The great divergence, long-run growth and unified theories of economic growth. This project investigates why income has been close to subsistence levels for most of human history, and in particular, the factors that were responsible for take-off in Europe two centuries ago and then later in other countries. It is expected that both major and minor technological innovations have played a critical role in take-off.
Growth, IQ, diseases, and the great demographic transition. This project investigates firstly whether poor health and malnutrition among young children was a cause of severe cognitive impairment in the pre-industrialised West and in developing countries today, and secondly whether this has been a major factor behind the large disparities in income and growth over the 150 years since industrialisation.
Inequality and economic growth. This project aims to identify forces driving inequality. Piketty’s influential book, Capital in the 21st Century, stimulated research on inequality to address the increased public concern about inequality and its side-effects such as reduced growth. Piketty proposes three laws that explain and predict inequality paths over time, but there is no empirical evidence or theoretical foundations for these laws. This project will examine Piketty’s laws and investigate fa ....Inequality and economic growth. This project aims to identify forces driving inequality. Piketty’s influential book, Capital in the 21st Century, stimulated research on inequality to address the increased public concern about inequality and its side-effects such as reduced growth. Piketty proposes three laws that explain and predict inequality paths over time, but there is no empirical evidence or theoretical foundations for these laws. This project will examine Piketty’s laws and investigate factors that shape inequality and its relation to growth. This knowledge should enable Australian governments to reduce inequality and benefit economic growth, thereby reducing disadvantage and building stronger, more resilient communities.Read moreRead less
Supporting pacific development. The research looks at the extent to which twenty-two of the world's richest countries support development in the Pacific Islands region through their efforts with respect to aid, trade, migration, private investment, security, technology and environmental sustainability. It will develop an index that will rank these countries on the basis of these efforts.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101106
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Economic rise and decline - as seen from space. This research evaluates the accuracy of night-light based measures of local economic change. Satellite images of night-light cover the entire inhabited regions of the world, thus establishing whether these data can be used to supplement traditional measures of economic activity in countries with weak statistical systems would be a global public good.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100809
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$326,000.00
Summary
The economic cost of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:a historical analysis. This project aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the long-run economic impact of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Combining the tools of historical research and empirical economic analysis, it aims to investigate four specific economic aspects of the conflict: the origin and implications of the economic separation between Arabs and Jews; the conflict's costs and the related spillover effects to the Middle East; th ....The economic cost of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:a historical analysis. This project aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the long-run economic impact of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Combining the tools of historical research and empirical economic analysis, it aims to investigate four specific economic aspects of the conflict: the origin and implications of the economic separation between Arabs and Jews; the conflict's costs and the related spillover effects to the Middle East; the evolution of the Israeli-Palestinian labour market; and, the study of trade relations between Israel, Palestine and the Middle East. The analysis will provide new insights to improve the prospects for viable economic growth and development in the region through trade policy and increased labour market integration.Read moreRead less
The Macroeconomic Effects of Global Uncertainty. This project aims to estimate the first global uncertainty index to enable Australian policymakers to design policies to efficiently manage global uncertainty shocks and limit the recessionary effects of such shocks. Uncertainty is a crucial driver of household and business consumption and investment decisions and, therefore, countries' business cycles. A global uncertainty index would aim to identify the role of global uncertainty as a driver of ....The Macroeconomic Effects of Global Uncertainty. This project aims to estimate the first global uncertainty index to enable Australian policymakers to design policies to efficiently manage global uncertainty shocks and limit the recessionary effects of such shocks. Uncertainty is a crucial driver of household and business consumption and investment decisions and, therefore, countries' business cycles. A global uncertainty index would aim to identify the role of global uncertainty as a driver of Australia's business cycle fluctuations, to understand if this role has become more relevant in recent historical periods due to globalisation, and to understand if the effects of fluctuations in global uncertainty have been more severe in economic recessions. The intended outcome of the project is to provide policy-makers with key inputs to design policies able to limit the severity of recessions and lift Australia's growth.Read moreRead less
Government, Institutions and Economic Activity: A Long Term Analysis. Using national and regional data for 30 to 50 countries over multiple centuries, this project will examine the effects of itemised government expenditure and revenue on productivity, investment, saving, labour force participation and research and development. The results are expected to shed light on the macroeconomic effects of different revenue and spending categories (education, transfers, and so on). In addition, the proje ....Government, Institutions and Economic Activity: A Long Term Analysis. Using national and regional data for 30 to 50 countries over multiple centuries, this project will examine the effects of itemised government expenditure and revenue on productivity, investment, saving, labour force participation and research and development. The results are expected to shed light on the macroeconomic effects of different revenue and spending categories (education, transfers, and so on). In addition, the project aims to determine which factors have been responsible for the increase of government size over the past two centuries. The results aim to further reveal which government revenue and expenditure items are most conducive to economic welfare and growth.Read moreRead less
Skills, productivity, and wages: Theory and evidence . This project aims to build a macroeconomic model to help understand the implications of heterogeneity in workers skills for wages and productivity.
The research significance of this project is in its treatment of worker skills as an indivisible bundle. This bundling of skills gives rise to the possibility that a given skill is priced differently in different occupations which in turn has implications for firms' incentives to invest in tech ....Skills, productivity, and wages: Theory and evidence . This project aims to build a macroeconomic model to help understand the implications of heterogeneity in workers skills for wages and productivity.
The research significance of this project is in its treatment of worker skills as an indivisible bundle. This bundling of skills gives rise to the possibility that a given skill is priced differently in different occupations which in turn has implications for firms' incentives to invest in technology and training and workers' incentives to invest in education.
This project uses state of the art economic theory and empirical methods and expects to provide a new and better understanding of the sources of wage growth that helps guide national policy formation in innovation and training.
Read moreRead less
Structural Adjustment, Income Risk, and Human Capital Specificity. This project will build a macroeconomic model to attempt to understand how an economy should manage structural adjustment to economic shocks (such as a substantial change in trade policy, significant exchange rate appreciation, or major technological change) in order to induce the reallocation of labour and other factors of production across different sectors of the economy. Two key features of the model will be human capital spe ....Structural Adjustment, Income Risk, and Human Capital Specificity. This project will build a macroeconomic model to attempt to understand how an economy should manage structural adjustment to economic shocks (such as a substantial change in trade policy, significant exchange rate appreciation, or major technological change) in order to induce the reallocation of labour and other factors of production across different sectors of the economy. Two key features of the model will be human capital specificity, that is, skills may not be easily transferrable across sectors of the economy, and incomplete markets for income risk so that the burdens of adjustment may be concentrated on displaced workers rather than being efficiently shared. Various policies for managing adjustment will be evaluated quantitatively.Read moreRead less