Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Professor James Walter is Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the School of Social Sciences. He has broad interests in Australian politics and history. He holds a B.A. (Hons) and a Ph.D from the University of Melbourne, and an M.A from La Trobe. Professor Walter is a former Head of the School of Political and Social Inquiry (2006-2009), and a past President of the Australian Political Studies Association (2007-8). He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (and served on the Academy's Executive 2006-2009 and 2015-18), and was a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Manufactures (UK; 1991-2015). Prior to his appointment at Monash, he was Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Arts) at Griffith University (1996-2002), and Professor of Australian Studies (1987-2002). He remains a Professor Emeritus at Griffith University. He was Professor and Head of the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies at the University of London, 1990-1993.
James Walter has published widely on Australian politics, history, biography and culture. Among his books are The Leader: a political biography of Gough Whitlam (1980), The Ministers' Minders: personal advisers in national government (1986), Intellectual Movements and Australian Society (with Brian Head, 1988), Tunnel Vision: the failure of political imagination (1996), The Citizens' Bargain: a documentary history of Australian views since 1890 (2002), No, prime minister: reclaiming politics from leaders (with Paul Strangio, 2007) What were they thinking? The politics of ideas in Australia (2010), Settling the Office: The Australian Prime Ministership from Federation to Reconstruction (with Paul Strangio and Paul 't Hart, 2016) and The Pivot of Power: Australian Prime Ministers and Political Leadership 1949-2016 (with Paul Strangio and Paul 't Hart, 2017). He has also edited books on Australian studies, biographical methods, foreign policy and urban development.
Professor Walter is currently working on a a comparative history of policy deliberation in Australia since the 1950s; a study of political careers; and an examination of the ways in which politicians use history. He maintains broad interests in political leadership, political psychology, political biography, public policy and the history of Australian political institutions.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Projects
- 8 Finished
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The politics of decision: leadership and policy processes in historical perspective
Australian Research Council (ARC)
30/06/13 → 31/12/18
Project: Research
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A3.3 Strategies for influencing the political dynamics of decision-making
1/07/12 → 30/06/16
Project: Research
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IEP Research Chair in Peace Economics
Langfield-Smith, K. M. & Walter, J.
IEP Institute for Economics and Peace Limited
28/09/10 → 28/09/15
Project: Research
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The pivot of government? Understanding the Australian prime minister: the office and its holders.
Walter, J., Strangio, P. & 't Hart, P.
Australian Research Council (ARC)
1/03/10 → 31/12/16
Project: Research
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Australian politicians and the uses of history: from Federation to the present
Walter, J. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Lowe, D. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Australian Research Council (ARC)
1/01/10 → 21/12/12
Project: Research
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Historians: Bridging the divide with policymakers
Walter, J., 2022, Lessons From History: Leading historians tackle Australia's greatest challenges. Holbrook, C., Megarrity, L. & Lowe, D. (eds.). Sydney NSW Australia: NewSouth Publishing, p. 40-54 15 p. (Lessons From History).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
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Governing Ideas and Collective Expectations: The Australian Cases
Walter, J., 2021, The Oxford Handbook of Australian Politics. Lewis, J. & Tiernan, A. (eds.). Oxford UK: Oxford University Press, 22 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
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Peta Credlin and the 'right' articulation of gendered rage
Walter, J., 2021, Gender Politics: Navigating political leadership in Australia. Lee-Koo, K. & Ghazarian, Z. (eds.). Sydney NSW Australia: NewSouth Publishing, p. 69-81 13 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Other › peer-review
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Partisanship, policy entrepreneurs and the market for ideas: what we can learn from policy failure
Laing, M. & Walter, J., 2020, In: Australian Journal of Political Science. 55, 1, p. 122-134 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Policy capacity in disruptive times
Walter, J., Tiernan, A., Head, B. & Edwards, M., 2020, In: Australian Journal of Political Science. 55, 1, p. 72-85 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
5 Citations (Scopus)