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Structural change and income inequality: Evidence from Thailand
No full textStructural change is the contraction of agriculture as a share of both aggregate economic output and employment and the corresponding expansion of the combined shares of industry and services. First, we describe this process in the context of Thailand, a country experiencing significant structural change in recent decades. Second, we analyse its causes using a simple, comparative static computable general equilibrium model of the Thai economy, operated in long-run mode. We test the explanatory power of three hypotheses about the causes of structural change: differences in the growth rates of aggregate factor supplies (the Rybczynski effect; sectoral differences in total factor productivity growth; and the differences between commodities in expenditure elasticities of demand (Engel’s law). The first two hypotheses operate on the supplyside of the economy, implying changes in the shape of the production possibility frontier (PPF). The third, a demand-side effect, implies changes in output prices during growth that induce movements around the PPF. The results indicate that the first two explanators predict the observed structural change accurately, but that the third, Engel’s law, predicts poorly. Third, we use the above framework to study the impacts these drivers of structural change have on the functional distribution of incomes. The results show that the explanators of structural change do not predict the observed changes in factor income shares. We conclude that these two phenomena have different drivers and that stable empirical relationships between them should not be expected
Four Decades in the global apparel value chain: Evidence from Bangladesh
No full textThe remarkable growth of the Bangladesh apparel industry within the global apparel value
chain is an interesting case because the industry grew from virtually zero export capacity to
become the second largest apparel exporter in the world. The country attained its
unprecedented success against the speculations made by some industry experts that it would
lose its market share after the abolition of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) with effect
from 2005. This paper aims to delineate the role of national policies and world demand and
abolition of MFA through an econometric analysis using data from 1976-2018. The findings
suggest that, contrary to the gloomy predictions, ample availability of labour and the pragmatic
domestic policy posture helped Bangladesh to consolidate its position in the global apparel
value chain in competitive market conditions during the post-MFA era. The policy challenge
for the country is to achieve structural adjustments and industrial upgrading within the value
chain as the surplus labour pool gradually depletes
On triangulated categories with metrics
No full textNeeman has recently initiated the use of metrics, and approximations via metrics, to study triangulated categories. In this thesis, we use these techniques to prove results which have application in algebraic geometry. First of all we define a generalisation of the notion of approximable triangulated categories. We prove some Brown representability type theorems for the compact objects of such categories. Further, we show that for nice schemes, the homotopy category of injectives satisfies the conditions of this new definition, which gives us Brown representability type theorems for the corresponding bounded derived category of coherent sheaves. The second major application is to the construction of new semiorthogonal decompositions from gives ones. This generalises recent work by Kuznetsov, Shinder, and Bondarko. Finally, we discuss joint work on bounded t-structures and the finitistic dimension of a triangulated category, which generalises a powerful new theorem by Neeman
He kohuka whakarereke: The Maori Renaissance and its impact on Aotearoa New Zealand's Pacific diplomacy
No full textIn Aotearoa New Zealand, the relationship between the indigenous Maori and settler-descended Pakeha peoples is a cornerstone of its national identity. Like the origins of the state itself, this relationship is predominantly colonial, holding Maori - and Maori ways of being - in subjugation to Pakeha from at least the 1860s. Yet this coloniality has been actively challenged since the Maori Renaissance (Te Whakahaumanu) began in the early 1970s. As a movement of Maori social, cultural, and political revitalisation and reassertion, the Renaissance is a rejection of colonisation and a rebalancing of Maori relations with Pakeha and the state. As this balance has shifted, so too has New Zealand's national identity, affecting how it sees and represents itself both at home and abroad. While the domestic effects of this transformation have been widely studied, its impact on the state's foreign relations has until now been largely neglected.
Given New Zealand's deep colonial entanglement with the Pacific Islands in particular, this thesis examines how shifts in Maori-Pakeha relations since the beginning of the Maori Renaissance have later influenced New Zealand's diplomacy in the region. It applies a wave model to conceptualise the Renaissance as a cyclical process, where swells of heightened social tension leave identity malleable, making more substantial shifts possible. It also proposes identity decolonisation as a framework for both understanding and demonstrating the elasticity of colonially constituted elements of identity, especially when they are contested. In the process, this thesis studies two principal waves of the Maori Renaissance - from 1970-81 and from 1990-2007 - and follows the impact of each on intergroup relations, identity change, and, ultimately, Pacific diplomacy.
Three key findings emerge from this analytical and case-study driven approach. First, that Renaissance-inspired identity change has influenced New Zealand's Pacific diplomacy - albeit imperfectly. Second, it finds that the Maori Renaissance is an ongoing and cyclical process, occurring in distinct waves of tension and reckoning, rejecting the notion that it was a past event confined to history. Finally, this thesis identifies that identity decolonisation provides a valuable framework for understanding a form of decolonisation relevant to settler-colonial states in the 21st century. Together, these findings reinforce that diplomatic shifts since the 1970s are not solely the result of geopolitics or trade interests but are intertwined with New Zealand's internal reckoning with its colonial past and present. It also challenges the conventional view of New Zealand's diplomacy as identity neutral. In doing so, it reinforces that diplomacy is as much a reflection of a state's people and their relationships with each other as a product of government policies and interests
Sortition versus party governments
No full textthe author submitted 22 Sept 2025 as it is dual awarded.This thesis explores selection mechanisms in democratic systems, focusing on sortition as an alternative to traditional electoral methods. Conducted as part of a Double Degree program between LUMSA University and the Australian National University (ANU), the research comprises three independent papers currently under peer review. Chapter 1 provides a historical analysis of sortition, tracing its use from ancient Greece to modern democratic experiments. It examines the theoretical foundations of random selection in governance, its historical decline, and its potential to enhance contemporary democracy by fostering transparency and egalitarianism. Chapter 2 introduces a theoretical framework for applying sortition within political parties. Co-authored with Prof. Keith Dowding and Dr. William Bosworth, this paper proposes a novel candidate selection mechanism where party representatives are partially chosen by lot before facing elections. This method mitigates elite manipulation while preserving party stability and electoral competition. The study argues that integrating sortition within party structures can enhance internal democracy without undermining electoral legitimacy. Chapter 3, co-authored with Prof. Matteo Rizzolli, Prof. Luca Corazzini, and Dr. Davide Marchegiani, presents an empirical study using behavioral experiments to compare the effects of three selection mechanisms—elections, meritocracy, and sortition—on policymakers’ decision-making. Findings indicate that election-based systems lead to more equitable resource distribution due to accountability-driven incentives. While sortition alone appears less effective in fostering distributive fairness, its integration within party selection processes, as proposed in Chapter 2, offers a promising middle ground between democratic legitimacy and reduced elite dominance
A Question That Does Not Arise: Operation Sovereign Borders and Notions of Sovereignty in Australia
No full textThis research examines extraordinary measures in immigration policy through Operation Sovereign Borders. Despite being a signatory to the Refugee Conventions, Australia has employed military-led turn-back operations to prevent asylum seekers from arriving by boat. Given that it continues to turn back boats, a question arises regarding whether Australia is genuinely committed to its obligations. If not, why does it remain a signatory? The research highlights how Operation Sovereign Borders builds on earlier policies, particularly the Pacific Solution, but signifies a shift in tone and intensity with its emphasis on sovereignty. Drawing on Carl Schmitt’s concept of sovereignty and the friend-enemy distinction, the research argues that Operation Sovereign Borders reflects a sovereign enforcement of power through the government’s demonstrated ability to disregard rules and norms. Two levels at which this friend-enemy distinction operates—domestic and international—are identified, illustrating how it is reinforced within Australia’s political community. Operation Sovereign Borders, then, is interpreted as a “state of exception” where legal norms are suspended to demonstrate the government’s capacity to project sovereignty. The research concludes that Australia ultimately undermines its legitimacy as a liberal democratic state due to its definition of sovereignty in decisionist terms and the dehumanization of its political enemy
Our Kapijukinen: Climate Adaptation Policy and Poetry in the Marshall Islands
No full textThis creative thesis analyses the climate coloniality of Marshall Islands' national adaptation policies, arguing that the climate crisis is the latest continuing saga of colonialism impacting the Marshall Islands and Marshallese cultural relationships to land. This thesis presents new poetry inspired by the scholar's experiences as an activist and working in the national and international climate space, weaving in the climate crisis with the nuclear legacy, and exploring Marshallese deep time relationships to land and modern identity. It explores climate coloniality based on Farhana Sultana's article, "The Unbearable Heaviness of Climate Coloniality" (2022), and connects this to other scholarships from the Pacific, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. It then analyses the Marshall Islands government's policies, the Adaptation Communication (2021), the Community Consultations (2024), and the National Adaptation Plan (2024), arguing that adaptation is a form of survivance - resistance and survival - for Marshallese people as a way to protect our islands, culture and heritage. However, the policies fall short on identifying how the previous legacies of colonialism have contributed to vulnerabilities to climate change, and how climate change is yet another continuation of those colonial impacts. Woven throughout the exegesis are poems from the creative component, which is a manuscript of new poetry that engages in adaptation, climate change, and the colonial legacy
Conceptual Richardson
No full textThe preoccupations of eighteenth-century novelist Samuel Richardson—the inequities of gender and sexuality; race and white femininity; masculinity, sadism, and control; religion and selfhood; authorship and artistic form—continue to resonate with contemporary readers. This fresh collection reconsiders his oeuvre, expanding and significantly updating critical debate on its meaning and importance. In these lively and engaging essays, contributors examine historically overlooked works, provide new readings of his best-known novels Pamela and Clarissa, and stake a serious claim for the importance of his final novel, Sir Charles Grandison. Diverse, inventive, and provocative, these essays demonstrate the complexity, relevance, and surprising legacies of Richardson’s novels and characters—finding traces in post-conceptual poetry, detective fiction, and in the fantasies of historical romance. Revisiting Richardson reflects on a decade of scholarship while delivering innovative perspectives on an author whose work continues to be indispensable for understanding the history of the novel.Peer-reviewe
Fijian Foreign Policy or Australian?
No full textA document articulating Fiji’s foreign policy priorities and guiding its international engagements in the next decade was launched in September 2024 by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. This first Foreign Policy White Paper (FPWP) is centred on the three pillars of sovereignty, security and prosperity and shows how Fiji views the region, the world and its ambitions in foreign policy.Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trad
The potential of using magnetic susceptibility to identify past wildfires in Australia
No full textFully understanding the causes and frequency of wildfires has never been more important than it is today, with potentially thousands of lives at risk from wildfire smoke in Australia alone. Until now wildfire frequency in Australia has been estimated based solely on observed fire events, records that barely cover the last century. This coverage is severely inadequate for a reliable estimation of wildfire frequency. Here, it is suggested that records of magnetic susceptibility may help extend the wildfire records used, which will significantly increase the confidence level of estimated wildfire frequency. With Australian soils being rich in iron, the main factor limiting the use of magnetic susceptibility appears to be rainfall. Additionally, the magnetic susceptibility records of several sites may respond more to local hydrology or organic matter content than to wildfires, possibly owing to insufficient heating of the soil. A comprehensive field study is thereby suggested, which will determine which site characteristics have the most significant influence on magnetic susceptibility records in Australia. This will enable more detailed studies to be conducted and will extend Australia's fire records.A. H. was previously funded by a grant from the Australian Research Council\u2019s Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) and is currently funded by a grant from the Australian Research Council\u2019s Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF). The funding bodies played no role in the design of the study, interpretation of the material or writing of the manuscript. Acknowledgements A. H. was previously funded by a grant from the Australian Research Councils Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) and is currently funded by a grant from the Australian Research Councils Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF). The funding bodies played no role in the design of the study, interpretation of the material or writing of the manuscript.Peer-reviewe