Critical Policy Conversations

Welcome to Critical Policy Conversations! This website is a space designed for early career researchers to explore, share, and discuss critical approaches to policy. Whether you want to share your latest research, ask questions, or engage with others’ insights, this is the place to do it.

Join the conversation to expand our understanding of public and social policy through critical reflection. We’re excited to have you as part of the conversation!

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  What is sexual violence against girls represented to be in the Indonesian government’s official data reports on gender-based violence? 
  Ayu Siantoro is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, Australia. Her thesis topic is entitled, ‘Governing adolescent girls’ sexuality through anti-sexual violence activism and policy reform’. Ayu has significant experience in the public sector, and her expertise includes applied research, development program innovation, evidence-based advocacy & communications related to local governance.  As a… Read more: What is sexual violence against girls represented to be in the Indonesian government’s official data reports on gender-based violence? 
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  Discovering WPR: A practitioner-researcher’s journey into challenging knowledge hierarchies in social security policy making
  Gabrielle Lawrence is a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University, Australia. Her research explores the role of lived experience knowledge in social security policy-making in Australia. Gabrielle commenced her PhD after 18 years in the Australian Public Service (APS) and her research responds to identified challenges facing the APS – growing public expectations for… Read more: Discovering WPR: A practitioner-researcher’s journey into challenging knowledge hierarchies in social security policy making
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  Problematising Preconception Health using WPR: Bodies, Responsibility, and the Tensions of Lived Experience
  Author Details: Merissa Elizabeth Hickman is a PhD Candidate at the University of Leicester, UK. Her research focuses on how preconception health is constructed and problematised in England, critically examining the assumptions and power relations that shape these representations. Her work is supervised by Professor Nicola Mackintosh (University of Leicester) and Professor Natalie Armstrong (City… Read more: Problematising Preconception Health using WPR: Bodies, Responsibility, and the Tensions of Lived Experience
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  Reflections on the ‘What is the Problem Represented to be’ (WPR) approach: past research and future directions 
  Carol Bacchi is Professor Emerita of Politics at Adelaide University, Australia. Bacchi is best known for her approach to policy analysis called “What’s the Problem Represented to be?” or the WPR approach. She researches and writes primarily in feminist political theory and policy theory.  Her current work explores possible innovations in and extensions of “WPR thinking”.  … Read more: Reflections on the ‘What is the Problem Represented to be’ (WPR) approach: past research and future directions 
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  How is the issue of modern slavery in global supply chains represented as a problem within Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018?
  Kyla Raby is a PhD candidate at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, Australia and an antislavery specialist with experience across research, education, and frontline practice. Her thesis utilises WPR to critically analyse the way in which the issue of modern slavery in global supply chains is represented as a problem within Australia’s Modern… Read more: How is the issue of modern slavery in global supply chains represented as a problem within Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018?