Assoc. Prof. Sharon Bessell

Director of Research, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australia National University

Sharon Bessell is Director of Research at the Crawford School of Public Policy and Associate Professor in the Policy and Governance program. She is also director of the Children’s Policy Centre, a research unit based at the Crawford School of Public Policy. Sharon’s research interests revolve around issues of social justice and human rights, and focus on two broad areas. The first is social policy, social justice and the human rights of children, particularly children’s participation and citizenship, quality education, child labour, child protection, and support for children without parental care. Important aspects of her research are child inclusive policy and the ways in which policies respond to the issues children identify as priorities. The second area of Sharon’s work is the gendered and generational dimensions of poverty. Sharon has a keen interest in research methodology, and has published widely on undertaking research with children. Sharon has undertaken research across a number of geographic regions, including Australia, Southeast Asia (particularly Indonesia and the Philippines), the Pacific (particularly Fiji) and Southern Africa. She has worked with government, non-government and international agencies in Australia, Asia and the Pacific.