LIST OF PANELS

As Western industrialized democracies located in the southern hemisphere, Australia and New Zealand are unique entities in the global policy arena. They are the two richest countries in the southern hemisphere as measured by GDP per capita, and they represent two out of only three southern members of the OECD. They have the highest life expectancies, the lowest income inequality, and the highest happiness index of any country in the southern hemisphere. Indeed, in a time when Global South is a term used to represent emerging economies and developing democracies, Australia and New Zealand are uniquely characterised by their status as wealthy and influential southern democracies.

Australia and New Zealand face unique policy challenges, but within similar contexts. The economies of both countries depend heavily on primary resource extraction and export, and the fluctuating demands of China and other emerging Asian economies, along with a rethinking of global trade strategies, pose high levels of uncertainty for decision making in a number of policy areas, including industry, military, and research and development. Conservation, biodiversity, and environmental protection remain especially challenging for domestic policy making in these two unique ecosystems, under the looming effects of climate change and the persistent problem of invasive species.

On the other hand, both countries are dealing with issues that are also relevant in many other developed democracies. Tension between socially progressive and more conservative voices have revealed a polarised landscape of public opinion on social issues, and policy decisions in a variety of social areas, from immigration to marriage equality, continue to pose significant challenges for decision makers. Shifts in the labour force and in population demographics mean that many social policies, from child care to aged care, are being redesigned. As in other jurisdictions, a decline in many forms of violent crime is concurrent with a dramatic rise in domestic violence, which has created difficulties for policy making in the areas of law enforcement and criminal justice.

Australia and New Zealand present a unique opportunity for comparison with the rest of the world. Though small and isolated in relation to other Western democracies, the presence of both unique and common policy issues invites a comparative analysis with other policy making jurisdictions.

This panel invites scholarship that compares policy making in Australia and/or New Zealand with the rest of the world. Papers can be theory-building or empirical, can examine the policy process or substantive analyses of specific policies, and all theoretical perspectives and methodologies are welcome.

The objective of this panel is to bring together comparative analysis of policy making in Australia and New Zealand to showcase the lessons that can be learned from comparison with these unique jurisdictions but also to highlight the global nature of many areas of public policy making. What can other jurisdictions learn from comparison with Australia and New Zealand? What can Australia and New Zealand learn from the rest of the world? How can the unique contexts of these two countries be used to advance scholarship of public policy?

Paper proposals should be submitted through the IPPA website by 30 January 2019.