This course examines the political economy of elections in Melanesia (PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Bougainville). It considers the factors shaping the conduct of elections across the region, and implications of elections for democracy, governance, development and security. Incorporating insights from comparative politics, anthropology and development studies, the course explores how elections in the region differ from developed country electoral experiences and what this means for efforts to support electoral processes. Implications for the development of electoral support programs that respond to the specific Melanesian context are also considered.

The focus of the readings is to provide a deeper grounded and contextual understanding of elections, drawing heavily on applied research conducted in Melanesian countries. Regional case studies are used to elucidate key aspects of elections.

Topics of study include:

• The political economy of elections in Melanesia
• Elections and (in)security
• Elections, governance and development
• Money politics and electoral competition in Melanesia
• Political parties and campaigning
• Elections, ICTs and social media
• Women and elections
• Electoral administration and electoral integrity in Melanesia
• Elections in PNG
• Elections in Solomon Islands
• Elections and external actors
• Supporting elections in Melanesia

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand and identify the contextual factors that condition how elections in Melanesia work.
2. Critically evaluate the relationship between elections and security, governance, development and stability
3. Examine the challenges faced by key political and social actors such as women and civil society in participating in elections in Melanesia
4. Demonstrate a good understanding of the policy challenges involved in administering elections in Melanesia
5. Demonstrate an appreciation of the distinctiveness of Melanesian elections in a comparative context

Research-Led Teaching

This course is taught intensively by research active scholar-practitioners from the ANU Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA). Each session draws on relevant research concerning elections in Melanesia, and the experiences of DPA scholars involved in designing and delivering electoral support and designing and delivering programs to improve women's political participation and political representation.

Field Trips

Not applicable

Required Resources

There is no textbook for this course; all required readings will be made available on Wattle.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

This course is taught intensively over five full-days, namely 16-18 February 2022 and 23-24 February 2022.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Day 1/Session 1: Introduction: the political economy of elections in Melanesia Elections in PNG: an Overview	Wednesday 16 February 2022, AM
2	Day 1/Session 2: Who contests elections? Deep Dive: Elections in Fiji	Wednesday 16 February 2022, PM
3	Day 2/Session 3: The nature of campaigning Elections and CDFs	Thursday 17 February 2022, AM
4	Day 2/Session 4: Elections and (in)security Deep Dive: Elections in Bougainville	Thursday 17 February 2022, PM
5	Day 3/Session 5: Elections and political participation Elections and outside influences	Friday 18 February 2022, AM
6	Day 3/Session 6 Women's political participation Deep Dive: In conversation with Women candidates	Friday 18 February 2022, PM
7	Day 4/Session 7 The challenges of electoral administration Elections and external actors	Wednesday 23 February 2022, AM
8	Day 4/Session 8 Supporting elections in Melanesia: Panel discussion Deep Dive: Elections in New Caledonia	Wednesday 23 February 2022, PM
9	Day 5/Session 9 Student Presentations Deep Dive: Elections in Solomon Islands	Thursday 24 February 2022, AM Assessment 1: Risk assessment and stakeholder analysis
10	Day 5/Session 10 Elections, governance and development Elections and political order in Melanesia	Thursday 24 February 2022, PM

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Participation (10%)	10 %	*	1,2,3,4
Risk assessment and stakeholder analysis (1500 words)	30 %	24/02/2022	1,2,3,4
Election support design project (3,500 words)	60 %	13/03/2022	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Participation (10%)

This assessment will be based on contributions to in-class discussions throughout the course.

Assessment Task 2

Risk assessment and stakeholder analysis (1500 words)

This assessment item requires students to identify the key factors influencing elections in one Melanesian country and to identify the stakeholders with an interest in elections in that country. Students will summarise their findings in a short paper that identifies:

· the political economy factors shaping the conduct of elections in their country of choice;

· the key stakeholders that have an interest in the conduct of elections;

· the nature of each stakeholder's interests;

· the principal electoral risks that electoral managers and policy makers ought consider in supporting the conduct of elections.

The purpose of the assessment is to encourage students to think critically about elections in practice and the diverse range of stakeholders with interests in different parts of

the electoral process. Advice will be provided on the case study choice of country and key political economy perspectives that can be drawn on in the mapping exercise. Students will present their findings in class on the final day of this intensively taught course.

Assessment Task 3

Election support design project (3,500 words)

This task requires students to choose an election-related policy issue (e.g. women’s candidacy, electoral security, voter registration) and to design a policy intervention to

achieve an identified outcome. The project entails: a) describing the nature of the election-related policy issue they seek to address, b) previous efforts (if any) to address the problem, c) analysing the political economy context of the specific election-related policy issue chosen; and b) developing a policy response that responds to the existing evidence base. An important objective of the project is to encourage students to think beyond elections as a technical issue and to focus on the political context which conditions elections. Students will be provided with a list of possible policy issues to choose from and opportunity to discuss these in-class with policy practitioners.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students