This course examines the issue at the heart of regulation: who obeys the rules, who breaks them, why and with what impact? Students will be given the empirical and conceptual tools necessary to explore and analyse difficult questions such as: How does regulating for compliance ensure sustainability, health, safety and justice? What does empirical research tell us about how to design for compliance? What are the consequences of non-compliance -- or defiance -- for different demographics and actors, and why? How can effective resistance create desirable change? Drawing from political theory, sociology, criminology and social psychology, students will be introduced to a range of lenses and frameworks to understand individual and collective obedience and disobedience. Through current and historical case studies, including domains such as environment, tax systems, pandemics, social movement and social justice, students will learn how to apply these frameworks and approach compliance issues from a regulatory perspective. Students will have the option to choose and research in depth a domain or compliance issue of their own choice.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand concepts related to compliance and defiance, with the ability to critically analyse them in a range of regulatory contexts
- Identify and evaluate designed systems of compliance and analyse their intended and unintended consequences
- Critically analyse governance and regulatory responses to defiance and resistance to different social groups and actors
- Conduct independent analysis that demonstrates scholarly engagement with the subject matter, developing ideas and analysis that are applicable across a range of policy domains
Indicative Assessment
- Active participation in class (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Oral presentation focussed on a contemporary or historical compliance case study (recorded) (25) [LO 3,4]
- Written report (as research essay or academic blog post or policy paper)(max 3000 words) (65) [LO 1,2,3,4]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Approximately 60 hours comprising seminars as well as associated preparation, independent study, and assessment time.
Actual time required may vary with individual students.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Prescribed Texts
n/a
Preliminary Reading
Braithwaite, Valerie A. Defiance in taxation and governance: Resisting and dismissing authority in a democracy. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009.
Parker, Christine, and Vibeke Lehmann Nielsen. "Compliance: 14 questions." In Drahos, Peter. Regulatory theory: Foundations and applications. ANU Press, 2017: 217-232.
Tyler, Tom R., and Heather J. Smith. "Social justice and social movements." (1995).
Ford, Cristie L. 2008. New Governance, Compliance, and Principles-Based Securities Regulation. American Business Law Journal 45(1): 1-60.
Hutter, Bridget. 1997. Compliance: Regulation and Environment. Oxford UP.
May, Peter. 2005. Regulation and Compliance Motivations: Examining Different Approaches. Public Administration Review 65(1): 31-44.
Murphy, Kristina. 2016. Turning Defiance into Compliance with Procedural Justice: Understanding Reactions to Regulatory Encounters through Motivational Posturing. Regulation & Governance 10(1): 93-109.
Pearce, Frank, and Steve Tombs. 1990. Ideology, Hegemony, and Empiricism: Compliance Theories of Regulation. British Journal of Criminology 30(4): 423-443.
Short, Jodi L. "The politics of regulatory enforcement and compliance: Theorizing and operationalizing political influences." Regulation & Governance (2019).
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 3 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 3.00 | 0.06250 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $2160 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $3180 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Winter Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On Campus | ||||||
| 6364 | 01 Jul 2025 | 18 Jul 2025 | 18 Jul 2025 | 30 Sep 2025 | In Person | N/A |
| Online | ||||||
| 6411 | 01 Jul 2025 | 18 Jul 2025 | 18 Jul 2025 | 30 Sep 2025 | Online | N/A |