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Political Science Program
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Research Opportunities in Political Science, RSSS, ANU
Research Priorities
Scholarships
Research resources
Research environment
International Scholarly Networks
PhD Timetable
Summer Research Scholarships
Further Details
The Research School of Social Sciences
(RSSS) is the leading school of political science in Australia
and ranks among the world’s best. Ask any PhD student about what
makes for a rewarding and successful doctorate, and the quality
of supervision will always be of key importance. RSSS offers supervision
by internationally renowned political scientists.
Professor John Dryzek. He is a former editor of the Australian
Journal of Political Science, and current Head of the Social and Political
Theory Program. His recent books include: The Politics of
the Earth (1997) Deliberative Democracy and Beyond
(2000), Post-Communist Democratization
(with Holmes, 2002), and Green States and Social Movements
(co-authored 2003).
Dr Rachel Gibson. Deputy Director, Centre for Social Research,
an authority on e-democracy and far right and anti-immigrant political
parties. Recent books include: The Growth of Anti-Immigrant
Parties in Western Europe (2002); Net Gain: Political
Parties and the Impact of the New Information and Communication Technologie
(co-edited, 2003).
Professor Bob Goodin. Professor of Social and Political
Theory and of Philosophy. He is the Founding Editor of The Journal
of Political Philosophy, and general editor of the new Oxford series
of 11 volumes: Handbooks of Political Science. His recent books
include: Social Welfare and Individual Responsibility (with
Schmidtz, 1998), The Real Worlds of Welfare Capitalism
(with Headey, Muffels and Dirven,1999); and Reflective
Democracy (2002).
Professor Barry Hindess. He is an authority on discourse analysis
and on governmentality. His books include Discourses of Power
(1996) and Governing Australia (edited with Dean,
1998), and he has published numerous papers on democracy, liberalism
and empire, and neo-liberalism. He was the winner of the inaugural
ANU teaching award for PhD research supervision.
Professor Ian McAllister. Former Director of the School now
current member of the Political Science Program. He is an expert
on elections, voting and party systems. He is former editor of the
Australian Journal of Political Science, and has also published
widely on the use of illicit drugs. Among his recent books are:
The Australian Political System How Russia Votes (with
White, Rose and Boldiston, 1997), Australian Political
Facts (with Mackerras and Boldiston, 1997).(with Lovell, Kukathas
and Maley, 1998),
Dr Ian Marsh. A specialist in studies of social movements,
interest groups, political parties and systems of governance. His
books include Democracy, Governance and Economic Performance
in East and Southeast Asia (with Blondel, 2000), and
Australia’s Choices (2003). His research interests
include: role of institutions in public policy and economic development,
interests groups and social movements, democratic consultation and
economic performance in Asia.
Professor Rod Rhodes. Head of the Political Science Program.
He is an authority on policy networks, governance and British government.
He is Australia’s foremost expert on the comparative study of public
policy and administration. His most recent books include:
Understanding Governance (1997); and Interpreting British
Governance (2003). He is editor of Public Administration:
an international quarterly. His research interests include: comparing
Westminster systems and a political anthropology of government departments.
Professor Marian Sawer. An authority on gender and politics.
Her recent books include Speaking for the People (edited with
Zappala, 2001), Elections (2001) and The Ethical State?
(2003). Her research interests include: political representation, democratic
audit, electoral history and the women's movement and public policy.
Dr John Uhr. An authority on parliamentary government and
public sector ethics. His books include Deliberative Democracy in
Australia (1998) and The Australian Republic
Research Priorities
RSSS has a strong interest in political theory,
democratic governance, Australian government and politics, and
comparative politics. RSSS offers research supervision across a
wide range of theoretical and empirical areas.
For example, in the study of Australian government
and politics, RSSS houses the best research team on Parliament
in Australia. This national excellence builds on a close relationship
with Parliament, and recent publications include: M. Sawer and
G. Zappala (eds) Speaking for the People (2001); I. Marsh
(ed), Australia’s Choices (2003); and J. Uhr Deliberative
Democracy in Australia (1998). Practical work includes: regularly
providing evidence to parliamentary committees; delivering the prestigious
Senate lectures; and giving evidence to various parliamentary and
public inquiries.
The Political Science Program is also home to the
Democratic Audit of Australia
, a large research project funded by the Australian
Research Council investigating the political health of democracy
in Australia. Led by Marian Sawer, the Democratic Audit includes
research on political corruption by Hindess, on voting behaviour
by McAllister, on parliamentary behaviour by Uhr, and on non-government
organisations by Dryzek, plus many other topics by researchers around
Australia.
Another example of RSSS’s preeminent political
research is the study of democracy in theory and practice. Dryzek
and Goodin share a major research project on The Theory and Practice
of Deliberative Democracy, funded by the Australian Research Council,
which draws on Dryzek’s Deliberative Democracy and Beyond (2000)
and Goodin’s Reflective Democracy (2002). Also important is Brennan’s
research on applying economic reasoning to theories of democracy.
RSSS also provides a strong institutional support
for doctoral and post-doctoral research, with excellent scholarships,
research resources, and Australia’s best research environment.
The co-location within the Coombs Building of the ANU’s Research
School of Pacific and Asian Studies is a great benefit, given the wealth
of political studies undertaken in this companion Research School.
Scholarships
The main scholarships available for study at the
ANU are offered by the Australian government for Australian and
New Zealand citizens (Australian Postgraduate Awards). The ANU
also offers scholarships (for example, ANU PhD awards; Graduate
School Scholarships; Re-entry Scholarships for Women)). A few International
Postgraduate Research Scholarships are also available for people
who are not Australian citizens.
Deadlines for scholarship applications vary: 31
August for International Postgraduate Scholarships; 30 September
for Re-entry Scholarships for Women; and 31 October for most other
ANU and APA scholarships. Information about PhD scholarships is
available from the ANU’s
Graduate School’s web site
Research resources
Students enjoy first-rate facilities. All students
have an office computer with full IT support and Internet access.
Resources exist to support students giving papers at academic
conferences and it may be possible to offer some help with overseas
fieldwork costs. The School has recently appointed a full-time PhD
Adviser, Dr Marian May, to provide research students with professional
help, and to promote networks across the School’s research community.
Research environment
A big plus of doctoral research in politics and
policy at the ANU is access to and availability of resources.
Canberra is where the Parliament is, where the national parties
have their headquarters and where the lobbyists come to influence
policy. Canberra is home to the federal government, the High Court,
and ATSIC. The chances are that, whatever research you do on Australian
politics and policy, most of the action is going on here in Canberra.
(1999). His research interests include: democratic
governance, political ethics, parliament and public policy.
Former
Political Science Students
The chances are good that most of the documents
needed for research on Australian politics and policy will be
found in Canberra. Apart from the ANU’s own extensive library
collections, Canberra is the home of the National Library, the
Australian National Archives, the Archives of Business and Labor,
the Australian Social Science Data Archive, and the Australian Institute
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
RSSS will be the major base for a new research
partnership with the Australian and New Zealand School of Government
(ANZSOG). This research network will bring together interested
parties across Australian and New Zealand, and link them to larger
international networks involved in governance research.
International Scholarly Networks
The Political Science Program’s web site has information
on many international visitors who participate in the weekly
seminar program http://polsc.anu.edu.au/seminars. Regular visitors
include the two Adjunct Professors: Anne Phillips, Director of the
Institute of Gender Studies at the London School of Economics, and
John Higley, Head of the Department of Political Science, University
of Texas. Recent research visitors include: Professor David Farrell
(Manchester), Professor Joyce Outschoorn (Leiden), Professor Chris
Pierson (Nottingham), Dr Helena Catt (Auckland) Professor Pippa Norris
(Harvard), Professor Ian Budge (Essex), Professor David Marsh (Birmingham),
Professor Arend Lijphart (San Diego), Dr Linda Trimble (Alberta), Dr
Manon Tremblay (Ottawa), Professor Lawrence LeDuc (Toronto), Professor
Patricia Sykes, (American).
The Social and Political Theory Program is strengthened
by the regular participation of its four current adjunct appointments:
Claus Offe (Humboldt), John Ferejohn (Stanford), Nancy Folbre
(U Mass), and W Rabinowicz (Lund). The Social and Political Theory
website contains information on the regular seminar and workshop
series that are open to all graduate students: http://socpol.au.edu.au/events/.
Recent visitors include: Jamie Dreier (Brown); Niels Gottschalk-Mazouz
(Stuttgart); Jerry Mashaw (Yale); Nadia Mazouz (Tubingen); Dennis
Mueller (Vienna); Antti Parpo (Stakes, Finland); David Schlosberg
(Nth Arizona); Daniel Weinstock (Montreal).
In addition, the website of the Australasian Political
Studies Association (APSA) provides useful information on political
science research in Australia: http://www.econ.usyd.edu.au/apsa
PhD Timetable
PhD students may enroll at any time of the year.
The PhD is a thesis-only program and may be undertaken on a
full-time or part-time basis. The duration of a full-time
course of study is normally three years. Part-time study is also
available. For admission as a PhD student, an applicant must normally
hold at least an upper second-class honors degree or a master's degree
in political science, though graduates with comparable achievement
in cognate disciplines may be considered.
Summer Research Scholarships
Prospective research students can experience RSSS’s
unique research environment by taking advantage of the
ANU's Summer Research Scholarship Scheme
. These scholarships are available to undergraduate students:
often those about to go into their honors year or to those who
have just completed an honors year. Scholarships pay for travel
and 8-12 weeks accommodation and board.
Further Details of this and related PhD information
are available through the RSSS
School’s website
Finally, further information and advice is available
through the Political Science Program, by contacting the Program’s
PhD Adviser: Dr John Uhr (e-mail John.Uhr@anu.edu.au) or through
the Social and Political Theory Program (http://socpol.anu.edu.au)
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