Australia’s Domestic Context in the Geography and State Capacity Approaches Essay (Critical Writing)

Introduction

There are various approaches to assessing the capacities and capabilities of states or even entire regions. This case will consider geographic and state capacity assessment methods in the context of a study of Australia’s domestic policy effectiveness. The review includes instruments, problems, and solutions affecting the country’s domestic situation. The importance of depending on general country-specific characteristics has a direct impact on the overall ability of domestic governance.

Geography Approach Influences on the Ability to Govern

The geographical approach classifies a state as impressively dependent on a number of criteria for its capabilities. These criteria include the location of the country, its shape and size, the predominant type of territory, resources, and climatic properties¹. This approach argues that physical realities determine political realities and that each government has specific capabilities and limitations based on the criteria listed above. Moreover, geographic characteristics are additionally defined: power projection and economic foundation². Those mean the possibility of influencing the remote concerns and the basis for further development respectfully.

Australia has a near-perfect result by several variables: it consists of the mainland of the Australian continent, which is occupied in its entirety, the island of Tasmania, and many small islands. It possesses numerous fossil resources, such as metal ores and gemstones. The northeastern tip of Australia is tropical forest, and the rest of the North is savannah or warm grasslands. The southeast and southwest have temperate climates with temperate or distinctly dry seasons and hot, warm, or mild summers. However, there are multiple deserts in the state, which makes farming difficult and negatively affects the evenness of settlement, with most of the population concentrated along the coastline.

From the geographical approach point of view, the domestic governance due to the location of the land without neighboring countries contributes to a calmer and more rhythmic flow of life for its citizens. Australia utilizes federal and constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, nominally being under the authority of King Charles of the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, the ministry headed by the prime minister governs, following a pattern similar to Britain’s. The government’s federalism is determined by the existence of some autonomy in the internal governance of each of the six states³. The federal government may not overrule internal decisions of their governments unless they contradict the constitution.

For the convenience of its separate location, Australia has fewer external factors that can affect its economic and cultural development. The basis of domestic policy is declared as respecting the priority of everything that impacts the lives of Australians. National unity is powerful in the country because of its decent standard of living and isolation from the rest of the world. Furthermore, the domestic context in the form of standard of living is influenced by the government’s efficient use of fossil resources and participation at the forefront of global economic processes.

Due to the biomes and the geographical remoteness of the capital from many population centers, domestic governance has three levels. In addition to the primary, federal, and formally subordinate state governments, many local councils are responsible for setting and enforcing local laws. It should be noted that their emergence was a historical necessity due to the lack of local government in such an impressive territory. At this point, the level of trust in government has shaken, as it has in many other countries, because of the global crisis⁴. However, confidence remains higher in local authorities than in federal ones.

State Capacity Approach Influence on the Ability to Govern

The notion of state capacity focuses precisely on the ability and efficiency of government in the use of resources, control, and compliance with the requirements of its citizens. In this regard, Australia is one of the world’s leading performers. The country’s inhabitants rarely question the government’s legitimacy and decisions, and the state’s monopoly on using force belongs to the state. Strong state capacity is expected in police and civil states, but only civil governance can provide a chance for a high standard of living⁵. In the context of domestic governance, without specific political leaders, ordinary Australians are confident and proud of their country’s strength and capabilities.

A weakening factor in this approach is the greater level of costs and time in international trade processes. The problem of delivery and communication over long distances has long been solved in today’s world, but the cheapest and fastest means of moving goods is still overland delivery methods⁶. On the other hand, the same factor separately contributed to more effective measures to prevent and combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the domestic context⁷. From this point of view, Australia’s domestic capacity is much higher than that of countries with land borders with other countries.

Domestic policy is marked by an effective allocation of natural resources as well. In Australia’s industry, mining, manufacturing, and construction are at the top of the list regarding investment and results. The financial, medical, and educational sectors are likewise prioritized for development and proper human resource management. Without these key tools in the hands of government and the right preferences, prosperity in the economy and society is unattainable.

Geographical and State Capacity Specifics Influence on Overall Domestic Context

As with other colonized territories, the Australian continent today has indigenous discrimination and segregation issues. Geographically, many tribes have been displaced or evicted from their rightful lands, and it is only recently that the government has been actively addressing this problem. Cultural diversification is being pushed and promoted at all levels of governance, and society is actively increasing its cultural intelligence quotient.

Moreover, segregation is combated, and original indigenous settlement sites are restored wherever possible. Eliminating the effects of discrimination and raising the cultural level of a country’s population contributes to its overall development, followed by state capacity and potential increases⁸. An example of this growth is the development of the state through the attraction of migrant workers, whose number depends partly on their knowledge of the absence of racism at the point of arrival. The state increases its capacity on the world stage by having more labor resources. In terms of geography, the domestic context is virtually unchanged in such a situation, except for potential enlargement due to the quantitative growth of the population.

Conclusion

Australia’s domestic policies are similar to those in developed federated countries like the United States or Canada. In formulating the government’s primary focus on the needs and desires of citizens, there is an opportunity to achieve a high standard of living and people unity and approval. Nevertheless, to ensure that the goals are achieved, managers must take into account the specific characteristics of their state, namely geographic location, economic, human and natural resources, and climate. The importance of this assertion is likewise confirmed by the Australian government’s focus on leveraging its advantages with the ultimate goal of a prosperous state.

Bibliography

Galeeva, Diana. “Weak and Strong States in Pandemic Times.” The RUSI Journal 166, no. 2 (2021): 52-60.

Ganguly, Sumit, and William R. Thompson. Ascending India and Its State Capacity: Extraction, Violence, and Legitimacy. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2017.

Grygiel, Jakub J. Great Powers and Geopolitical Change. Baltimore, MD: JHU Press, 2006.

Harvey, Nick. “Geography in South Australia at the Beginning of the 21st Century.” South Australian Geographical Journal 114, no.1 (2018): 9-16.

Howlett, Michael, Ching Leong, and Sonam Sahu. “Managing Internal Policy Risk: Australia, the UK and the US Compared.” Policy Design and Practice 5, no.2 (2022): 152-163.

Kaplan, Robert D. “The Revenge of Geography.” Orbis 59, no. 4 (2015): 479-490.

Kesselman, Mark, Joel Krieger, and William A. Joseph. Introduction to Comparative Politics: Political Challenges and Changing Agendas. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2018.

Footnotes

1. Jakub Grygiel, Great Powers and Geopolitical Change (Baltimore, MD: JHU Press, 2006), 21
2. Grygiel, Great Powers and Geopolitical Change, 22
3. Nick Harvey, “Geography in South Australia at the Beginning of the 21st Century,” South Australian Geographical Journal 114, no.1 (2018): 10.
4. Michael Howlett, Ching Leong, and Sonam Sahu, “Managing Internal Policy Risk: Australia, the UK and the US Compared,” Policy Design and Practice 5, no.2 (2022): 155.
5. Sumit Ganguly and William Thompson, Ascending India and Its State Capacity: Extraction, Violence, and Legitimacy (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2017), 55.
6. Robert D. Kaplan, “The Revenge of Geography,” Orbis 59, no. 4 (2015): 483.
7. Diana Galeeva, “Weak and Strong States in Pandemic Times,” The RUSI Journal 166, no. 2 (2021): 52.
8. Mark Kesselman, Joel Krieger, and William A. Joseph. Introduction to Comparative Politics: Political Challenges and Changing Agendas (Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2018), 19.