ADRI researchers gain funding under the 2013 Central Research Grants Scheme

32 research projects successfully gained funding under the 2013 Deakin University Central Research Grants Scheme (CRGS), two of which are projects directed by ADRI members, Dr Anthony Ware and Dr Cai Wilkinson.

 

Anthony's project, Development in a Pariah State: An Investigation into Actor Roles, Approaches and Modalities in Myanmar 1990-2010 investigates international engagement with pariah states, by examining development in Myanmar 1990-2010. Very little has been written about development in pariah states, which are usually treated as a type of fragile state; however fragile state development principles do not apply in pariah states. This research examines how the type of agency, development approach or modality of action impact access to the humanitarian space, and whether these contributed to the expansion of the civil-political space in Myanmar leading to the current political reform. It therefore seeks to inform foreign policy by determining how engagement through international aid may make a significant contribution to facilitating reform in pariah states.

 

Cai's grant-awarded project is entitled Mapping International Norm Diffusion Dynamics: The Case of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights in Kyrgyzstan. The project will explore how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights activists in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan have successfully advocated for greater recognition of LGBT rights in a region known for intense popular and state-sponsored homophobia. The project will map the formation of a transnational LGBT rights network involving Kyrgyzstan, examining local and external actors' relationships and activities. Studying the dynamics of how international human rights norms relating to LGBT rights have been promoted will offer new insights to how - and how far - norms spread even in hostile environments, which is an issue that remains under-researched in the scholarly literature despite its importance for the effective global promotion of universal human rights.

 

Funding awarded ranged from $11,000 to $26,000 depending on the project and the total funding awarded by Deakin Research was $600,000.

 

The quality and calibre of applications continues to increase and this year was no exception as the field was extremely competitive.  112 applications were submitted giving the scheme an overall success rate of 28.5%.