2020 grant winners announced

                         ASSA CASS Logos                                 

The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) have awarded four grants to teams of social scientists from Australia and China. The grants are intended to provide Australian and CASS researchers the opportunity to collaborate in areas of shared interest. The program encourages younger researchers who wish to pursue research opportunities with an international colleague, with the intention this may lead to larger research projects.

The four successful projects were selected  through a competitive selection process, with each project awarded $7,000 AUD to be shared by the Australian scholars and ¥25,000 RMB to be shared by the CASS scholars.

The four successful projects are:

  • Comparative study of sustainable economic growth and the transformation of industrial structure in China and Australia

Dr Kai Du (University of Queensland), Associate Professor Renuka Mahadevan (University of Queensland), Associate Researcher Yi Liu (CASS), Dr BingQian Yan (CASS)

This project aims to understand the extent to which structural transformation has contributed to economic growth in China and Australia and the evenness of this contribution across the regions/provinces of both economies. Another aim is to consider the environmental impact of this transformation for both countries’ economic growth given much needed climate change strategies to control global warming.  To shed light on these two aims, the project team will use robust economic modelling to provide empirical based evidence to devise appropriate policies for sustainable growth in China and Australia.

  • Chasing Fortunes Down Under: A Critical Examination of Oversea Chinese Business Practices and Migration Patterns in Australia, 1900-1950

Dr Chi-Kong Lai (University of Queensland), Dr Wu Minchao (CASS)

Due to the important roles played by Chinese Australian businessmen in establishing economic links between China and Australia as well as setting up companies the financial survival of which
depended upon access to markets in Canton, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and other leading cities in Australia, there is a need to present a scholarly account concerning how this group of merchants
were able to operate in multiple jurisdictions. Focusing on the business practices and migration patterns of Chinese Australian merchants from 1900 to 1950, this project will chronicle how Chinese Australian businessmen navigated the often treacherous business and political environments of China, Australia and Hong Kong.

  • Perceived and be perceived: Examining the city branding of Qingdao and Melbourne through a security paradigm in the context of the rocky Chinese Australian relations

Dr Leah Li (RMIT University), Binyan Yang (CASS)

This project aims to explore the mutual perceptions between the cities of Qingdao and Melbourne using “security branding” as a primary theoretical lens and will develop digital communication strategies to brand the two cities in one another’s country for the purpose of forging mutual understanding in the context of uneasy Australia-China relations. It will examine the discourse generated by the key stakeholders (e.g. media and local communities) via the methods of content analysis and survey, and the findings will guide the development of the digital communication strategies. This project will contribute to the theoretical development of city branding and provide practical input to government decision-making in the cities.

  • A Comparative Study of Provincial Ecological Compensation Policies and Measures of Carbon Emission Reduction Between China and Australia

Dr Le (Laura) Luo (University of Newcastle), Maolin Liao (CASS)

This project aims to review and compare the ecological compensation policies for carbon emission reduction in different states (provinces) of Australia and China. Through an in-depth exploration of these policies and measures, we can develop an innovative management model for ecological compensation, which will help both the Chinese and Australian governments to improve compensation related policies, and ultimately achieve carbon emission reduction targets and promote low carbon development in both countries.

The Academy congratulates all of the successful recipients of the program.