RQF Group

Regional sustainability: social and economic dimensions

2. Home Panel: 9 Social sciences and politics

3. Up to three 4 Digit RFDC Codes: 3700_45% 3008 35%__3212 20%__

Up to three 4 Digit SEO Codes: 7503 40%__7602 40%_ 7506 20%__

4. Name of Researchers

Level M/F FTE ECR RFCD Code

SEO Code

1 Margaret Alston E F 1.0 N 370000 750000

2 Allan Curtis E M 1.0 N 300800 760000

3 Ian Gray D M 1.0 N 360000 770000

4 Mark Morrison D M 1.0 N 340202 720299

5 Kevin Parton E M 1.0 N 321202 730200

TOTAL

Top Four Publications

Margaret Alston

1. Margaret Alston (2006) The Impact of Drought on Gender and Power Differentials in

Australian Farm Families. In B Bock and S Shortall (eds) Rural Gender Relations:

Issues and Case Studies. CABI Publishing, Oxfordshire.

Book held by the British National Library, USA Library of Congress and 11 major

Australian libraries (National Library, and Australian universities).

1

Based on in-depth research undertaken over the period 2003-6, this chapter provides a

feminist theoretical lens to analyse the gender and power differentials implicit in the

Australian drought experience. After presenting the theoretical framework, the paper

presents original qualitative material on the drought experience. By drawing on the

voices of people significantly impacted by drought and providing a gendered analysis,

this chapter is a significant addition to our understanding of rural life and social relations.

The chapter was sought by the editors as an integral part of a compilation on rural gender

relations across the world.

2. Margaret Alston (2006). ‘I’d like to just walk out of here’: women’s experience of

drought. Sociologia Ruralis 46 (2), pp. 154-170.

JIF 2.093, Citations: ISI 1, Google Scholar 1.

Journal ranked 5/93 for Sociology.

By contrast with the previous book chapter, this article focuses on the experiences of

women in the Australian drought. Using a case study methodology it presents original

material drawn from three women who were part of the larger drought study. Using these

contrasting cases it presents a very vivid and disturbing understanding of the lived

experience of women during the drought. This article was published internationally and

drew an immediate response in terms of email comment. It also generated widespread

demand for interviews on ABC regional radio across the country.

3. Margaret Alston 2003. Women in Agriculture: the New Entrepreneurs. Australian

Feminist Studies, 18, 41, pp 163-171.

Journal not ISI listed. Citations: Google Scholar 2.

Journal ranked 23/26 in Women’s Studies.

This paper published in 2003 by Australia’s leading feminist journal, resulted from a

keynote address to the Australian Agronomy conference. It presents historical data on

women who have contributed to Australian agriculture during the 1800s and early 1900s.

2

It then outlines contemporary women who were finalists in the Australian Rural Women

of the Year. The paper makes the point that women have always contributed to Australian

agriculture in very innovative and entrepreneurial ways despite the perception that

agriculture is very male dominated.

4. Margaret Alston 2004. Social Exclusion in Rural Areas. In Cocklin, C. and Dibden,

J., (eds.), Sustainability and Change in Rural Australia, UNSW Press, Kensington.

This chapter provides a discussion of the theory of social exclusion and applies this to

contemporary rural life in Australia. The paper identifies significant and rising levels of

exclusion among rural dwellers and argues for appropriate interventions and as such,

provides a significant addition to knowledge. Included in the book is an additional

chapter from Professor Alston on Gender issues in rural areas and the one listed below

from A/Prof Gray, also a member of this group.

Allan Curtis

1. Curtis, A., De Lacy, T. (2001) Landcare in Australia: does it make a difference, in

Morris, J., Bailey, A., Turner, R.K., Bateman, I.J. (eds). Managing the environment

for sustainable development: rural planning and management. pp.605-623. Edward

Elgar, London. Contribution 90%.

The journal paper published in Environmental Management has a JIF 1.097,

Citations: ISI 16, Scopus 31, Google Scholar 61.

Journal ranked 77/144 for Environmental Sciences.

This publication was selected from all papers in the Edward Elgar journals. This research

was the first attempt to conduct a theory-driven evaluation of the National Landcare

Program (NLP) and is the seminal paper on Landcare evaluation and heavily cited. Key

findings have contributed to important international (Proceedings of OECD Co-operative

Research Program Workshop, Nov 2002) and national publications (Dovers, S., Wild

River, S. (eds) Managing Australia’s Environment, commissioned by Land and Water

3

Australia to review policy past 30 years). The research methodology was adopted by the

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in 2003 to

evaluate the $120 million NLP.

2. Pannell, D.J., Marshall, G.R., Barr, N., Curtis, A., Vanclay, F., and Wilkinson, R.

(2006) Understanding and promoting adoption of conservation technologies by rural

landholders. Australasian Journal of Experimental Agriculture. 46 (11): 1407-1424.

Contribution 15%.

JIF 0.861, Citations: ISIS 0, Scopus 0, Google Scholar 6.

Journal ranked 9/31 for Agriculture, Multidisciplinary.

As leaders in their disciplines, the co-authors drew on sociology, psychology and

economics and their research of the past twenty years to propose a unique,

interdisciplinary framework that enables others to more readily understand landholder

adoption of conservation behaviours. Although published recently, the paper has the

highest number of downloads (by subscription) for any paper in this Journal (CSIRO

Publishing) in the last 12 months and is at number three for all papers published since

2000. The framework has been widely used, including as the standard within the new

Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre.

3. Curtis, A., Byron, I., and McDonald, S. (2003) Integrating spatially referenced social

and biophysical data to explore landholder responses to dryland salinity in Australia.

Journal of Environmental Management, 68 (4): 397-407. Contribution 80%.

JIF 1.477. Citations: ISI 1, Scopus 1, Google Scholar 6.

Journal ranked 55/144 for Environmental Sciences.

This research involved an innovative methodology using surveys of private landholders

to gather spatially-referenced social and economic data to underpin watershed planning,

implementation and evaluation. A Geographic Information System was used to integrate

survey data with other biophysical layers to address important theoretical and applied

questions. The research approach has been implemented in 11 Australian regions and

4

adopted by the Australian Government as the standard approach. A revised paper was

selected as a juried paper from amongst 600 papers at the 2007 International Symposium

of Society and Natural Resources. This journal is regarded as the highest quality journal

for multidisciplinary research in environmental management.

4. Curtis, A., Shindler, B., Wright, A. (2002) Sustaining local watershed initiatives:

lessons from Landcare and Watershed Councils. Journal of the American Water

Resources Association 38(5): 1207-1216. Contribution 50%.

JIF 0.735. Citations: ISI 2, Scopus 2, Google Scholar 13.

Journal ranked 33/57 for Environmental Engineering.

This paper provided a much needed synthesis of research examining collaborative

watershed initiatives that drew on my research into Landcare and the work of Professor

Shindler and others in the USA. The focus was on identifying lessons for practitioners

about sustaining local watershed organizations. This was an important research gap. My

research into volunteer motivations (3 papers), burnout (3 papers), gender roles (1 paper),

the impact of networks on social capital (3) and agency/community partnerships (2)

provided the theoretical foundation for the paper. Findings from this paper were heavily

cited in the 2003 Australian Government evaluation of the Decade of Landcare Plan.

Ian Gray

1. Gray, I. and Lawrence, G. (2001) A Future for Regional Australia: Escaping Global

Misfortune, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Contribution 50%.

Book held in 121 Australian libraries. Google Scholar 41.

Widely cited, and described by a reviewer as offering ‘… an innovative integration of

ideas and perspectives on the many and varied processes affecting rural places, not only

in Australia but elsewhere as well’, this book presented the first complete analysis of

change in regional Australia from sociological perspectives since the 1980s. Another

reviewer said ‘This excellent book carefully analyses the economic, social, cultural and

5

environmental factors relevant to the current situation facing regional Australia ...’ The

book presented arguments for the rethinking of neo-liberal policies and the consideration

of progressive policy options for governments and communities.

2. Gray, I. and Sinclair, P. (2005) 'Local Leaders in a Global Setting: Dependency and

Resistance in Regional New South Wales and Newfoundland', Sociologia Ruralis, 45

(1/2):37-52. Contribution 50%.

JIF 2.093, Citations: ISI 1, Google Scholar 1.

Journal ranked 5/93 for Sociology.

Addressing the problems facing small rural communities, this article provided a critical

perspective on literature advocating individualistic solutions to collective problems. By

using data collected in Australia and Canada, it compared very different situations in

terms of geography and the depth of adjustment problems following economic decline. It

considered the extent that local people are able to maintain community distinctiveness

amid globalisation and conditions of dependency by examining the perspectives of local

leaders and presented a critical view of potentially excessive reliance placed on people

who have few resources at their disposal.

3. Gray, I., Williams, R. and Phillips, E. (2005) 'Rural community and leadership in the

management of natural resources: tensions between theory and policy', Journal of

Environmental Policy and Planning, 7 (2): 125-139. Contribution 33%.

Not ISI listed. Citations: Google Scholar 1.

This paper provided a much needed critique of concepts of leadership and social capital

in current analysis and policy development. The growth of landcare and the

regionalisation of natural resource management had focused attention on local and

regional land management, but as the article argued, this had been done with excessive

emphasis on leadership and social capital with insufficient consideration having being

given to the inherent tensions between the two. It argued for a more theoretically precise

and comprehensive approach to these issues with the introduction of concepts of power.

6

4. Gray, I. (2005) 'Challenges to Individual and Collective Action' in Cocklin, C. and

Dibden, J., (eds) Sustainability and Change in Rural Australia, UNSW Press, Sydney.

Google Scholar 2.

The chapter critiques the approach taken by those advocating the revival of small country

towns by means of self-help and leadership on the basis that this approach takes

insufficient account of structural factors and the situations confronted by individuals. By

2005, the literature relating the concept of social capital to regional development had

oversimplified social capital and taken insufficient account of much earlier research. This

article used research going back to the 1970s in addition to recent work to argue for a

more realistic and comprehensive view of the situations faced by local communities.

Mark Morrison

1. Morrison, M.D., Bennett, J.W. and Blamey, R.K. and Louviere, J.J. (2002). Choice

Modelling and Tests of Benefit Transfer. American Journal of Agricultural

Economics. 84(1): 161-170. Contribution 70%.

JIF 1.196, Citations: ISI 11, Scopus 20, Google Scholar 65.

Journal ranked 37/175 for Economics.

The first paper to empirically demonstrate the advantages of using choice modelling

rather than contingent valuation for benefit transfer (reusing valuation estimates at a

second site). This is because it produces marginal rather than aggregate estimates which

can be modified for conditions at the second site. Since this study, using choice

modelling for benefit transfer has become the norm, thus it has lead to a shift in industry

practice. Twelve further studies have followed to assess the generalisability of its

findings (Morrison and Bergland 2006).

7

2. Morrison, M. and Bennett, J. Valuing NSW Rivers Using Choice Modelling for Use

in Benefit Transfer (2004). Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource

Economics. 48(1): 591-612. Contribution 80%.

JIF 0.935, Citations: ISI 5, Scopus 7, Google Scholar 10.

Journal ranked 63/175.

Paper describes seven choice modelling studies valuing NSW rivers that demonstrate

how to systematically apply benefit transfer in a large scale valuation exercise, and the

use of a pooled benefit transfer model to fill in gaps in the experimental design due to

budget limitations. The paper added to the literature by demonstrating when benefit

transfer is likely to be valid. Results have been used by the NSW government in its water

reform process and also by the Victorian government. It was the second most

downloaded article in AJARE in 2004.

3. Blamey, R., Bennett, J., Louviere, J., Morrison, M. and Rolfe, R. (2002). Attribute

Causality in Environmental Choice Modelling. Environmental and Resource

Economics. 23: 167-186. Contribution 20%.

JIF, 1.223, Citations: ISI 3, Scopus 4. %, Google Scholar 9.

Journal ranked 69/175

A challenging part of designing environmental choice modelling studies is selecting

attributes, particularly if respondents perceive “cause-effect” relationships between

attributes used to describe alternatives. This may influence weights assigned to attributes

and resulting values. The paper describes an empirical test of including a causal attribute,

which demonstrates that while including a causal attribute affects values for specific

attributes, compensating surplus estimates were unaffected. This is important as values

for attributes are often used for benefit transfer. Various strategies for reducing

perceptions of causality are discussed.

8

4. Mallawaarachchi, T., Morrison, M.D. and Blamey, R.K. (2006) Valuing Land Use

Changes Using Choice Modelling. Land Use Policy. 23(3): 323-332. Contribution

50%.

JIF 1.581, Citations: Nil.

Journal ranked 6/52 for Environmental Studies.

This article demonstrates the usefulness of choice modelling for land use management

decisions, and is one of the first studies to demonstrate how choice modelling can be used

to generate values for alternative land uses. The results demonstrate the value of

preserving native vegetation compared to using the area for sugar cane or urban

development. The results from this study could be used by local governments or state

agencies involved in land use planning. The quality of the study is indicated by its

publication the world’s leading land use policy journal.

Kevin Parton

1. Bi, P., Tong, S., Donald, K., Parton, K.A. and Ni, J. (2002), “Climatic, reservoir and

occupational variables and the transmission of haemorrhagic fever with renal

syndrome in China” International Journal of Epidemiology 31, 189-193. Contribution

20%.

JIF 4.517, Citations: ISI 3, Google Scholar 5.

Journal ranked 7/98 (2006) for Public, Environmental and Occupational Health.

This paper develops, through regression analysis, a predictive model of the incidence of

haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). This paper quantifies the influences of

climatic, reservoir and occupational factors on the incidence and potential risk factors of

HFRS in Yingshang County, a low-lying epidemic focus of the disease in China. The

results show that rainfall, the density of mice and autumn crop production were good

explanators of the incidence of HFRS. The significance of this work lies in both its

methodological contribution as a first application of the method to this disease, and as a

guide to public health agencies in China.

9

2. Bi, P. and Parton, K.A. (2003), “The El Nino-Southern Oscillation and the historic

haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome transmission in China: an early warning

system for future epidemics?” Journal of the American Medical Association 289 (2),

176-177. Contribution 40%.

JIF 23.2, Citations: ISI 1, Google Scholar 1. % contribution, 40%.

Journal ranked 3/103 for Medicine, General & Internal.

This paper extends the first (above) by examining seasonal climate forecasts as a

potential predictor of rainfall, crop production, density of mice and hence incidence of

haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, and by extending the results to a wider regional

area. The statistical association between these variables was examined, but only weak

correlations were found between the major climate predictor, the El Nino-Southern

Oscillation and the historic incidence of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. This is

pioneering work that indicates possible future lines of enquiry relating climate forecasts

to disease incidence.

3. Bi, P., Walker. S, and Parton. K.A.(2003) “Trends in mortality rates for infectious

and parasitic diseases in Australia, 1907-97”, Internal Medicine Journal 33 (3), 146-

156. Contribution 30%.

JIF 1.402, Citations: ISI 2, Google Scholar 6.

Journal ranked 40/103 for Medicine, General & Internal.

Trends in infectious disease mortality in overall population and in the 0−4 years age

group were examined and standardized by sex. Death rates were also studied for: (i)

diarrhoea/enteritis, (ii) pneumonia and all respiratory diseases and (iii) tuberculosis. A

combination of improved living conditions and access to readily available treatments

over the twentieth century played an important role in the reduction of infectious disease

mortality in Australia. This paper provides up-to-date and comprehensive information on

an important class of diseases, that has been largely overlooked in recent years. The

results are directly relevant to health policy makers.

4. Bi, P., Parton, K.A. and Whitby, M. (2004), “Co-existing conditions for death from

10

infectious and parasitic diseases in Australia”, International Journal of Infectious

Diseases 8, 121-125. Contribution 30%.

JIF 2.062, Citations: ISI 2, Google Scholar 1.

Journal ranked 29 /47 for Infectious Diseases.

This paper raised awareness of the poor quality of Australia’s mortality data. Through

detailed examination of death certificates, the analysis reveals that there are often co-

morbidities that could more reasonably be considered the real underlying cause of death.

The study indicated that the quality of death certificates is less than satisfactory. The

findings should be helpful in clarifying the ICD coding rules and, once the data are

adjusted, in the development of improved disease prevention strategies.

CONTEXT STATEMENT

History, Strategic Focus and Objectives

The Regional sustainability: social and economic dimensions RQF grouping is a critical

part of the Institute for Land, Water and Society at CSU. The focus of the Institute is to

undertake “internationally recognized, integrated research which contributes to improved

social and environmental sustainability in rural and regional Australia.”

Members of this RQF group undertake strategic and applied research addressing the

social and economic dimensions of rural/regional sustainability. Professor Alston’s

research focus is on rural social issues, gender, rural women, rural service delivery and

rural practice. Professor Curtis’ research examines the role of local watershed

organizations in rural development, landholder adoption of conservation practices, and

program evaluation. A/Prof Gray’s research focus is on regional administration and

governance, environment and transport. A/Prof Morrison’s research interest is in non-

market (environmental) valuation, market-based instruments, technology adoption and

cost-benefit analysis. Professor Parton’s research interests are risk management, decision

analysis, research management and economic evaluation. There are important common

11

threads running through these research agendas. For example, Professors Alston, Curtis,

Morrison and Parton are engaged in research examining the social and economic impacts

of drought: Prof Alston is examining the impacts of drought on rural families; Prof

Curtis, landholder adaptation to drought and climate change; A/Prof Morrison, methods

for valuing the impacts of climate change; and Prof Parton, regional health issues arising

from Climate change.

Professors Alston, Curtis, Gray, Morrison and Parton lead large research teams but have

have a track record of substantial collaboration. In 2006 Professors Parton and Curtis

were awarded a nationally competitive grant through Land and Water Australia (LWA) to

explore ways of applying internationally recognized quality assurance practices to natural

resource management (NRM). This project has considerable overlap with research into

regional governance being undertaken by A/Prof Gray and Professor Curtis who have

been awarded substantial (>$300K) nationally competitive grants (ARC and LWA

respectively) to explore aspects of regional governance. Professors Alston and Curtis

continue to collaborate on a nationally competitive grant funded by the Rural Industries

Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC). A PhD scholarship has been funded

under this project. A/Prof Morrison and Prof Curtis are currently undertaking large scale

surveys in NSW and Victoria. Combining their expertise has enabled them to improve

their survey instruments and approaches to data analysis.

Main Achievements

Each member of this RQF group has an outstanding track record of peer-reviewed

publications [refer to Table 4] and the group has consistently attracted nationally

competitive research grants [refer to Table 1] in Australia and overseas (National Science

Foundation). The group also has an outstanding record of attracting large numbers of

high quality PhD candidates [Table 3]. With five principal researchers, 38 PhD students,

1 Post Doc and 2 EFT Research Fellows, this RQF group forms the nucleus of the largest,

most productive and most influential group of social and economic researchers focusing

on sustainability in inland Australia. Even without including the complete contributions

12

of Professors Parton (Sydney University to 2006) and Curtis (Bureau of Rural Sciences

2002-2004), between 2001 and 2006 the group achieved 43.57 DEST publication points,

graduated 16 PhD students, and gained $2.5 million in DEST reported grant funding.

Notes accompanying the “4 best publications” demonstrate that the group has made

internationally significant contributions to new knowledge, research methods,

professional practice and policy. Professor Alston’s research into the social impacts of

drought exposed the effects of drought on rural families, including on access to education

and has contributed to national policy. Professor Curtis’ research on Landcare is the

largest (25 peer-reviewed journal papers and 6 book chapters since 1995), most

comprehensive and most cited body of work on similar organizations in any developed

economy. His seminal paper (Curtis and De Lacy, 2001) established a theory-driven

methodology for evaluating these local organizations. This research underpinned

subsequent evaluations of national and state programs. A/Prof Gray’s book (Gray and

Lawrence, 2001) provided the first critical analysis of contemporary change in regional

Australia and is heavily cited by other researchers (104 citations). A/Prof Morrison’s

research included the first study to demonstrate the advantages of choice modelling as an

approach to measuring benefit transfer. Choice modelling has become the industry

standard, with almost all subsequent published studies citing his research. Professor

Parton’s papers (Bi, P et. al 2002; Bi P and Parton 2003) established that there is a lag of

several months between weather events or weather indices like the Southern Oscillation

Index and the health impacts of various vector-borne diseases.

Scrutiny of our listing of “4 best publications” demonstrates that each RQF group

member is publishing in the highest quality international journals. Journals publishing

social and economic research related to rural/regional sustainability have lower impact

factor ratings than do journals publishing in fields such as ecology or medicine. A rating

above 0.6 indicates a higher quality social and economic research journal. Professor

Alston and A/Prof Gray have published in Sociologia Ruralis which has a JIF 2.093, and

is ranked 5/93 for Rural Sociology. Professor Curtis and A/Professor Morrison have

papers published in the Journal of Environmental Management. This is the most

13

prestigious journal addressing multi-disciplinary themes in environmental management

and has a JIF of 1.477 and is ranked 55/144 for Environmental Sciences. A/Prof Morrison

published in Land Use Policy that has a JIF of 1.581and is ranked 6/52 for Environmental

Studies. Professor Parton published in the Journal of the American Medical Association

that has an impact factor of 23.332 and is ranked 3/103 for Medicine, General.

Collaborative Research

Each researcher has an established international reputation, including through research

collaborations, contributions to international fora and international scholarly

communities. Professor Alston is currently (August 2007) an invited contributor to the

UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) on a cross-country study of climate

change and gendered adaptations. Professor Curtis has research experience in the United

States and in 2006 hosted Professor Shindler from OSU who is the leading international

expert in the social dimensions of wild fire management. Professor Shindler has worked

with ILWS researchers to prepare a joint proposal to the NSF and is contributing to a PhD

project at CSU. A/Prof Morrison is working with Professor Boyle (Virginia Tech) and

A/Prof Taylor (Georgia State) on research funded by the US Environmental Protection

Authority and the NSF to increase the accuracy of choice modelling studies. Professor

Parton’s research includes studies of climate change on agriculture and health in China

and in the Philippines (funded through the ACIAR).

Researchers in this group have extensive collaborations with other internationally

recognized Australian researchers. Professor Alston and A/Prof Gray have co-authored

publications with leading Australian scholars at Monash University (Professor Cocklin)

and the University of Queensland (Professor Lawrence). Professor Curtis is making

important contributions to two Cooperative Research Centres (Future Farm Industries

and Irrigation Futures) and a Commonwealth Environmental Research Facilities project

($5 million Landscape Logic project headed by Professor Lefroy, UTas), including as the

social sciences leader for both Future Farm Industries and Landscape Logic. A/Prof Gray

is a partner in a large ARC project examining aspects of regional governance that

14

includes Professor Brown from Griffith University. A/Prof Morrison has collaborative

research with Professor Bennett (ANU) and with CSIRO scientists, including Dr Darla

Hatton McDonald and with Dr Steve Hatfield-Dodds.

Table 1. DEST Reported Research Income Note: Prof Parton employed at Sydney Uni prior to 2006 and Prof Curtis employed in industry 2002-

2004

Type 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 TOTAL

Category 1 22545 67706 70477 143464 240570 401215 945977

Category 2 70106 105891 73173 43017 388773 135582 816542

Category 3 93829 15933 126039 162585 103754 502141

Category 4 30000 58333 62500 150833

TOTAL 216481 189530 143650 312520 850261 703050 $2,415,492

One or more member of the Research Grouping must list as an Investigator on each grant claimed

Table 2. Individually Earned DEST Publication PointsNote: Prof Parton employed at Sydney Uni prior to 2006 and Prof Curtis employed in industry 2002-

2004

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 TOTAL

Journal Articles

7.62 7.85 5.49 2.75 5.27 5.77 25.94

Book Chapters

2.39 1.0 2.0 2.33 7.72

Books 2.5 2.5

Refereed Conference Publications

0.5 1.0 4.5 1.41 7.41

TOTAL 12.01 7.45 8.16 1.0 5.44 9.51 43.57

15

Table 3. Research Higher Degree StudentsNote: Prof Parton employed at Sydney Uni prior to 2006 and Prof Curtis employed in industry 2002-

2004

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 TOTAL

Total No of students supervised

38

No of students graduating

2 4 4 6 16

Only include RHDS where a member of the grouping was the Principal Supervisor

Impact Statement

The Regional sustainability: social and economic dimensions RQF group has a very large

body of career publications [refer to Table 4] and exceptionally high career totals and

rates (both per item and per year) of citations [refer to Table 5]. Impact can also be

assessed in terms of influence on others, including collaborators and student researchers

and this group has an outstanding record on these measures (see earlier notes about PhD

numbers and collaborations). Impact can also be assessed in terms of shaping

professional practice, management and policy. A partial summary of the evidence of

research impact across the group has been presented in the earlier section on

Achievements. In the next section we focus on the research impact of two group

members: Professors Alston and Curtis, with Professor Alston as the principal example.

16

Table 4. Career refereed publications

Books Book chapters Journal papers

Margaret Alston 4 22 44

Allan Curtis 3 15 63

Ian Gray 2 23 12

Mark Morrison 1 5 30

Kevin Parton 3 11 66

TOTAL 13 76 215

Table 5. Career ISI citations as at August 27, 2008

Total citations

Number items

Mean per item

Mean per year

Margaret Alston 185 54 3.4 10.9

Allan Curtis 232 57 4.1 16.6

Ian Gray 104 21 5.0 6.5

Mark Morrison 103 11 9.4 10.3

Kevin Parton 69 22 3.1 2.5

Case Study # 1 Professor Allan Curtis – Landcare research

Drawing on theory of program evaluation, rural development, and extension, the research

synthesized in Curtis et al. (2002) (#4 in “best four publications) has been at the cutting-

edge of international research attempting to assess and sustain the contribution of local

organizations to NRM and rural development. This research is the largest, most

comprehensive and most frequently cited body of work on these local organizations in

any developed economy. This research has explored program logic and effectiveness;

17

participation as volunteer activity; agency-community partnerships; factors affecting

group effectiveness; women’s participation and experience; the role of networks in

building social capital; and burnout amongst participants and coordinators. There have

been studies in all Australian states and in the USA. Research has been funded through

the Australian Research Council and by successive Australian Governments, including

the only longitudinal study of groups in an Australian state and has resulted in substantial

advances in knowledge. For example:

Contrary to existing literature, there was not a significant relationship between

measures of landholder stewardship ethic and adoption of conservation behaviours.

Using an index to measures group activity and participant’s perceptions of longer-

term outcomes contributed to increased understanding of factors contributing to the

Landcare group health.

Piloting and then applying burnout scales (the MBI) in the Australian NRM context

established that burnout was affecting Landcare group leaders and coordinators.

Research findings and the evaluation methodology have contributed to major national

reviews, including of the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program (NLP).

The NLP is a substantial ($30 million per year) national program. For example, the

evaluation methodology developed by Professor Curtis formed the basis of the $1.5

million, 2004 to 2007 Monitoring and Evaluation Project for the National Landcare

Program (NLP) implemented by the Bureau of Rural Sciences and the Australian Bureau

of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

Professor Curtis is widely regarded as the leading Landcare researcher in Australia. In

2003 he was invited by the Australian Government to co-author a report on “Landcare

farming: securing the future for Australian agriculture” with Professors Peter Cullen and

John Williams. Publication of the highly acclaimed report was accompanied by a media

campaign (even billboards across the country) and dissemination of reports to every

Landcare group in Australia. In 2007 he has/ will address issues around sustaining these

local organizations in keynote addresses to the 5th Australian Stream Management

Conference, Albury in May; and the Australian Landcare Council workshop exploring the

18

future of Landcare, Canberra in August; and the NSW State Landcare Conference at

Tamworth in October.

Referees

Ms Roberta (Bobby) Brazil, Chair Australian Landcare Council, Chair Land and Water

Australia, Chancellor University of Southern Queensland, email

BobbieBrazil@bigpond.com, phone 07 46930133

Mr Brian Scarsbrick, Landcare Australia CEO, email

inquiries@landcareaustralia.com.au, phone 02 94121040

Dr Colin Mues, Senior Agricultural Economist, Agricultural Branch, ABARE, Barton

Canberra, ACT. Email cmues@abare.gov.au Phone 61 2 6272 2027

Case Study # 2: Professor Margaret Alston – Social impacts of drought

Professor Margaret Alston has researched the social impacts of drought over the past five

years. Her initial study in 2003 was followed by a 2005 study (Alston and Kent, 2006) -

The impact of drought on secondary education access in Australia’s rural and remote

areas, a report to DEST – which was commissioned by the Australian government. Key

findings included that:

Rural and remote young people are more likely not to complete high school for

financial reasons.

Young people from rural and remote areas who must leave home for tertiary

education are disadvantaged by guidelines regarding eligibility for Austudy.

Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) allowances are not adequate.

Distance Education (School of the Air) places unrealistic pressures on mothers to

deliver education.

Formula for calculating teaching staff entitlements in schools does not allow for the

reality that out-migration as a result of drought is often temporary.

The two reports led to a series of publications (2 monographs, 2 book chapters and 8

refereed papers, including the book chapter listed as #1 of “best 4 publications” and the

Alston (2006) paper in the acclaimed journal, Sociologia Ruralis.

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Professor Alston’s research and advocacy during the droughts in inland south eastern

Australia during 2002/3 and 2005/6 contributed to national discourse about the nature and

severity of drought impact and to the development of appropriate policy responses. For

example, the report to DEST was launched by the Minister for Education, Julie Bishop at

Charles Sturt University in 2006 and generated extensive media coverage. One outcome

was the decision by the Minister to fund a national rural education forum with meetings

in Albury and Adelaide in 2007. Speaking at the Adelaide forum in July, Baillieu Myer,

chair of the Rural Education Program (part of the philanthropic Myer Foundation)

commended the contribution of Professor Alston’s research. At these meetings the

decision was made to establish a national association to represent the voice of rural

children in the education debate.

Professor Alston’s research findings empowered key stakeholders, including the NSW

Farmers’ Association, the Country Women’s Association and Foundation for Australian

Agricultural Women. The Isolated Parents’ Children’s Association invited Professor

Alston as the keynote speaker for their national conference in 2005 and subsequently

secured representation at the national forums identified above. The Department of

Education, Science and Training welcomed the second report as critical research shaping

policy formulation. A third group of end users are the community organisations

representing rural people affected by drought.

Professor Alston’s research into drought in Australia led to invitations to deliver a series

of international lectures in the US, Canada and Ireland in 2006 at Pennsylvania State

University, University of Nebraska, Regina University, Saskatoon University Queens

University. , Belfast. More recently, she has been invited to contribute to the UN’s Food

and Agricultural Organisation five-country study of climate change and gender. In August

2007 Professor Alston was attending a meeting of FAO in Rome, presenting an invited

lecture at the FAO on Tues 28th August.

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Referees

Kay Hull, MP, Federal seat of Riverina, Wagga Wagga Electorate Office, Suite 2 11-15

Fitzmaurice Street, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650. Email, kay.hull.mp@aph.gov.au Phone 02

6921 4600

Jack Beach, Immediate past president, Isolated Children’s and Parents’ Association,

email, J.W.Beach@bigpond.com Phone 0417 758 842

Astrida Upitas, DEST, Director of Strategic Directions. Email, astride.upitas@dest.gov.

au Phone

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Using the Scales below rate your Research Grouping’s

Quality = 5 Impact = A

Quality Scale

Rating Description

5 Research that is world leading in its field or makes an equally

exceptional contribution in an area of particular significance to Australia.

4 Research that meets world standards of excellence in its field or makes

an equally excellent contribution in an area of particular significance to

Australia.

3 Research that is recognised internationally as excellent in terms of

originality, significance and rigour but which nonetheless falls short of the

highest standards of excellence.

2 Research that is recognised as methodologically sound in its field and of

high originality, significance and rigour.

1 Research that is deemed to fall below the standard of recognised quality

work described above.

Impact Scale

Rating Description

A Adoption of the research has produced an outstanding social, economic,

environmental and/or cultural benefit for the wider community, regionally

within Australia, nationally or internationally.

B Adoption of the research has produced a significant social, economic,

environmental and/or cultural benefit for the wider community, regionally

within Australia, nationally or internationally.

C Research has been adopted to produce new policies, products, attitudes,

behaviours and/or outlooks in the end-user community.

D Research has engaged with the end-user community to address a social,

economic, environmental and/or cultural issue, regionally within

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Australia, nationally or internationally.

E Research has had limited or not identifiable social, economic,

environmental and/or cultural outcome, regionally within Australia,

nationally or internationally.

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