{"links":{"self":"http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/API/grants/DE260100770"},"data":{"type":"grant-details","id":"DE260100770","attributes":{"code":"DE260100770","administering-organisation":"The University of Melbourne","announcement-administering-organisation":"The University of Melbourne","scheme-name":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","grant-status":"Active","funding-commencement-year":2026,"years-funded":3,"project-start-date":"2026-01-01","anticipated-end-date":"2028-12-31","grant-summary":"Words of warning: How illiberal public discourse signals democratic decline. This project aims to investigate the relationship between illiberal public discourse and democratic decline by analysing large amounts of political speeches from Australia and twenty other democracies. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of political communication and regime change using an innovative combination of quantitative methods and specifically fine-tuned Large Language Models. Expected outcomes of this project include the development of an early-warning system for democratic decline. This should provide significant benefits to the academic community and policymakers in Australia and internationally by offering new insights into the relationship between shifting public discourses and the health of democracy.","funding-current":477652.00,"funding-at-announcement":473884,"investigators-current":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Seraphine","familyName":"Maerz","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0002-7173-9617 "}],"investigators-at-announcement":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Seraphine","familyName":"Maerz","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0002-7173-9617 "}],"organisations-current":[{"organisationName":"The University of Melbourne","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"VIC"}],"organisations-at-announcement":[{"organisationName":"The University of Melbourne","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"VIC"}],"field-of-research":[{"isPrimary":true,"code":"4408","name":"Political Science","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"440801","name":"Australian Government and Politics","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"440803","name":"Comparative Government and Politics","type":"FOR20"}],"socio-economic-objective":[{"code":"230202","name":"Electoral Systems","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"230203","name":"Political Systems","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"230299","name":"Government and Politics Not Elsewhere Classified","type":"SEO20"}],"international-collaboration":["Germany","United States of America"],"lief-register":[],"achievement-summary":null,"national-interest-test-statement":"Democratic decline and political instability are urgent challenges for Australia and other democracies around the world. Democratic backsliding - when governments undermine democracy from within - threatens governance, social cohesion, and stability. Understanding the early signs of this can help safeguard democratic institutions and language may be the key. This project will use customized Large Language Models to analyse vast amounts of political speeches. By systematically analysing shifts in public discourse, alongside other indicators of democratic decline, it will create new knowledge about the role of political communication in shaping democratic resilience. The project’s findings will have significant policy implications, equipping Australian policymakers, civil society, and government institutions such as the Australia Institute or the Department of Home Affairs (Strengthening Democracy Taskforce) with a user-friendly early-warning tool to detect and counteract emerging threats to democracy. This will enhance Australia’s capacity to develop evidence-based policies aimed at halting democratic erosion, strengthening institutional safeguards, and promoting transparency in governance. By fostering international collaborations and contributing to scholarly debates worldwide, this research will boost Australia’s influence in promoting democratic norms, strengthening diplomatic efforts, and reinforcing the country’s commitment to democratic values on the global stage."}}}