Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Lawrence
Emeritus Professor

Geoffrey Lawrence

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Background

Geoff is a leading Australian sociologist with interests in rural and regional sociology, globalisation/localisation and agrifood research.

He attended James Ruse Agricultural High School in Sydney and was School Captain in 1968. He then completed a degree in agricultural economics at Sydney University in 1972. This was followed by a diploma in social science (UNE), Master of Science in Sociology (Wisconisn-Madison) and a PhD (Griffith). In 1992 he became Associate Professor of Sociology and Foundation Director, Centre for Rural Social Research, at Charles Sturt University before moving later that year to Central Queensland University as Foundation Professor of Sociology (1992-2002) and Executive Director, Institute for Sustainable Regional Development (1998-2002). He joined The University of Queensland as Professor of Sociology and Head of the School of Social Science in 2002. He is a Life Member of the Fitzroy Basin Association, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Life Member of the Australian Sociological Association, and was President of the International Rural Sociology Association (2012-2016). He became Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Queensland in 2014.

His full profile can be seen at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Lawrence_(sociologist)

Availability

Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Lawrence is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Sociology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, University of Sydney
  • Postgraduate Diploma, University of New England Australia
  • Masters (Coursework) of Science, University of Wisconsin
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Griffith University

Research interests

  • Agriculture, the Environment and the Politics of Sustainability

    The questions are: To what extent is 'greening' and green politics influencing the course of agricultural development and resulting in policies aimed at reducing ecological destruction? What is the nature of the debates and theorisations regarding productivism/post-productivism in the rural landscapes of advance economies? In a practical sense, how is it possible to ensure that current and future natural resource management will provide sustainable outcomes for society?

  • Globalisation, Localisation and Restructuring of Regional Australia

    This is a broad area whcih includes an examination of the social affects of economic change upon regions and highlights town decline, poverty, unemployment and ill-health - as well as the 'ingredients' for successful community development and the enhancement of social capital. Issues of empowerment and governance are crucial to the understanding of the future of the regions. The issue of global/local relations is also of significance - particularly as Australian governments seek to promote 'self help' and 'partnership' options.

  • Financialisation of Food and Farming

    Finance capital is playing an increasingly important role in food and farming industries. Entities like merchant banks, sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms and hedge funds are purchasing farmlands and agribusinesses in an effort to increase returns to shareholders. However, some of these activities are speculative and lead to food price distortions; others impact upon traditional owners when so-called 'land grabs' force producers from their farms. 'Financialisation' is seen as being as important as globalisation and neoliberalism in altering the face of food and farming.

Search Professor Geoffrey Lawrence’s works on UQ eSpace

532 works between 1980 and 2022
All (532) Journal Article (163) Book Chapter (110) Conference Publication (218) Book (28) Other Outputs (9) Edited Outputs (4)

21 - 40 of 532 works

2018

Book Chapter

The concept of 'financialization': criticisms and insights

Lawrence, Geoffrey and Smith, Kiah (2018). The concept of 'financialization': criticisms and insights. The financialization of agri-food systems: contested transformations. (pp. 23-41) edited by Hilde Bjørkhaug, André Magnan and Geoffrey Lawrence. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315157887-2

The concept of 'financialization': criticisms and insights

2018

Book Chapter

Introduction: the financialization of agri-food

Bjørkhaug, Hilde, Magnan, André and Lawrence, Geoffrey (2018). Introduction: the financialization of agri-food. The Financialization of Agri-Food Systems: Contested Transformations. (pp. 1-19) edited by Hilde Bjorkhaug, Andre Magnan and Geoffrey Lawrence. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315157887-1

Introduction: the financialization of agri-food

2018

Book

The financialization of agri-food systems: contested transformations

Hilde Bjorkhaug, Andre Magnan and Geoffrey Lawrence eds. (2018). The financialization of agri-food systems: contested transformations. Earthscan Food and Agriculture Series, Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315157887

The financialization of agri-food systems: contested transformations

2017

Journal Article

Re-evaluating food systems and food security: A global perspective

Lawrence, Geoffrey (2017). Re-evaluating food systems and food security: A global perspective. Journal of Sociology, 53 (4), 774-796. doi: 10.1177/1440783317743678

Re-evaluating food systems and food security: A global perspective

2017

Journal Article

Grounding the financialization of farmland: perspectives on financial actors as new land owners in rural Australia

Sippel, Sarah Ruth, Larder, Nicolette and Lawrence, Geoffrey (2017). Grounding the financialization of farmland: perspectives on financial actors as new land owners in rural Australia. Agriculture and Human Values, 34 (2), 251-265. doi: 10.1007/s10460-016-9707-2

Grounding the financialization of farmland: perspectives on financial actors as new land owners in rural Australia

2017

Conference Publication

Developing Australia's North: A Financialised Future for the Ord?

Lawrence, G. (2017). Developing Australia's North: A Financialised Future for the Ord?. XXIV Meeting of the Australasian Agri-food Research Network, Bandung, Indonesia, 2-5 December 2017.

Developing Australia's North: A Financialised Future for the Ord?

2017

Book Chapter

The financialization of farming: the Hancock Company of Canada and its embedding in rural Australia

Sippel, Sarah Ruth, Lawrence, Geoffrey and Burch, David (2017). The financialization of farming: the Hancock Company of Canada and its embedding in rural Australia. Transforming the rural: global processes and local futures. (pp. 3-23) edited by Terry Marsden, Mara Miele, Vaughan Higgins, Hilde Bjørkhaug and Monica Truninger. London, United Kingdom: Emerald Insight. doi: 10.1108/S1057-192220170000024001

The financialization of farming: the Hancock Company of Canada and its embedding in rural Australia

2016

Journal Article

The changing face of the Mary Valley: considering the fairness, sustainability and resilience of the agricultural system in a peri-urban setting

Singh-Peterson, Lila and Lawrence, Geoffrey (2016). The changing face of the Mary Valley: considering the fairness, sustainability and resilience of the agricultural system in a peri-urban setting. Local Environment, 22 (5), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/13549839.2016.1233953

The changing face of the Mary Valley: considering the fairness, sustainability and resilience of the agricultural system in a peri-urban setting

2016

Journal Article

Urban food systems may be just a 'side dish' at Habitat III

Muriuki, Grace and Lawrence, Geoffrey (2016, 09 09). Urban food systems may be just a 'side dish' at Habitat III

Urban food systems may be just a 'side dish' at Habitat III

2016

Journal Article

The resilience of long and short food chains: a case study of flooding in Queensland, Australia

Smith, Kiah, Lawrence, Geoffrey, MacMahon, Amy, Muller, Jane and Brady, Michelle (2016). The resilience of long and short food chains: a case study of flooding in Queensland, Australia. Agriculture and Human Values, 33 (1), 45-60. doi: 10.1007/s10460-015-9603-1

The resilience of long and short food chains: a case study of flooding in Queensland, Australia

2016

Conference Publication

Food Security Challenges for the 21st Century

Lawrence, G. (2016). Food Security Challenges for the 21st Century. Global Change Institute Seminar Series, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 2 June 2016.

Food Security Challenges for the 21st Century

2016

Conference Publication

The future of 'Financialisation': criticisms and conceptual insights

Lawrence, G. (2016). The future of 'Financialisation': criticisms and conceptual insights. XIV World Congress of Rural Sociology, Toronto, Canada, 10-14 August 2015.

The future of 'Financialisation': criticisms and conceptual insights

2016

Book Chapter

Food systems and land: connections and contradictions

Lawrence, Geoffrey (2016). Food systems and land: connections and contradictions. Routledge international handbook of rural studies. (pp. 183-191) edited by Mark Shucksmith and David L. Brown. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315753041-28

Food systems and land: connections and contradictions

2016

Conference Publication

Rethinking food systems and food security: a global perspective

Lawrence, Geoffrey (2016). Rethinking food systems and food security: a global perspective. International Symposium on Rethinking Food and Sustainability, Seoul, South Korea, 12 May 2016. Seoul, Korea: Institute of Food and Sustainability.

Rethinking food systems and food security: a global perspective

2016

Conference Publication

Recent Chinese Investment in Australia's Agri-food Industries

Lawrence, G., Sippel, S., Smith, K. and Raymond, S. (2016). Recent Chinese Investment in Australia's Agri-food Industries. XXII Meeting of the Australasian Agri-food Research Network, Adelaide, South Australia, 7-10 December 2015.

Recent Chinese Investment in Australia's Agri-food Industries

2015

Conference Publication

Neoliberalism, Financialisation and the Transformation of Agri-food Industries in Australia

Lawrence, G. (2015). Neoliberalism, Financialisation and the Transformation of Agri-food Industries in Australia. Annual Conference of The Australian Sociological Association, Cairns, QLD Australia, 23-26 November 2015.

Neoliberalism, Financialisation and the Transformation of Agri-food Industries in Australia

2015

Journal Article

Connecting resilience, food security and climate change: lessons from flooding in Queensland, Australia

MacMahon, Amy, Smith, Kiah and Lawrence, Geoffrey (2015). Connecting resilience, food security and climate change: lessons from flooding in Queensland, Australia. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 5 (3), 378-391. doi: 10.1007/s13412-015-0278-0

Connecting resilience, food security and climate change: lessons from flooding in Queensland, Australia

2015

Journal Article

Defending financialization

Lawrence, Geoffrey (2015). Defending financialization. Dialogues in Human Geography, 5 (2), 201-205. doi: 10.1177/2043820615588155

Defending financialization

2015

Journal Article

Finance capital, food security narratives and Australian agricultural land

Larder, Nicolette, Sippel, Sarah Ruth and Lawrence, Geoffrey (2015). Finance capital, food security narratives and Australian agricultural land. Journal of Agrarian Change, 15 (4), 592-603. doi: 10.1111/joac.12108

Finance capital, food security narratives and Australian agricultural land

2015

Book Chapter

The financialisation of food and farming

Lawrence, Geoffrey, Sippel, Sarah Ruth and Burch, David (2015). The financialisation of food and farming. Handbook on the globalization of agriculture. (pp. 309-327) edited by Guy Robinson and Doris Carson. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar. doi: 10.4337/9780857939838

The financialisation of food and farming

Past funding

  • 2016 - 2021
    Food, Farming and Financialisation: Agri-food Transformations in Australia
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    Frogs, fuel, finance or food? Cultures, values, ethics, arguments and justifications in the management of agricultural land (FORFOOD)
    Centre for Rural Research
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Governing Food Security in Australia in an Era of Climate Change: A Sociological Analysis
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2015
    The New Farm Owners: Finance Companies and the Restructuring of Australian and Global Agriculture
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Local government, mining companies and resources development in regional Australia: meeting the governance challenge
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Globally Engaged? Responses to Neoliberal Globalisation among Family Farmers in Australia
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008
    Review of the Community Futures Task Force (Stage 1)
    Community Futures Task Force Unit
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2011
    From Seedling to Supermarket: The Social and Environmental Implications for Australia of the Restructuring of Agri-food Supply Chains
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005 - 2009
    ARC Research Network in Spatially Integrated Social Science
    ARC Research Networks
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2006
    Organics, environment and sustainability
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2006
    Agri-food Applications of Genetically-Modified Organisms: Public Perceptions Risk and Sustainability
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2003 - 2006
    Building sustainable social capital in new communities.
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2003 - 2006
    Engaged government: a study of government-community engagement for regional outcomes
    Griffith University
    Open grant
  • 2003
    The social construct of safe foods: Uncertainty, risk and trust in agri-food applications of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
    University of Queensland Research Development Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2003
    An Analysis of the Patterns of Consumption, Community Impacts and Returns on Investment of Rural Popular Cultural Activities
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2006
    Governance, institutional capacity and regional planning: A Central Queensland case study.
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2005
    Farmer adoption of sustainable land management practices in the Fitzroy Basin, Central Queensland.
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2001 - 2002
    The Sustainability of Australian Rural Communities
    Academy of Social Sciences
    Open grant

Availability

Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Lawrence is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

  • Students can be involved in work on ARC and other projects exploring:

    Structural change in agriculture; changes power relations along agri-food chains; the financialisation of food and farming.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Climate Change in Rural Fiji: Reproduction, Erosion and Limitations of Social Resilience in Intercultural Domains

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Richard Martin, Dr Kim de Rijke

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Lawrence directly for media enquiries about:

  • Agriculture - sociology
  • Financialisation
  • Food security
  • Globalisation
  • Neoliberalism
  • Rural Australia

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