Democracy and Disadvantage: How economic and social disadvantage shapes, and is shaped by, political attitudes and behaviour
Lecture/seminar
It is close to a truism to say that democratic institutions and norms are under threat across established, high-income democracies. This is most obvious in the US, with an uptick in political violence, contested elections, and state-directed restrictions on free speech and expression (to name but a…
Revolutions are Back!
Lecture/seminar
Professor George Lawson works in the Department of International Relations (IR) at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs (ANU). His work is oriented around the relationship between history and theory, with a particular interest in global historical sociology.He applied…
PPE Special Lecture: Andrew Leigh MP and zero-sum thinking in policymaking
Lecture
Andrew Leigh is a former professor of economics at ANU and currently the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. In this talk, he will be discussing zero-sum thinking in policymaking. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition,…
Independent guardrail institutions increase public trust
Lecture/seminar
Public trust is essential to democratic governance, yet many democracies face declining confidence in political institutions, driven by unmet expectations and perceived misconduct. Institutional ‘guardrails’, such as anti-corruption bodies, election commissions, and federal checks and balances, are…
Who should vote, who can vote, and who does vote? Democratic inclusion principles and the electoral participation of migrants
Lecture/seminar
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) defines the ‘basis of the authority of government’ as being ‘the will of the people’ (Art 21.1) and emphasises that ‘everyone has the right to take part in the government of his [sic.] country, directly or through freely chosen representatives’ (Art…
Why institutions endure? Norms, leadership and the difficulty of reform
Seminar
Why are institutions so persistent, when do they evolve, and do social norms define institutional equilibrium? Understanding institutional equilibrium and evolution is critical for explaining development paths and informing policy. This paper develops a novel framework showing that social…
The Impact of Natural Disasters on Government Popularity: Party, Leader, Time and Geographic Dimensions in Australia 1985-2025
Seminar
Natural disasters are a perennial and increasing feature of democratic societies. These disasters present chances for governments to improve their support through responsive governance or else be held accountable for failures of crisis leadership. Scholars seek to understand under what conditions…