Rachael Diprose

Professor Rachael Diprose is a Professor of Development Studies in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She holds the position of Associate Dean for Partnerships in the Faculty of Arts and serves as Professor in Indonesian Studies. Diprose earned her DPhil from the University of Oxford. Her research specializations encompass inequalities, inclusion, gender and development; peacebuilding and conflict transformation; multi-level governance and political settlements; and the political economy of rapid social and economic change. Much of her work focuses on Indonesia and Southeast Asia, with additional research in West Africa. She has extensive experience publishing for both academic and applied audiences, addressing themes such as resource contestation, bureaucratic reform, women's collective action, and sustainable commodity governance.

Diprose's career includes leadership roles such as Deputy Associate Dean – International and Director-International for the School of Social and Political Sciences. Her key publications demonstrate significant influence in the field. Notable works include the book 'Contesting Development: Participatory Projects and Local Conflict Dynamics in Indonesia' (Yale University Press, 2011); 'Two Decades of Reformasi in Indonesia: Its Illiberal Turn' (Journal of Contemporary Asia, 2019); 'Reordering the Extractive Political Settlement: Resource Nationalism, Domestic Ownership and Transnational Bargains in Indonesia' (The Extractive Industries and Society, 2020); 'Conflict Management in Indonesia's Post-Authoritarian Democracy: Resource Contestation, Power Dynamics and Brokerage' (Conflict, Security & Development, 2020); 'Brokerage, Power and Gender Equity: How Empowerment-Focused Civil Society Organisations Bolster Women's Influence in Rural Indonesia' (Journal of International Development, 2023); and 'Decentralization, Horizontal Inequalities and Conflict Management in Indonesia' (Ethnopolitics, 2009). These contributions explore how decentralization and participatory initiatives affect local conflicts, gender equity, and development outcomes. Her scholarship has over 1,400 citations and informs policy through collaborations on projects like women's collective action under Indonesia's Village Law and jurisdictional sustainable palm oil governance.

Professional Email: rachael.diprose@unimelb.edu.au