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Civil Society

social-policy-civil

With freedom comes responsibility. A society of free individuals can only function if everyone respects the rights and liberties of everybody else. This means we have to voluntarily limit our own desires and monitor our own behaviour in the hope and expectation that other people will do the same in their relations with us.

But there is evidence that these informal norms governing our behaviour have been fraying over recent decades. The CIS asks what are the causes and consequences of the decline of civility and social cohesion, and what can be done about it?

The research also examines how government is weakening civil society by trying to eradicate risk from our lives and by 'crowding out' voluntary activity with state initiatives?

Publications

  1. When Prophecy Fails

    Peter Saunders | 09 Sep 2011 | Special Publications

      In their 2009 book, The Spirit Level, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argued for the ‘benefits’ of income redistribution.... Read More...

  2. FEATURE: Beyond the Culture Wars - Arts Policy for a New Generation

    Cassandra Wilkinson | 20 Aug 2011 | POLICY Magazine

    Arts policy can learn from sport's bottom up approach.

  3. FEATURE: Anti-Discrimination Law and the Attack on Freedom of Conscience

    Ben O'Neill | 20 Jun 2011 | POLICY Magazine

    Anti-discrimination law is targeting belief as well as behaviour.

  4. Alcohol Policy and the Politics of Moral Panic

    Luke Malpass | 26 May 2011 | Policy Monographs

    New Zealand’s proposed liquor legislation marks a return to old attitudes towards alcohol regulation that perversely believe,... Read More...

  5. FEATURE: The Use of Happiness in Society

    Jason Potts | 31 Mar 2011 | POLICY Magazine

    Happiness in not just a feeling, it is a signal to others about what might make them happier.

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Opinion & Commentary

  1. Who needs four uni degrees or even one for that matter?

    Adam Creighton | 29 Nov 2011 | Crikey

    Most jobs don't require university degrees. A key purpose of education is to give students a chance to signal their aptitude ... Read More

  2. Paid leave for dads a useless, cynical waste of money

    Jessica Brown | 06 Sep 2011 | The Punch

    Getting dads more involved in parenting is a noble goal. Unfortunately, there is very little evidence that paid paternity ... Read More

  3. Women's rights push dads aside

    Jeremy Sammut | 03 Sep 2011 | The Australian

    This is the disturbing significance of the controversial NSW birth certificate decision. That no gay spokesperson has expressed ... Read More

  4. Degrees of difference

    Sara Hudson | 22 Aug 2011 | Online Opinion

    Many people have taken umbrage at this arguing that having a separate form for some remote communities is an example of 'positive ... Read More

  5. Living together demands civility

    Jessica Brown | 19 Aug 2011 | The Canberra Times

    We should not rush to stifle public discussions on the off chance that an unhinged individual (whether politically motivated ... Read More

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Ideas@TheCentre

  1. Stick it to ‘em

    Rev Peter Kurti | 12 Aug 2011

    Society’s lack of a moral compass led to the London riots....

  2. The class myth

    Peter Saunders | 05 Nov 2010

    The British will tell you that success depends on one's class and very little to do with education even though the evidence ...

  3. Income Management for all a courageous step forwards

    Sara Hudson | 25 Jun 2010

    Federal parliament this week passed laws that will subject non-Indigenous welfare recipients in the Northern Territory to ...

  4. The forgotten Indigenous Australians

    Sara Hudson | 23 Apr 2010

    This week Channel Ten’s 7pm Project did a report on whether Australia is racist. It raised a few questions – specifically ...

  5. That’s discrimination!

    Elise Parham | 20 Nov 2009

    Many a bemused journalistic eye has this week turned to the human rights commissions, who have been busily cracking down ...

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