial for understanding contemporary family life. We examine family structure including how family members define and describe their relationships, their roles and the social supp ....The invisible postmodern family: Investigating the interface between the private and public worlds of lesbian families. This study investigates family diversity and post-modern kinship through a study of lesbian parented families. These families are a recent and significant new family type and knowledge about them is crucial for understanding contemporary family life. We examine family structure including how family members define and describe their relationships, their roles and the social supports available to them. We examine the interface between the private lives of lesbian parented families and mainstream public institutions. The research will develop the field of family studies theoretically and empirically and will be of major significance to researchers, practitioners and social policy makers.Read moreRead less