How Australia Compares


Book Description

How Australia Compares is a handy reference that compares Australia with 17 other developed democracies on a wide range of social, economic and political dimensions. Whenever possible, it gives not only snapshot comparisons from the present, but charts trends over recent decades or even longer. Its scope is encyclopaedic, offering comparative data on as many aspects of social life as possible, from taxation to traffic accidents, homicide rates to health expenditure, and international trade to internet usage. It uses a highly accessible format, devoting a double-page spread to each topic, with tables on one page and a clear explanation and analysis on the facing page. In each discussion the focus is to put the Australian experience into international perspective, drawing out the implications for its performance, policies and prospects.




Comparing the Policy of Aboriginal Assimilation


Book Description

The aboriginal people of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand became minorities in their own countries in the nineteenth century. The expanding British Empire had its own vision for the future of these peoples, which was expressed in 1837 by the Select Committee on Aborigines of the House of Commons. It was a vision of the steps necessary for them to become civilized, Christian, and citizens -- in a word, assimilated. This book provides the first systematic and comparative treatment of the social policy of assimilation that was followed in these three countries. The recommendations of the 1837 committee were broadly followed by each of the three countries, but there were major differences in the means that were used. Australia began with a denial of the aboriginal presence, Canada began establishing a register of all 'status' Indians, and New Zealand began by giving all Maori British citizenship.




Australia's Health 2012


Book Description




How America Compares


Book Description

This book is a reference work with an encyclopedic range, offering contemporary and systematic comparisons between the United States and 17 other economically advanced, stable liberal democracies, as well as some more global comparisons. It offers international data on as many aspects of social life as possible, from taxation to traffic accidents, homicide rates to health expenditure, and interest rates to internet usage. Wherever possible, it offers not only the most recent available data but also trends over decades. The discussion focuses on changes over time and comparisons between countries. Sometimes the contrasts are striking; sometimes the commonalities are more instructive. Often national political debates are conducted in a vacuum, and examining comparative data on policies, performance, and prospects can give a better perspective.




Policy Agendas in Australia


Book Description

This book contributes to and expands on the major international Comparative Policy Agendas Project. It sets the project in context, and provides a comprehensive assessment of the changing policy agenda in Australia over a forty-year period, using a unique systematic dataset of governor-general speeches, legislation and parliamentary questions, and then mapping these on to media coverage and what the public believes (according to poll evidence) government should be concentrating upon. The book answers some important questions in political science: what are the most important legislative priorities for government over time? Does the government follow talk with action? Does government attend to the issues the public identifies as most important? And how does media attention follow the policy agenda? The authors deploy their unique dataset to provide a new and exciting perspective on the nature of Australian public policy and the Comparative Policy Agendas Project more broadly.




Syrian Refugee Children in Australia and Sweden


Book Description

Both Australia and Sweden are economically, socially and politically well-developed countries and each has responded to the Syrian crisis in its own way with features that define refugee children’s schooling trajectories for transition to life and work. Syrian Refugee Children in Australia and Sweden provides insights into policies influencing the education and schooling of Syrian refugee children in Australia and Sweden. This book uses the perspectives of Syrian refugee children and their voiced experiences to elicit recommendations for education practices and content. Their voices were central to the analysis for the main reason that their viewpoints could contribute in a practical way to the development of pedagogical approaches that would support their schooling, and an effective and productive transition to life in the host countries. The opinions, suggestions and experiences of other stakeholders such as parents, caregivers, teachers and school and state officials, were included for greater understanding so that as many relevant contexts are covered. The recommendations for refugee education proposed in this book will be useful for teachers, principals and policy makers directly involved in educating refugee students and this could positively impact on young refugee students finding their way to a new and better life.




CultureShock! Australia


Book Description

CultureShock! Australia is chock-full of information that will help you assimilate effortlessly into life in the land Down Under. Written in an easy-to-read style, this book covers all the basics for settling in, including the options you should consider before deciding whether to have a pool in your backyard or a full-fledged garden in the front, and what to do when your teenagers assert their rights. Peer beneath the laid-back veneer of the Australian people and learn more about what they hold dear as well as their attitudes towards ‘tall poppies’ and multiculturalism. Discover how to entertain guests around the ‘barbie’ and what to do when given a ‘shout’. Find out more about how to speak Strine as well as how important leisure is in the Australian working world. CultureShock! Australia is the only guide you will need to fully understand the Aussie people and their culture and truly enjoy your stay in the land of the Southern Cross.




What Makes a Good Healthcare System?


Book Description

This text examines the varied assumptions that underpin different views of what makes a good health care system and compares three national systems from the UK, Australia and Canada.




Nations of Immigrants


Book Description

These papers capture the pluralist phenomenon of two of the largest immigrant-receiving countries of all time. Within this 200+ page volume, then, is to be found a truly informative mass of data (complete with graphs, tables and statistics) and learned analyses pertaining to the twin-focus of its title which will serve as a valuable tool of reference and reflection by all who have an interest in the subject. Ramnik Shah, Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law This timely book examines the immense surges in immigration since the mid-1990s in Australia and the United States, two of the world s most important settler-receiving countries. Australia s shift to a points-based, skills-oriented system is contrasted with the political deadlock that has prevented any basic change in US immigration policy during this period. Focusing on immigration policy trends, effects on labour markets, successes and failures in integrating massive numbers of new immigrants, and the future of multiculturalism, the book ponders many of the policy dilemmas that confront both countries. Drawing on extensive research findings in the field of immigration policy, this book will prove a fascinating read for both scholars and postgraduate students working on immigration, as well as undergraduates studying courses on Australia and comparisons of the Australian and American policy arenas. Public servants engaged in administering Australian and US immigration policies will also find this book invaluable.




How Australia Compares


Book Description

How Australia Compares is a handy reference that compares Australia with seventeen other developed countries across a wide range of social, economic and political dimensions. Whenever possible, it gives not only snapshot comparisons from the present, but charts trends over recent decades or even longer. Encyclopaedic in scope, it provides statistics for a huge range of human activity, from taxation to traffic accidents, homicide rates to health expenditure, interest rates to internet usage. This new edition is fully revised and updated, and features two new chapters: The Howard Impact and The Search for Scoreboards. New sections include obesity, advertising, broadband internet access, childcare and corruption. Information is highly accessible with double-page spreads for each topic. Tables and graphs are presented on one page, and clear explanation and analysis on the facing page. In each discussion the focus is to put the Australian experience into international perspective, drawing out the implications for the nation's performance, policies and prospects.