Annual Report

RegNet Abridged Annual Report 2017

Author/s (editor/s):

Jenny Goodare

Publication year:

2018

Publication type:

RegNet report

Message from the Director

The shifting political and economic sands that prevail throughout the world provide an important window of opportunity to collectively change the status quo towards a society where communities are able to live with dignity, in good health and in balance with nature. Rebalancing the global system depends on a collective vision, the agency of concerned citizens, and the ability to reimagine the use of regulatory powers. In a hyper-connected world, there are many partners who can work together to create hope and change; this is what we care about at RegNet. We are a group of scholars and practitioners united by our concerns for social justice, environmental sustainability and human wellbeing through questions of regulation and governance. We come from many disciplines including anthropology, criminology, international relations, law, political science, psychology, public health, public policy, and sociology. Researching or studying at RegNet is an opportunity to think big, ask important social questions, broaden horizons and make connections.

2017 was another successful year for RegNet. We won four highly competitive Australian Research Council (ARC) grants and two grants from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), amongst other awards. Three of our PhD students were awarded Australian Government Endeavour scholarships to enrich their research by spending time at an acclaimed university overseas.

Thirteen of RegNet’s existing projects are supported through funding from the ARC and the NHMRC. This year also saw the continuation of our exciting collaborative projects with DFAT on law and justice in the Philippines, and overcoming sorcery accusation related violence in Papua New Guinea. We also commenced a new project with DFAT on negotiating and reforming investment treaties in the Asia Pacific region. We always welcome new opportunities to collaborate with government, business and non-governmental organisations – please do get in touch.

This year we were proud to publish our landmark book Regulatory theory: Foundations and applications and were joined by around 100 scholars and practitioners to launch the publication, along with a symposium touching on many of the key ideas in the book and an ABC Radio National Big Ideas panel discussion.

The book was born out of a desire to make RegNet’s work on regulation and governance accessible to students, as well as to regulatory practitioners and scholars across the world. Law and sociology scholars, criminologists, economists, political scientists, public health theorists, amongst others, will find it a comprehensive interdisciplinary resource on the themes of regulation, governance and globalisation.

Another exciting activity during the year was the showcasing of our interdisciplinary outlook with our popular weekly seminar series, and particularly with our flagship event Governance and the Power of Fear which brought together researchers and practitioners to explore the positive and negative manifestations of fear and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of a range of regulatory and governance approaches.

In 2017 we significantly expanded our educational offering. RegNet has a long-running PhD program which has been hugely successful and generated many accomplished academics and practitioners. Building upon this success, we are delighted to be offering two postgraduate degrees starting in 2018: the Master of Criminology, Justice and Regulation and the Master of Public Policy in Regulation, both of which are taught in collaboration with experts from across ANU.

People come from all over the world to study and undertake research at RegNet. Our students will benefit from exposure to our many visiting scholars from renowned universities, and from visiting practitioners working in key government agencies, NGOs and civil society groups in Australia and the Asia Pacific region.

Our 2017 Annual report also takes a quick tour through the enormous contributions our staff and students have made to the public debate around key policy and regulatory issues here in Australia, the Asia Pacific region and elsewhere.

Thank you for your ongoing interest in the work of RegNet.

Professor Sharon Friel
Director
School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet)

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RegNet Annual Report 2017

Author/s (editor/s):

Jenny Goodare

Publication year:

2018

Publication type:

RegNet report

Message from the Director

The shifting political and economic sands that prevail throughout the world provide an important window of opportunity to collectively change the status quo towards a society where communities are able to live with dignity, in good health and in balance with nature. Rebalancing the global system depends on a collective vision, the agency of concerned citizens, and the ability to reimagine the use of regulatory powers. In a hyper-connected world, there are many partners who can work together to create hope and change; this is what we care about at RegNet. We are a group of scholars and practitioners united by our concerns for social justice, environmental sustainability and human wellbeing through questions of regulation and governance. We come from many disciplines including anthropology, criminology, international relations, law, political science, psychology, public health, public policy, and sociology. Researching or studying at RegNet is an opportunity to think big, ask important social questions, broaden horizons and make connections.

2017 was another successful year for RegNet. We won four highly competitive Australian Research Council (ARC) grants and two grants from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), amongst other awards. Three of our PhD students were awarded Australian Government Endeavour scholarships to enrich their research by spending time at an acclaimed university overseas.

Thirteen of RegNet’s existing projects are supported through funding from the ARC and the NHMRC. This year also saw the continuation of our exciting collaborative projects with DFAT on law and justice in the Philippines, and overcoming sorcery accusation related violence in Papua New Guinea. We also commenced a new project with DFAT on negotiating and reforming investment treaties in the Asia Pacific region. We always welcome new opportunities to collaborate with government, business and non-governmental organisations – please do get in touch.

This year we were proud to publish our landmark book Regulatory theory: Foundations and applications and were joined by around 100 scholars and practitioners to launch the publication, along with a symposium touching on many of the key ideas in the book and an ABC Radio National Big Ideas panel discussion.

The book was born out of a desire to make RegNet’s work on regulation and governance accessible to students, as well as to regulatory practitioners and scholars across the world. Law and sociology scholars, criminologists, economists, political scientists, public health theorists, amongst others, will find it a comprehensive interdisciplinary resource on the themes of regulation, governance and globalisation.

Another exciting activity during the year was the showcasing of our interdisciplinary outlook with our popular weekly seminar series, and particularly with our flagship event Governance and the Power of Fear which brought together researchers and practitioners to explore the positive and negative manifestations of fear and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of a range of regulatory and governance approaches.

In 2017 we significantly expanded our educational offering. RegNet has a long-running PhD program which has been hugely successful and generated many accomplished academics and practitioners. Building upon this success, we are delighted to be offering two postgraduate degrees starting in 2018: the Master of Criminology, Justice and Regulation and the Master of Public Policy in Regulation, both of which are taught in collaboration with experts from across ANU.

People come from all over the world to study and undertake research at RegNet. Our students will benefit from exposure to our many visiting scholars from renowned universities, and from visiting practitioners working in key government agencies, NGOs and civil society groups in Australia and the Asia Pacific region.

Our 2017 Annual report also takes a quick tour through the enormous contributions our staff and students have made to the public debate around key policy and regulatory issues here in Australia, the Asia Pacific region and elsewhere.

Thank you for your ongoing interest in the work of RegNet.

Professor Sharon Friel
Director
School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet)

Download/View publication

AttachmentSize
PDF icon RegNet Annual Report 20171.31 MB

RegNet Annual Report 2016

Author/s (editor/s):

RegNet

Publication year:

2017

Publication type:

RegNet report

Message from the Director

In 2016 tensions around national governance triggered great change on a global scale, and brought to the world’s attention how crucial connected, authentic local, national and global governance is, and will be, going forward. These tensions were fuelled by a confluence of widening social inequities, global environmental change, inequities in human wellbeing, and shone a light on some fundamental ruptures in society as we know it. The events of 2016 reminded us at RegNet how critical our research on global governance and regulation is, and focussed our sights on how our research, which is based on principles of social justice, environmental sustainability and human wellbeing, can impact and underwrite movements for change.

In 2016 we took the opportunity to make our research focus more explicit and renamed ourselves the School of Regulation and Global Governance; we are still known familiarly as RegNet, and the essence of what we do remains unchanged: interdisciplinary and innovative scholarship in regulation and global governance. While global is in our new name, our work spans the global, the Asia and Pacific regional level and national levels. Much of our work asks questions of how global governance architecture and decision making processes interact and affect nation states’ sovereignty and resulting policies. I am delighted that in 2016 we had many opportunities for productive engagement with the UN system, including with the UN Security Council, UN Standing Committee on Nutrition, WHO, and WTO, as well as non-state actors including international NGOs and the private sector, particularly in areas of investment, rule of law, peace building and global health.

In 2015 we reorganised our research into five broad research clusters: climate, energy & the environment; human rights; law & justice; society, safety & health; and trade, investment & intellectual property. 2016 was in many ways a year of consolidation for us at RegNet. Historically an area of research strength, we further built out our trade, investment and intellectual property cluster expertise, welcoming three leading academics to the group (Susan Sell, Miranda Forsyth and Anthea Roberts).

Led by Peter Drahos, we also put the finishing touches on our RegNet e-textbook, Regulatory Theory: Foundations and Applications. The book, now available free from ANU Press, brings the theoretical, methodological and conceptual contributions RegNet scholars have made together in an etext which will be freely available to scholars in our region and across the world. The accessibility of our research has been an ongoing concern for RegNet scholars over the years and Regulatory Theory is not only freely accessible, but also presents our key contributions in the fields of regulation and global governance in an accessible text, having been designed with the PhD student, regulatory practitioner or policy maker in mind.

We celebrated our interdisciplinary environment through our Resistance seminar series, welcoming colleagues from across the College, University and the policy world to participate. The series, a timely one during a year of large-scale displays of resistance, was a highlight for RegNet and an opportunity for us to further interrogate what it means for us to be a research school pushing the limits of qualitative and quantitative interdisciplinary research.

New educational programs are also on the horizon. From 2018 we hope to add to our educational offerings a Master of Crime and Regulation to be delivered in partnership with the ANU’s College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS). Much of 2016 has been spent preparing the way for this program, which will facilitate greater collaboration with CASS, but also introduce a new generation of postgraduate students to the interdisciplinary work of RegNet.

Finally, this report also takes a quick tour through the enormous contributions our staff and students have made to the public debate around key policy and regulatory issues here in Australia, the Asia Pacific region and elsewhere.

Governance and regulatory research can provide key insights into the new global environment and the local and national environments shaped by it. We are challenged as researchers and educators not only to continue to deliver high quality, innovative and interdisciplinary research and teaching but to integrate it better, engage with our audiences better and bring evidence to new audiences. 2017 promises to provide many opportunities for us to engage with our wider networks.

Thank you for your interest in the work of RegNet.

Sharon Friel
Director, RegNet
School of Regulation & Global Governance

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Updated:  10 August 2017/Responsible Officer:  Director, RegNet/Page Contact:  Director, RegNet