Bold Experiment: an historical evaluation of the Australian Assistance Plan

澳大利亚和类似的西方民主国家继续与越来越多的公民脱离政治进程和积极参与社会的水平下降作斗争。该项目预计将提供对澳大利亚援助计划（AAP）的第一次历史性审查，这是一个自20世纪70年代以来被遗忘的创新计划。《年度行动计划》试图重新构建地方一级的参与框架，激励志愿组织，并提供一个与各级政府接触的框架。该项目利用档案资料和口述历史方法，试图对澳大利亚历史上的一项重要举措提供新的解释，并展示历史分析如何为政策提供信息，并在未来塑造政府和非营利部门的辩论。

Australia and similar western democracies continue to wrestle with growing citizen disengagement with political processes and declining levels of active participation in society. This project is expected to provide the first historical examination of the Australian Assistance Plan (AAP), an innovative yet forgotten program from the 1970s. The AAP sought to reframe participation at a local level, stimulate voluntary organisations and provide a framework that engaged with all levels of governments. Using archival sources and oral history methods, the project seeks to offer a new interpretation of an important initiative in Australian history and demonstrate how historical analysis can inform policy and shape debates in government and non-profit sectors in the future.