Research
- Africa
- Disability-inclusive development
- Education
- Gender
- Health
- Mining for development
- Scholarships
- Water, sanitation and hygiene
Africa
| Title | Summary | Region/Country of focus | Research organisation | Duration | Total funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How can mining and agriculture work together to provide equitable economic opportunities? | Harnessing natural resources for mining and agriculture is a key driver of global economic growth, transforming economies and societies in many countries. This project focuses on a strategy to leverage both agricultural and mining investment for mutual benefit and equitable benefit sharing. | Mozambique, Liberia | Murdoch University | 2013–14 | $673,168 |
| The human and environmental impacts of migratory pastoralism in arid and semi-arid East Africa | The food security of migrant pastoralists on the arid and semi-arid rangelands of East Africa is critically affected by shocks like droughts and the state of vegetation resources for animal forage. This project aims to generate results on the feedbacks between migrant pastoralism and the environment, including addressing the impacts of new index insurance products. | Kenya, Ethiopia | University of Sydney | 2013–14 | $694,226 |
| Using mining infrastructure for broader economic development | This project aims to develop an economically, legally and operationally rational framework to enable shared use of mining-related infrastructure (rail, ports, power, water, internet and telecommunications) for broader economic development and conflict prevention. | Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone | Columbia University | 2013–14 | $279,849 |
| Using Mozambique's natural resource wealth to improve access to water and sanitation | This collaborative research project led by Murdoch University and Universidade Eduardo Mondlane seeks to amplify evidence-based advocacy at national and provincial levels by analysing current efforts to increase access to water and sanitation in Nampula province, and build the business case for long-term investment of mineral resource revenues into the water and sanitation sector. | Mozambique | Murdoch University | 2013–14 | $538,642 |
| The role of fisheries in promoting or jeopardising security in the Gulf of Guinea | This project will identify the drivers of piracy and other unlawful maritime activities in the Gulf of Guinea region of West Africa and evaluate the role of subsistence, artisanal, domestic industrial and foreign industrial fisheries in promoting or jeopardising national and regional security. Cross-sectoral causes of conflict (e.g. fisheries vs. oil and gas) will also be investigated. | West Africa | University of Wollongong | 2013–14 | $600,000 |
| Improving the use of maternal, neonatal and child health services in rural and pastoralist Ethiopia | This research will develop and implement the peer ethnographic approach to improve the skills and capacity of Health Extension Workers (HEWs) and Non-government Organisations (NGOs) to encourage women in rural and pastoralist Ethiopia to give birth with skilled birth attendants. | Ethiopia | Deakin University | 2013–14 | $404,320 |
| Improving the ability of smallholder farmers in southern Africa to engage with markets | This project explores two models for developing smallholder farmers' capacity to engage with markets. | Malawi, Zambia | Murdoch University | 2013–14 | $453,947 |
| Understanding and working with local sources of peace, security and justice in West Africa | This project investigates the nature and scope of non-state actors' contribution to security, peace and justice in Ghana and Liberia, and their interaction with state and international actors and institutions. | Ghana, Liberia | University of Queensland | 2013–14 | $704,309 |
| Identifying options for maternal and neonatal care for nomadic pastoralist communities in Kenya | This project will investigate attitudes and practices of skilled birth attendants, traditional birth attendants and the pastoralist communities they serve in Laikipia and Samburu districts, and identify interventions, points of collaboration and policy changes that could improve maternal and neonatal health for pastoralists. | Kenya | Nossal Institute for Global Health | 2013–14 | $454,118 |
| Developing policies to better manage mines, mine closures and mine abandonments | The project focus is to ensure the ability to manage environmental and social impacts of a mine from the outset and ensure capacity (fiscally and skill-wise) to undertake obligations of rehabilitation in affected environs to solve existing abandoned mine legacy issues and prevent further mine abandonments. | South Africa; Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Zambia | Murdoch University | 2013–14 | $431,254 |
| Making justice work for women in northern Uganda, Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo | This project investigates the efficacy of transitional justice for women considering the realities of women's lives in conflict and post-conflict contexts and their experiences of recurrent violence in northern Uganda, Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo. The research will identify women's priorities in the transitional justice context and the obstacles that prevent them from accessing justice and human rights. | Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya | University of Sydney | 2013–14 | $580,941 |
| Human rights and the environmental impact of mining in Africa | This project examines the human rights and environmental impact of extractive industries in Africa taking into account the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the African Mining Vision and the first effort to develop a tool that State Parties, affected communities, and industries can use to evaluate human rights and environmental violations committed and plan future extractive projects that promote positive economic, human rights and environmental results. | Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Tanzania | University of Pretoria | 2013–14 | $520,000 |
| The results of food security and natural resource management programmes | This research will assess the impact after 5-7 years of asset creation programmes (e.g. Public Works or Food-for-Asset programmes) related to natural resource management in Ethiopia and Kenya. | Ethiopia, Kenya | Overseas Development Institute | 2013–14 | $773,030 |
| Improved yam storage for food security and income | The project is aimed at reducing postharvest losses, increasing income and food security among the key actors in the yam value chain through improved yam storage systems. | Ghana | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology | 2013–14 | $375,400 |
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Total Funding: $7,483,204 |
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Disability-inclusive development
| Title | Summary | Region/Country of focus | Research organisation | Duration | Total funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developing and testing indicators for the education of children with disability in the Pacific | The research will develop a set of contextually specific indicators for inclusive education in the Pacific and guidelines for implementation. These will assist countries to evaluate their efforts and develop further plans and targets for providing quality education for children with disability. | Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands | Monash University | 2013–15 | $1,087,391 |
| Sexual and reproductive health of women with disability in the Philippines | This 3-year action research project will collect data to design interventions to increase access to SRH programs for women with disability; and analyse the impact of interventions to develop guidelines for gender-sensitive disability inclusion specifically in relation to SRH, and for disability inclusion across the health sector in the Philippines. Guidelines are expected to be relevant for other settings in the region. | Philippines | Nossal Institute for Global Health | 2013–15 | $838,629 |
| Promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in disaster management in Indonesia | The research addresses exclusion of people with disability from disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy. Through an action-oriented approach the research also aims to increase the participation of disabled people's organisations (DPOs) in DRR and the research. | Indonesia | University of Sydney | 2013–14 | $556,906 |
| Achieving employment equality for people with disability in Cambodia | This project will research how disability inclusive development (DID) programs of non-government organisations can improve people with disabilities (PWD) access to employment in Cambodia. It examines how organisational context, culture and social beliefs shape DID through organisation and village-based field research. | Cambodia | Monash University | 2013–15 | $515,748 |
| Implementing and monitoring education policy and practices for people with disability in the South Pacific | This study, to be conducted in collaboration with the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the Pacific Island Forum (PIF), will entail a critical analysis of disability-inclusive understandings, policies and practices in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands as well as cycles of action research to implement and evaluate context-specific disability-inclusive practices. | Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands | Queensland University of Technology | 2013–14 | $304,569 |
| Improving access to social and economic services for people with disability in Laos | This three-year research project identifies barriers and facilitators to social and economic participation and development for people with disabilities in Laos, contributing empirical evidence of barriers and facilitators for people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries. | Laos | Curtin University | 2013–15 | $467,724 |
| Evaluating the use of the Community Based Rehabilitation model to support people with disability | The aim is to design a model of impact evaluation for Community Based Rehabilitation for Disabled People (CBR) and develop an evaluation toolkit for use in diverse contexts globally. The toolkit will be piloted with CBR programmes in Uganda and Malawi in partnership with local NGOs and academics. | Malawi, Uganda | University College London | 2013–15 | $363,389 |
| Reviewing approaches to education for children with disability in Papua New Guinea | This research will review educational approaches for children with disabilities in PNG and analyse how this right to education is upheld. | Papua New Guinea | Leonard Cheshire Disability and Inclusive Development Centre | 2013–15 | $716,790 |
| Identifying the needs and priorities of children with disability in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea | This project will establish a method of data collection to determine the self-reported needs and priorities of children living with disabilities in Vanuatu and PNG. It includes a focus on service delivery and policy actions in response to the findings. | Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea | Deakin University | 2013–14 | $771,361 |
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Total Funding: $5,622,507 |
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Education
| Title | Summary | Region/Country of focus | Research organisation | Duration | Total funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developing a community approach to supporting literacy for pre-schoolers in Fiji | This project will focus on identifying sustainable ways of developing local capacity to support pre-schoolers' literacy development in communities without early childhood services, and will provide a research base to inform the establishment of community-based sustainable approaches to literacy learning for pre-schoolers in urban and rural areas. | Fiji | University of South Australia | 2013–16 | $721,731 |
| Improving educational outcomes for female and disadvantaged primary school students in Bangladesh | This project will evaluate several low-cost intervention programs to improve outcomes through greater parental involvement and supplementary teaching targeting girls and underperforming students in particular. | Bangladesh | Monash University | 2013–17 | $769,450 |
| Evaluating the changes to the lives of rural women made possible by the Bangladeshi Government's gender focused school subsidy scheme | This project studies how the opportunity of secondary education for rural women in Bangladesh, made possible by the government's gender-focused school subsidy scheme, impacted upon their later lives, particularly decisions relating to marriage, childbirth and employment | Bangladesh | University of Kent | 2013–16 | $576,683 |
| Improving the teaching of mathematics in Papua New Guinea elementary schools by using local languages and cultural practices | The research will design and refine guidelines to assist elementary teachers to recognise and use cultural mathematical proficiencies and to develop vernacular phrases for school mathematics. | Papua New Guinea | Charles Sturt University | 2013–16 | $391,005 |
| How does the transition from school to work affect later lifetime prospects | This study will focus on variations in the way that the transition from school to work affects the lifetime prospects of men, women, the children of various social classes and children in urban and rural areas. | Indonesia | Curtin University | 2013–17 | $731,500 |
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Total Funding: $3,190,369 |
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Gender
| Title | Summary | Region/Country of focus | Research organisation | Duration | Total funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overcoming the barriers to women's participation in local government in Samoa | The research will investigate the 'roadblocks' to women's political participation within Samoa's local government system. It will collect data on gender and participation and political and economic decision-making roles and provide analysis to assist and support government policy to improve progress on MDG3. | Samoa | National University of Samoa | 2013–14 | $306,308 |
| Ways for women to participate in peace building activities | This project examines how state and non-state justice systems encourage or constrain community peace building through their treatment of women. It seeks to encourage practices that promote gender equity and to create a 'justice web' that supports these by linking justice institutions and local communities within Mindanao and with their counterparts in Manila. | Philippines | Australian National University | 2013–15 | $755,213 |
| Have women who have worked in Sri Lanka's manufacturing industry been able to manage the change after returning home? | This study will examine to what extent have women working in formal employment in Sri Lanka's manufacturing industry been able to convert economic capital into social capital (sustainability) when they leave employment and return home. | Sri Lanka | Edith Cowan University | 2013–15 | $265,200 |
| Do policy makers understand the economic and social issues affecting low income women in four Mekong countries? | The proposed research will focus on women's economic empowerment and social protection projects in four Mekong countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. It will involve an exploration of the gaps between the level of decision-makers and intended beneficiaries in terms of their conceptions of the ideas of empowerment and security and their perceptions of what is happening on the 'ground'. | Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam | Asian Institute of Technology | 2013–15 | $767,000 |
| Supporting the rights of women as equal citizens after the change of governments | The Forum for Arab Citizenship in Transition (FACT) is an independent working group that aims to influence governing authorities in Arab countries undergoing post-authoritarian transitions by providing non-partisan, balanced and objective policy recommendations on gender equality and equal citizenship. The research will look at how equal citizenship can be enhanced in order to guarantee women's rights during the post-authoritarian transitions in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen The project is part of an ongoing collaboration between IPI and UN Women to create a regional knowledge hub. | Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen | International Peace Institute | 2013–14 | $400,000 |
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Total Funding: $2,493,721 |
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Health
| Title | Summary | Region/Country of focus | Research organisation | Duration | Total funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment of household benefits and national implementation costs of Health Equity Funds for the poor in Cambodia | This is the first comprehensive national assessment of benefits to poor households from implementation of Cambodia's Health Equity Funds(HEF) and the costs of implementation. This research will estimate the cost effectiveness of the national HEF program in improving health outcomes and protecting the poor. | Cambodia | Nossal Institute for Global Health | 2013–15 | $433,172 |
| Improving tuberculosis treatment in northern Indian slums | More than nine million people around the world become ill with tuberculosis each year. The prevalence of the disease is highest in Indian urban slums. The biggest challenge to contain it is to detect patients early and ensure they complete the course of the treatment. To improve the efficiency of the treatment strategy defined by the WHO and currently implemented around the world, this research evaluates two interventions implemented by two Indian non-government organisations. | India | J-PAL South Asia, Institute for Financial Management and Research | 2013–15 | $603,665 |
| Investigating the trends in non-communicable disease risk factors and premature mortality in Pacific Island countries and how best to allocate funds for control | Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major cause of illness and premature adult mortality in many Pacific Island countries. This research will investigate trends over time in NCD risk factors in Pacific Island countries that result in reduced life expectancy. This will enable countries and donors to better allocate funds for NCD control. | Fiji, Samoa, Tuvalu | University of New South Wales | 2013–16 | $1,093,000 |
| An assessment of equity in health care financing in Timor‑Leste and Fiji | Many developing countries are exploring how to move towards universal coverage through an equitable health financing system. Designing and evaluating strategies to achieve this requires evidence on the current distribution of the burden of health care financing and benefits from the delivery of health care. This study will provide such evidence by working with local researchers and institutions in Timor‑Leste and Fiji. These findings will help the countries make decisions on how best to improve access to health care. | Fiji, Timor‑Leste | University of New South Wales | 2013–16 | $1,198,529 |
| How best to curb the public health impact of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases due to climate change in China | This study aims to strengthen China's capacity to respond to climate change driven threats of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Case studies will focus on dengue fever, malaria and haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. | China | University of Adelaide | 2013–16 | $885,111 |
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Total Funding: $4,213,477 |
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Mining for development
| Title | Summary | Region/Country of focus | Research organisation | Duration | Total funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small scale and illegal mining in Bougainville: impacts and policy responses | This study documents the economic, social and environmental impacts of illegal mining; identifies consequential policy issues ; and suggests legal regimes and policies that can generate local benefits from mining, add to public revenues, and minimise environmental harm and social conflict. | Papua New Guinea | Griffith University | 2013–15 | $613,267 |
| Managing the impacts of minerals development on women and men and their traditional livelihoods in Mongolia | Mongolia's mining boom is threatening the sustainability of herder livelihoods through social changes stimulated directly and indirectly by ecological impacts. Often these threats impact women greater than their male counterparts due to a lack of gender-orientated awareness and safeguards. This project will use a gender based multidisciplinary approach to establish the changing roles of herder households to recommend safeguards for their empowerment. | Mongolia | University of Queensland | 2013–14 | $620,597 |
| Seabed Mining: Assumptions, revenue management and environmental impacts | This research project will analyse how best to protect the interests of developing countries in relation to proposals for deep seabed mining. The research will test the assumptions underlying developing state-sponsored deep seabed mining, including assumptions that developing states will capture significant revenue, that such revenue will be directed at sustainable development, and that environmental risk can be minimised and managed.
Based on initial findings against these questions, the research will identify how best to promote and protect the interests of developing states in relation to seabed mining in their territorial waters and beyond national jurisdiction. In particular, the project will develop legal options (national and international) for engagement in environmentally sound mining activities in the deep seabed, both within and beyond national jurisdiction, and for structuring strategic alliances and cooperative arrangements that serve the public interest. |
Pacific | Australian National University | 2013–15 | $900,000 |
| Equitable employment for women in mining companies in Laos and Thailand | This project will examine ways in which mining companies operating in Laos and Thailand promote equitable employment opportunities for women, and their economic and social impacts. | Laos, Thailand | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology | 2013–14 | $293,814 |
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Total Funding: $2,427,678 |
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Scholarships
| Title | Summary | Region/Country of focus | Research organisation | Duration | Total funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The impact of scholarships on strengthening the health system in Africa | This project will examine the outcomes of Australian scholarships for Africans including re-integration and development of networks of practice among returnees. | Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique | University of Sydney | 2013–14 | $457,408 |
| An assessment of post-scholarship leadership, networks and linkages with Australia after 50 years of scholarships to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia | This project investigates the oft-repeated proposition that students sponsored for Australian-based tertiary study develop linkages with Australia that are mutually beneficial to Australia and partner governments. Taking the long view of 50 years and drawing on six cohorts of students from each of PNG and Indonesia, the project examines forms of leadership, networks and alumni formation and activity and their connectedness or otherwise with Australia. | Papua New Guinea, Indonesia | Deakin University | 2013–14 | $615,287 |
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Total Funding: $1,072,695 |
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Water, sanitation and hygiene
| Title | Summary | Region/Country of focus | Research organisation | Duration | Total funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil society support for water and sanitation services for the poor | Research to strengthen the quality and impact of civil society organisation (CSO) work in facilitating private and social enterprise involvement to sustainable water and sanitation services for the poor, . and overcome market failure. It will also address how equitable outcomes–including gender equity–are best supported. | Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Vietnam | University of Technology, Sydney | 2013–15 | $1,266,000 |
| Supporting the demand for rural water and sanitation services in the Pacific | To increase understanding of rural water and sanitation markets and the demand for services in the Pacific region. The research findings will provide WASH sector stakeholders with documented guidance, advice and support on enabling sustainable, demand-driven water and sanitation services. | Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands | International Water Centre | 2013–15 | $971,178 |
| Managing sanitation service delivery for poor urban areas | This research aims to fill a critical gap in the governance (day-to-day management and institutional arrangements) for decentralised sanitation service delivery beyond the household level. The research will inform practitioners and policymakers of viable organisational models and governance arrangements. | Indonesia, Vietnam | University of Technology, Sydney | 2013–15 | $783,000 |
| Disability and its impact on safe hygiene and sanitation | This projects aims to fill knowledge gaps relating to water, sanitation and hygiene access, needs and barriers for people with disabilities. The research will collaborate with key stakeholders and policymakers to develop effective mitigation strategies. | Bangladesh, Malawi | London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine | 2013–15 | $1,189,147 |
| Community management of rural water supply systems | This research will investigate functioning 'community managed' rural water schemes across India (a necessarily large sample size) in order to determine the extent of direct and indirect support required to sustain services with a valid level of community engagement. | India | Cranfield University | 2013–15 | $1,066,027 |
| Climate change and water supply and sanitation on atolls and flood-prone catchments in the Pacific | This project will develop a framework that will enable communities and water managers to navigate from understanding impacts of climate change to evaluating adaptation options for water supply and sanitation. The research will produce tools to aid stakeholders throughout the Pacific in adapting to climate change. | Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu | International Water Centre | 2013–15 | $983,600 |
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Total Funding: $6,258,952 |
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