Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: An “over-compliant” state is one that paradoxically takes actions which recognize specific rights or a category of rights that go beyond or even against that state’s international human rights treaty obligations or its normative international commitments. Since there is no existing literature in International Relations which would explain why a state might paradoxically comply or “over-comply” with its stated commitments, there is also no theory to explain what would propel a state to “over-comply” with an emergent norm. “Over-compliance” in indigenous rights occurs under a particular set of conditions: 1) when there is a strong presence of the international indigenous rights movement within the state, 2) when the state places high value on its reputation as a “good global citizen”, and 3) when change occurs in the state’s domestic discourse as it seeks to locate its own post-colonial identity in a globalized world. By examining the “over-compliance” of Australian behavior in indigenous rights, I aim to expose the limits of the current international discourse and the potential to push that discourse further to better accommodate the full spectrum of indigenous rights.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper is an introduction to a doctoral dissertation on contemporary share ownership amongst Australian households. The study uses the tools of class analysis and the theoretical work of Wright to examine this phenomenon and argues that it is an example of embourgeoisement in which the capitalist field of finance widens to incorporate proletariat class locations. Applying the social theory of Bourdieu, the study asks whether this process of field widening represents a heterodox transformation of the field or an expansion along orthodox lines. In examining the internal processes of the field, the study then employs the work of Habermas on deliberative democracy and of Arendt on public political spaces to analyse the features of contemporary corporate governance.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Power transition and alliance theories suggest that weaker powers will remain aligned with a dominant global power, so as not to jeopardise important benefits they receive. Junior allies will therefore be reluctant to diverge from the policies of their senior partners. Yet Australia has managed to consistently and constructively build a relationship with China, whilst maintaining a close alliance with the United States, in spite of the oscillating relationship between these two powers. This study seeks to account for how and why Australia has been able to do so. It examines this question in relation to three separate phases of the Sino-Australian relationship under the Howard Government: (1) re-instigation of cooperative Sino-Australian relations in the wake of the Taiwan Straits crisis, 1996-97; (2) intensified strategic engagement within the U.S. alliance, 1999-2002; and (3) the Sino-Australian ‘strategic partnership’ 2003-2005.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper will provide background for the other four papers on the panel. It will examine the recent history of US-Austrlian defense cooperation, with particular emphasis on three areas:- Grand Strategy: Do Washington and Canberra share a common grand strategy regarding the use of military force in an age of terrorism?- Military Operations: How successful have US and Australian forces been at working together in coalition operations?- Defense capabilities: What is the current state of (and future prospects for) defense capabilities in these two countries? Do the trends predict to increased cooperation or divergence?

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: It is a trend in regulatory policy and regulatory studies to advocate a responsive regulatory strategy. The argument is that responsive regulation is the most cost-effective enforcement style.

Little work has been done sorting out the theoretical concept of responsiveness and its empirical equivalents. Therefore, it is still unclear what scholars actually mean by “responsiveness”. At which phase(s) of the regulatory process can and should the regulator be responsive and to what kind of “conduct” should they react?

Furthermore, we know little about to what degree and how the regulators actually manage to react responsively interacting with regulatees.

By analyzing how the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) interacts with business regulatees the paper will 1) sort out in what way the ACCC reacts responsively to Australian companies; 2) examine how these kinds of responsiveness are perceived by regulatees; and 3) whether or not there is a mismatch between the way ACCC reacts responsively and the kind of responsiveness that theories of responsive regulation advocate.

In discussing the concept of responsiveness the paper works out theoretically different ways of being responsive, and use it as a frame within which the behavior of ACCC is analyzed.

The paper uses both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data is based on case studies among Australian companies who have had an interaction with the ACCC. The case studies consist of both documentary research and interviews. The quantitative data comes from a survey carried out among the 2700 biggest companies in Australia.