Embedding Impact Pathway Thinking Into The Identification And Prioritisation Of RD&E Needs And Investments For FRDC
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$80,000.00
Summary
In order to support a greater degree of systems thinking in its advisory committees, it is proposed to expose all committee members to the potential approaches to priority setting through a systems lens and benefits of these approaches, and then work with a subset of Research Advisory Committees [and possibly others] to test how bringing tools such as theory of change into their deliberations could assist them to deliver better designed priorities. Working specifically towards theories of chang ....In order to support a greater degree of systems thinking in its advisory committees, it is proposed to expose all committee members to the potential approaches to priority setting through a systems lens and benefits of these approaches, and then work with a subset of Research Advisory Committees [and possibly others] to test how bringing tools such as theory of change into their deliberations could assist them to deliver better designed priorities. Working specifically towards theories of change in the committee processes, at appropriate levels of complexity, is expected to provide (i) a context to making approaches of different committee members more explicit, (ii) a basis for better design logic, and (iii) a way of more readily communicating the committee's priorities. The focus of this approach on identifying and working back from ultimate objectives helps frame what may legitimately be narrow priorities in a wider analysis of system drivers such as incoherent policy environments or climate change and thus enable larger agendas to be built around such issues across FRDC. An explicit emphasis on barriers, enablers and assumptions, as well as what is necessary and sufficient to achieve the objectives, also provides a strong basis for evaluating progress and learning. Together these attributes are anticipated to achieve the intent of supporting better FRDC priority setting and increased impact for its stakeholders. Objectives: 1. Build the knowledge, attitude, skill, aspiration and practice (kasap) among the FRDC’s advisory committees and staff, with particular focus on Extension Officers, to embed impact pathway thinking into the identification and prioritisation of RD&E needs and investments. Read moreRead less
Voluntary Behaviour Change In Recreational Fisheries To Support Sustainability And Amenity
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$193,128.00
Summary
This project responds to an FRDC identified opportunity to review and build on previous experiences aimed towards encouraging recreational fishers to voluntarily diversify their target species.
This project targets three outcomes in the FRDC R&D Plan 2020-25: -Outcome 1. Growth for enduring prosperity -Outcome 2. Best practices and production systems -Outcome 4. Fair and secure access to aquatic resources
Our project consists of two phases, each addressing a di ....This project responds to an FRDC identified opportunity to review and build on previous experiences aimed towards encouraging recreational fishers to voluntarily diversify their target species.
This project targets three outcomes in the FRDC R&D Plan 2020-25: -Outcome 1. Growth for enduring prosperity -Outcome 2. Best practices and production systems -Outcome 4. Fair and secure access to aquatic resources
Our project consists of two phases, each addressing a discrete need identified through conversations with stakeholders.
Phase 1 – Developing a knowledge base and roadmap: A robust knowledge base, including data on the the magnitude of behaviour changes achieved by previous initiatives, is required to support the use of voluntary behaviour change interventions for diversifying target species as alternatives to direct regulations. Phase 1 will consist of a backwards looking scan of past-experience to construct this knowledge base from case studies that have implemented an initiative to promote voluntary diversification of recreational target species. This will include a global literature scan, and interviews with stakeholders and managers in Australia to document case studies, identify their successes or failures and compile data on the magnitude of behaviour change achieved. The knowledge base will then be used to identify key knowledge gaps and develop a roadmap of research and information needed to support voluntary behaviour change strategies aimed at diversifying target species as genuine alternatives to direct regulations.
Phase 2 – Improving effectiveness: Effective behavioural change interventions require careful targeting to ensure they are appropriate and acceptable within a specific context. Phase 2 will look forward with a focus on the future implementation of voluntary approaches that can confidently be applied to promote the voluntary diversification of target species for recreational fishers. This will include a forward-looking test of approaches identified through Phase 1 through interviews, focus groups and a survey of recreational fishers to delve deeply into which approaches are acceptable, where they are acceptable and which approaches are most likely to influence change. The outputs of Phase 2 will include clear advice on which strategies are likely to work in different situations relevant to Australian recreational fisheries.
A project evaluation will take place at the end of phase 1 to evaluate the feasibility of the remaining components, and guide case study selection and strategy for phase 2. This will be based on the interim short report based on phase 1 submitted to the FRDC in the milestone schedule below, as well as progress report 1.
To facilitate co-design and research impact, the research team have engaged with the Australian Fisheries Management Forum (AFMF), the AFSB Fisheries Management Committee (on advice from the AFMF), and the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF). Input from recreational fishing stakeholders into the project will be facilitated through an ARFF advisory panel, with representatives from different jurisdictions across Australia. The advisory panel plan to meet with the research team on 5 occasions across the project (front loaded to facilitate co-design). The model for input from fisheries managers is an on-going discussion but will likely take a similar advisory panel across jurisdictions.
Project risks: The project relies heavily on the inputs of recreational fishing stakeholders and managers, with potential risks around a lack of availability to participate as well as lack of interest. To manage this risk the project team will work closely with the ARFF advisory group to identify and manage relationships with participants. A secondary project risk is the potential for sharing and disclosure of sensitive information from interviews and focus groups. To manage this risk, the research protocol will be subject to a human ethics review against the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. Through this process, issues of anonymity, data management and retention and data sharing will be addressed in-line with national standards and carried throughout the project. Objectives: 1. To develop a global knowledge base of behaviour change strategies that have been used to promote diversification of recreational target species. 2. To identify the magnitude of behaviour change achieved by different strategies. 3. To identify key knowledge gaps forming a road map for supporting voluntary behaviour change strategies aimed at diversifying target species as genuine alternatives to direct regulations. 4. To identify success factors that may have driven success or failure of past behavioural change strategies. 5. To develop a shortlist of strategies that experiences suggest will be effective in an Australian context. 6. To test the shortlist of potential behaviour change strategies from Phase 1 in terms of their acceptability, likelihood to influence change to deepen understanding of success factors (e.g., motivators, species, and/or incentives) within the Australian context. 7. To package key insights, lessons and recommendations for behaviour change initiatives to diversify fish species for recreational fishers. 8. To ensure this knowledge is easily accessed and practical, and framed so as to speak to the values and drivers of recreational fishers. 9. To maximise the reach and amplification of this knowledge through building the capability of fisheries managers. Read moreRead less
Econometric studies of the dynamics of loneliness and social isolation. This project aims to provide new insights into the socioeconomic dynamics of loneliness and social isolation using advanced econometric modelling techniques applied to longitudinal data from Australia and the UK. This project will apply advanced econometric modelling techniques to data from four nationally-representative longitudinal surveys to substantively help address these knowledge gaps, giving policy-makers new informa ....Econometric studies of the dynamics of loneliness and social isolation. This project aims to provide new insights into the socioeconomic dynamics of loneliness and social isolation using advanced econometric modelling techniques applied to longitudinal data from Australia and the UK. This project will apply advanced econometric modelling techniques to data from four nationally-representative longitudinal surveys to substantively help address these knowledge gaps, giving policy-makers new information about how to address these growing societal concerns. The expected outcomes will provide policy-makers with a better understanding of the socioeconomic triggers for loneliness and social isolation; quantify the costs of loneliness and social isolation on health and wellbeing; and identify policy interventions aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100887
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Economic analysis of time constraints on decision-making in health. This project aims to determine whether and how time constraints affect decision-making. Time constraints can impair the quality of decisions in health, resulting in serious medical and financial consequences. This project will employ experimental economic methods to examine how misaligned preferences and incentives influence decision-making under time constraints. The project will offer scientific evidence and accurate measureme ....Economic analysis of time constraints on decision-making in health. This project aims to determine whether and how time constraints affect decision-making. Time constraints can impair the quality of decisions in health, resulting in serious medical and financial consequences. This project will employ experimental economic methods to examine how misaligned preferences and incentives influence decision-making under time constraints. The project will offer scientific evidence and accurate measurements, provide insights into interventions to align the preferences of doctors and patients, and to lower the overtreatment of patients in the health-care market. The project expects to benefit society and contribute to a more efficient healthcare system.Read moreRead less
Older workers & psychological contracts: A dynamic perspective. This project aims to track the trajectories of older workers’ psychological contracts that shape their give-and-take with the organisation. Little is understood about how these psychological contracts change as older workers continue to pursue work through their fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth decades of life. This project tracks older workers over intensive, repeated in-depth interviews and a large-scale longitudinal panel study. ....Older workers & psychological contracts: A dynamic perspective. This project aims to track the trajectories of older workers’ psychological contracts that shape their give-and-take with the organisation. Little is understood about how these psychological contracts change as older workers continue to pursue work through their fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth decades of life. This project tracks older workers over intensive, repeated in-depth interviews and a large-scale longitudinal panel study. The outcomes fill significant gaps in our understanding of older workers’ needs and orientation toward work, and identify the age-related changes and organisational practices that spur older workers to sustain a strong trajectory of productive participation in the workforce.Read moreRead less
Neuroeconomic foundations of probability and value perception. This project aims to investigate well-known behavioural “biases” in probability and value perception through the lens of neurobiology. This project will generate new knowledge on how the value of rewards, and the likelihood of receiving them, are incorporated in the decision-making process. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this project will be of interest to researchers from several domains of social science, which focus on how a ....Neuroeconomic foundations of probability and value perception. This project aims to investigate well-known behavioural “biases” in probability and value perception through the lens of neurobiology. This project will generate new knowledge on how the value of rewards, and the likelihood of receiving them, are incorporated in the decision-making process. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this project will be of interest to researchers from several domains of social science, which focus on how and why people make their decisions and how we could improve people’s wellbeing by improving their choices. The findings will provide insights into effective, behaviour-related policy design that aims to improve peoples’ well-being.Read moreRead less
In it to win it: an interdisciplinary investigation of sports betting. This project aims to better understand how young adults use, communicate about and experience mobile phone sports betting applications. Gambling generates significant health and social harms in Australia. Yet there is little research on the use of betting apps, even though sports betting is the fastest growing segment of the gambling market. This project intends to examine how use of sports betting apps is becoming establishe ....In it to win it: an interdisciplinary investigation of sports betting. This project aims to better understand how young adults use, communicate about and experience mobile phone sports betting applications. Gambling generates significant health and social harms in Australia. Yet there is little research on the use of betting apps, even though sports betting is the fastest growing segment of the gambling market. This project intends to examine how use of sports betting apps is becoming established as everyday social practice normalising problem gambling. The findings will enhance understanding of the social contexts of sports betting, and inform gambling policy and programs leading to better health and social outcomes.Read moreRead less
Normalising Voluntary Catch Reporting On QLD Fishing 2.0 App
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$400,830.00
Summary
There is a need for accurate and timely recreational fishing catch data to support inputs to stock assessment and reduce uncertainty and increase trust in management advice for many Queensland fish stocks. Population based phone logbook surveys have been traditionally used to estimate recreational catch, but they are becoming increasingly costly and impractical. Cost-effective alternatives capable of engaging recreational fishers are needed. Voluntary self-reporting of catches by recreat ....There is a need for accurate and timely recreational fishing catch data to support inputs to stock assessment and reduce uncertainty and increase trust in management advice for many Queensland fish stocks. Population based phone logbook surveys have been traditionally used to estimate recreational catch, but they are becoming increasingly costly and impractical. Cost-effective alternatives capable of engaging recreational fishers are needed. Voluntary self-reporting of catches by recreational fishers – e.g. via a smart phone-based application (app) – is one key alternative method that can reduce costs and potentially increase the accuracy, and hence stakeholder acceptance of recreational catch estimates that inform stock assessments. However, despite the number of smart phone apps targeting recreational fishers growing in abundance, this approach has its own inherent challenges, which have been well-documented. Further, there has been a lack of rigorous social science initiatives with the goal of understanding the underlying dynamics of mobile app usage in this context, and existing behaviour change programs fostering app usage by recreational fishers are rarely formally documented or evaluated. Having recreational fishers willing and supportive towards providing their fishing data through Fisheries Queensland’s phone app will improve the accuracy of estimates and the acceptance of the results. Encouragement of this support and willingness to voluntarily report is needed. Getting fishers to generate large volumes of quality data in a government owned app is the key challenge. Developing and implementing a behaviour change campaign involving a range of behavioural science informed interventions that promote facilitating factors while overcoming barriers deterring people from self-reporting (e.g. mistrust in the use of the data) and promoting factors that foster self-reporting (e.g., contributing to citizen science, protecting fish species for subsequent generations while not engaging in strategic bias) can be used to meet the need for effective and widespread self-reporting. One of the high-priority species is Australian east coast Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson). A 2020 stock assessment measured the biomass of the species at ~17% of 1910 levels. During public consultation on proposed management changes, most survey respondents across all sectors expressed a desire for better recreational catch data for Spanish mackerel. These findings suggest options to improve recreational catch reporting should accompany any proposed management action to rebuild the east coast Spanish mackerel stock. Most survey respondents preferred a voluntary reporting arrangement for recreationally caught Spanish mackerel over mandatory reporting. Most respondents also preferred the use of a smartphone app for any recreational catch reporting of Spanish mackerel. Improved monitoring and research is a foundational reform of the Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Strategy (SFS) 2017–2027 that includes several actions relating to improved data collection, additional monitoring of key biological stocks and the use of novel technologies such as apps.
Our revised application has been streamlined into three phases with an investment of $400,830 (excl. GST) in line with the budgetary guidance. This covers the research, design, delivery and evaluation of a pilot behaviour change program covering one fish species at two sites along the Queensland coast. A review of challenges and adjustments will follow each phase, as required.
Objectives: 1. To confirm the drivers and barriers affecting Queensland recreational fishers’ willingness to voluntarily provide high-quality catch information via a smart phone-based app 2. To co-design interventions and strategies which target facilitators and barriers to enhance the quality and quantity of data provided 3. To identify cost-effective strategies and activities to increase self-reporting of recreational fishing catches Read moreRead less
Rank-dependent choice equilibrium. This project aims to develop and test a new statistical theory of games, Rank-Dependent Choice Equilibrium (RDCE), which has the potential to unify and improve on existing approaches where the extreme reliance on perfect decision making and perfect foresight has raised doubts about their empirical relevance. The project intends to develop the theoretical foundations of RDCE, explore its relation with various parametric approaches, and evaluate RDCE via meta stu ....Rank-dependent choice equilibrium. This project aims to develop and test a new statistical theory of games, Rank-Dependent Choice Equilibrium (RDCE), which has the potential to unify and improve on existing approaches where the extreme reliance on perfect decision making and perfect foresight has raised doubts about their empirical relevance. The project intends to develop the theoretical foundations of RDCE, explore its relation with various parametric approaches, and evaluate RDCE via meta studies and stress tests. Expected outcomes of RDCE include a paradigm shift in game theory, resulting in broader acceptance and adoption of statistical game theory and to more robust policy recommendations.Read moreRead less