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Introduction

Disinformation has been spreading like wildfire in Australia’s democracy. How can we combat it?

Watch this video of a forum featuring 3 case studies of disinformation. This forum was hosted by PEN Melbourne and NonFiction Lab on the 15 August 2024 in Naarm/Melbourne.

It featured the Legal Director from the Human Rights Law Centre, Alice Drury, in conversation with three experts who examined how disinformation is operating across the world. The case studies were:

To mark PPE@10 this feature continues a series of posts to celebrate ten years of Progress in Political Economy (PPE) as a blog that has addressed the worldliness of critical political economy issues since 2014. 

The experimental world of speculative fiction is like a history of political economy. It explores topics like dystopias, post-scarcity, automation, and AI. But it doesn’t stop there! It also dives into radical ideas like abolishing money and property, imagining a world where cash is irrelevant and owning property is no longer the ultimate goal. On the flip side, you’ve got speculative fiction that embraces the techno-optimistic visions of Silicon Valley capitalism, full of shiny gadgets and smart tech. This fresh take on ‘how we could do things differently’ isn’t just for daydreaming; it’s a powerful way to shake up traditional economic ideas and imagine what future societies might look like.

This week we saw once again efforts to improve housing affordability by doing anything other than actually building new houses.

The Liberal Party has announced that it will boost the housing supply by not actually building any new homes, but spending $5bn on “critical enabling infrastructure”.

The Opposition leader stated an “elected Coalition Government will commit $5 billion to get these projects moving, unlocking up to 500,000 homes to be delivered more quickly through a mixture of grants and concessional loans”.

It does not take long to realise this is just a $5bn gift to developers disguised as a housing policy.

Rather than spend $5bn building new homes over 5 years (which would almost be double what is currently spent building residential homes by the public sector across Australia), instead the Liberal Party proposes spending $5bn over 5 years to allow property developers to build infrastructure so that they can then sell land for a greater profit.

Introduction

What are the best ways to fund and support narrative change, power and systems? Here is a collection of resources including indepth reports, podcasts and recent articles with insights and recommendations.

This is a living list please contact us if you have any related resources to add.

Resources

Reports

Funding Narrative Change: An Assessment and Framework by the Convergence Partnership
2022, Mik Moore, Rinku Sen, Convergence Partnership

The selection committee for the Australian International Political Economy Network (AIPEN) Richard Higgott Journal Article Prize is pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2024 prize, as voted on by AIPEN members.

The prize will be awarded to the best article published in 2023 (online early or in print) in international political economy (IPE) by an Australia-based scholar.

The prize defines IPE in a pluralist sense to include the political economy of security, geography, literature, sociology, anthropology, post-coloniality, gender, finance, trade, regional studies, development and economic theory, in ways that can span concerns for in/security, poverty, inequality, sustainability, exploitation, deprivation and discrimination.

The overall prize winner will be decided from the shortlist by the selection committee, which this year consists of Ainsley Elbra (USyd), Claire Parfitt (USyd), Tim DiMuzio (UoW), Annabel Dulhunty (ANU), and Wenting He (ANU). The winner will be announced in November 2024.

The 2024 shortlist for The Australian International Political Economy Network (AIPEN) Richard Higgott Journal Article Prize is as follows:

Introduction

In a nutshell, campaigns are sustained efforts at a specific social justice goal. Campaigns are a powerful way of strategically building the capacity, developing experience, and laying the groundwork for future movements. Simultaneously, campaigns win solid victories for social justice. – Daniel Hunter

Strategy is the art and practice of developing effective plans of action to achieve objectives and win campaigns. This guide highlights a number of resources which are contained in the Commons Social Change Library.

If you are new to the topic then you may want to start by checking some of the introductory resources listed below. After that it may be helpful to choose a strategy template to guide you through the process of planning. Depending on your approach to change, the manuals listed can provide a comprehensive immersion in that approach, with a number of tools you can use and lessons you can apply. 

If you’ve been involved in campaigns for a long time perhaps you might like to try some individual tools to get a fresh perspective, experiment with the guides to creative and systemic thinking, or dig deeper with the books.

Politics, Inequality and the Australian Welfare State After Liberalisation

Speaker: Ben Spies-Butcher

Thursday 7 November 2024, 12-1:30pm

Room 441, Social Sciences Building (A02), The University of Sydney

Neoliberalism has transformed work, welfare and democracy. However, its impacts, and its future, are more complex than we often imagine. Alongside growing inequality, social spending has been rising. This seminar draws on Ben’s recent book to ask how we understand this contradictory politics and what opportunities exist to create a more equal society. It argues an older welfare state politics, driven by the power of industrial labour, is giving way to political contests led by workers within the welfare state itself. Advancing more equal social policy, though, requires new forms of statecraft, or ways of doing policy, as well as new models of organising.

Introduction

Introducing Erica Chenoweth’s book Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know. This book is a “sweeping overview of civil resistance movements around the world that explains what they are, how they work, why they are often effective, and why they can fail.

Civil resistance is a method of conflict through which unarmed civilians use a variety of coordinated methods (strikes, protests, demonstrations, boycotts, and many other tactics) to prosecute a conflict without directly harming or threatening to harm an opponent. Sometimes called nonviolent resistance, unarmed struggle, or nonviolent action, this form of political action is now a mainstay across the globe. It was been a central form of resistance in the 1989 revolutions and in the Arab Spring, and it is now being practiced widely in Trump’s America. If we are going to understand the manifold protest movements emerging around the globe, we need a thorough understanding of civil resistance and its many dynamics and manifestations.

Introduction

‘Narrative power and collective action’ is a collection of curated conversations between Isabel Crabtree-Condor, a Knowledge Broker at Oxfam, and a diverse group of people working in the narrative change and collective action space.

Part 1

Narratives are a form of power that can mobilize and connect, as well as divide and isolate. Social, public or dominant narratives help to legitimize existing power relationships, prop them up or make them seem natural.

As an anthology of perspectives this knowledge offering is one way to amplify different and diverse ways of knowing and doing narratives. Narratives are made up of many stories, tweets, online content, offline conversations. They keep deeply held ideas about society and people in place, for good and bad.

Narratives are not something that happen over there, they are part of us and we are part of them. We can challenge or reinforce narratives on daily basis. We see powerful damaging narratives at work in the COVID-19 response, and in systems of oppression that perpetuate inequality.

We can use this knowledge to guide us now and as we move into the future. Narrative knowledge and framing know-how can help us to open civic space, collaborate better and amplify others, helping us to be part of the biggest ‘us’ we can be.

Introduction

Here are some tips to get the most out of conversations on stalls, at events, or door knocking. Whether you are looking to recruit people, build your contact list, or encourage people to take action here are some basic guidelines.

Initiate contact!

Through activities like stalls and handing out leaflets we are seeking to interact with as many people as possible.

If we sit back and wait for people to come to us, we will miss many opportunities. This isn’t about being a nuisance, but it is about being active and initiating contact with people. We have something important to talk to them about.

If we sit back and wait for people to come to us, we will miss many opportunities. This isn’t about being a nuisance, but it is about being active and initiating contact with people. We have something important to talk to them about.

When setting up a stall consider standing in the front or to the side of it, rather than behind. As people walk past you could step towards them, or walk with them (without being intimidating).

Have a friendly greeting which introduces you and what you are doing eg

Introduction

Whether you are an organiser, a curator or a participant, this Feminist Influencing Basket of Resources is intended to guide you through proven tools and exercises.

The resource is a go-to guide on ways of working and engaging at different levels using an intersectional, feminist, participatory approach, where women, gender non-binary and marginalised or silenced groups can:

• Unpack power dynamics through personal and collective reflection, learning and action to strengthen collective power.
• Propose an ethic of care through practical feminist rituals for safety, wellbeing, vulnerability, and creation of safe spaces.
• Enhance feminist narratives in joint actions to create “a bigger us”.
• Design practical feminist influencing strategies and actions.
• Use feminist, participatory monitoring, evaluation and action learning.

The resource aims to make visible the many systems of oppression, understand how they reinforce and support each other, and strengthen strategies to challenge them together and separately using the Feminist Influencing Basket.

Adam Copeland and Sarah Yu Wang

This article was originally published, in slightly different form, on Alex Alsup’s Substack, The Chargeback. It is shared here with permission. All images were provided by the author.

Introduction

This study by Erica Chenoweth and Zoe Marks, Pro-Democracy Organizing against Autocracy in the United States: A Strategic Assessment & Recommendations, explores nonviolent resistance strategies that could be relevant for protecting local communities and groups under a hypothetical authoritarian administration. The study delves into the next phase of pro-democracy struggle and recommends a four-pronged strategy that can ensure ongoing, effective pro democratic mobilization even if a nationwide authoritarian transition takes place.

Executive Summary

Many groups in the US are focused on preventing the further rise of authoritarian forces by raising alarms about authoritarian power-grabs in key states; by building financial, legal, and electoral strategies to advocate for democratic practices and outcomes in state and national politics; and by scenario-planning responses to contested election outcomes in 2022 and 2024.

This urgent and important work must continue and intensify in the coming months. This report aims to expand the conversation to also prepare for effective organizing and mobilizing in the aftermath of a nationwide authoritarian transition, should one occur after the 2024 election.

Introduction

The Lived Experience Guide to Climate Campaigning provides guidance to organisations seeking to campaign with people with lived experience of climate impacts.

This guide aims to introduce concepts, practices and guidelines that can be used by organisations when they work with people with lived experience and when designing communications and campaigns. It was developed with input from climate-impacted people as well as advocates, psychologists and campaigners with experience in supporting people with lived experience to be storytellers and change agents.

As we experience escalating disasters and extreme weather we are yet again reminded that Australia is on the front line of climate change. Climate impacted people are experts in how climate change has impacted them/us and their/our communities and can be powerful advocates for change and action. In supporting people with lived experience of climate change, there are a range of important considerations that lead to better outcomes while minimising harm.

If you would like to contribute (including examples) please contact Serena Joyner on ceo@bushfiresurvivors.org

Introduction

Holding a stall is a great way to engage with people face to face about your campaign issues. Stalls allow you to raise awareness of issues and can help you recruit supporters for your campaign and group.

To get the most out of your stall, it is worth putting some thought into planning it to ensure its effectiveness. Try these tips to get you started.

Tips

1. Decide your Aims and Message

Ask yourself:

• why are you doing the stall?
• What is the message you hope to get across about your campaign?
• Do you want to recruit supporters for your group, or get people to take action? It may be both of these.

Identify the main reason for your stall and focus on that.

2. Design an eye catching display

Take some time to think about how you want your stall to look. Maybe use display boards, posters, fliers, props and costumes.

Take things that focus on your campaign but make sure not to clutter your stall as this can overwhelm people. Have fun and be creative!

Exports and prices

Gas production in Australia has tripled since 2010, but domestic consumption has barely changed. This means that around 80% of gas produced in Australia is exported.

Gas export terminals opened at Gladstone in Queensland in late 2014. This meant that for the first time, gas could be exported from Australia’s east coast, giving gas companies the option to sell Australian gas into higher-priced Asian markets. This, in turn, meant that Australians suddenly had to pay world prices for domestically-produced gas.

Suddenly, Australian wholesale prices tripled from $3 per gigajoule (GJ) to $10 per GJ, and often rose even higher.