Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerabili ....Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerability, dependency and the like. This project aims to better understand and address the tensions between the protection of children and their participation in research, and to explore how ethics committees, parents, other gatekeepers and children themselves manage and navigate these tensions.Read moreRead less
Developing the capacity to model the impact of interventions that target high-risk drinking among young Australians. Alcohol use is a major contributing factor to social and health problems among young Australians. The project will inform the development of effective policy by providing multidisciplinary research evidence and the capacity to model how various interventions impact on the prevalence of alcohol-related problems.
Ethnographies of housing: exploring the role of housing officers in public housing service provision. This research examines the everyday practice of public housing officers working in the Victorian Office of Housing. It aims to analyse the ways that workers exercise discretion, and the patterns of meanings that they construct, through their interactions with clients, departmental managers and other human service providers. It is the first ethnographic study of front-line work in housing servi ....Ethnographies of housing: exploring the role of housing officers in public housing service provision. This research examines the everyday practice of public housing officers working in the Victorian Office of Housing. It aims to analyse the ways that workers exercise discretion, and the patterns of meanings that they construct, through their interactions with clients, departmental managers and other human service providers. It is the first ethnographic study of front-line work in housing services in Australia and builds on comparable work done in the United Kingdom and America. The knowledge generated will inform innovation in public housing services, housing policy debates and emerging programs designed to integrate housing with other human services.Read moreRead less
Strategic assessment of research performance indicators. The use of quantitative measures of research performance in higher education sends powerful messages to those being evaluated, because the choice of measures signals what is considered most important. However, little critical assessment has been undertaken on the use of performance indicators or their impact on research practice. This project will create a knowledge base on performance measures - their validity, fairness, transparency and ....Strategic assessment of research performance indicators. The use of quantitative measures of research performance in higher education sends powerful messages to those being evaluated, because the choice of measures signals what is considered most important. However, little critical assessment has been undertaken on the use of performance indicators or their impact on research practice. This project will create a knowledge base on performance measures - their validity, fairness, transparency and impact on research, and the cost of implementation. By assessing an extensive range of measures, it will provide Australian science management and science policy makers with rigorous information on which to base informed judgements on their utilisation.Read moreRead less
A longitudinal study of the housing stability of the homeless in Victoria. This is a longitudinal panel study of the homeless in urban and rural Victoria; it will interview residents of transitional housing over two years, analysing factors that contribute to success or failure in achieving housing stability. The research starts from the assumption that homelessness is not simply a condition of being without shelter at a specific point in time, but is a situation of chronic housing instability. ....A longitudinal study of the housing stability of the homeless in Victoria. This is a longitudinal panel study of the homeless in urban and rural Victoria; it will interview residents of transitional housing over two years, analysing factors that contribute to success or failure in achieving housing stability. The research starts from the assumption that homelessness is not simply a condition of being without shelter at a specific point in time, but is a situation of chronic housing instability. The project proposal has the support of a consortium of housing agencies in urban and rural Victoria who anticipate specific outcomes in service design evaluation and in detailed knowledge about the causes of homelessness.Read moreRead less
Health insurance design: choices, consumer behavior and policy challenges . Rising health costs is a global challenge. Creating an efficient health insurance system is a key policy concern in all developed countries. This project aims to study choices, consumer behaviors, and policy challenges in two health insurance markets: Australian private health insurance (PHI) and US Medicare prescription drug insurance.
Expected outcomes include new evidence needed to develop a new framework for PHI, ne ....Health insurance design: choices, consumer behavior and policy challenges . Rising health costs is a global challenge. Creating an efficient health insurance system is a key policy concern in all developed countries. This project aims to study choices, consumer behaviors, and policy challenges in two health insurance markets: Australian private health insurance (PHI) and US Medicare prescription drug insurance.
Expected outcomes include new evidence needed to develop a new framework for PHI, new knowledge on how consumers respond to complex pricing structures, and new policy proposals to improve the overall efficiency of the health system. The research will benefit the re-design of PHI and the health system to improve Australians’ health while saving health costs.
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Network dynamics and field evolution: hubs, clusters and interorganisational ties in biotechnology. The study will support a robust biotechnology industry in Australia, which delivers economy-wide benefits and provides employment for local life scientists. Although Australia has a long history of innovation and achievement in the life sciences, commercial benefits in the field have often been harvested elsewhere. Australian governments are making substantial investments in biotechnology, includi ....Network dynamics and field evolution: hubs, clusters and interorganisational ties in biotechnology. The study will support a robust biotechnology industry in Australia, which delivers economy-wide benefits and provides employment for local life scientists. Although Australia has a long history of innovation and achievement in the life sciences, commercial benefits in the field have often been harvested elsewhere. Australian governments are making substantial investments in biotechnology, including education and training, directed towards developing the local industry. The proposed study will make these investments more informed, facilitating fine-grained development of public policy and industry strategy.Read moreRead less
Food and beverage price promotions: An untapped policy target . We aim to generate evidence on the influence of price promotions on foods and beverages considered to be of concern for human and planetary health. We further aim to identify if, and how, policies can be designed to reduce these types of price promotions and understand the feasibility and acceptability of doing so, from a range of perspectives.The significance of this project is substantial - unhealthy diets are the leading cause of ....Food and beverage price promotions: An untapped policy target . We aim to generate evidence on the influence of price promotions on foods and beverages considered to be of concern for human and planetary health. We further aim to identify if, and how, policies can be designed to reduce these types of price promotions and understand the feasibility and acceptability of doing so, from a range of perspectives.The significance of this project is substantial - unhealthy diets are the leading cause of disease and death and unhealthy foods account for >30% of the food-related environmental footprint. By understanding if, and how, this novel policy target can be designed to improve population food choices, this project will ultimately deliver benefits for human and planetary through improved dietary choices.Read moreRead less
The costs of youth homelessness in Australia. This three-year research project will provide a detailed picture of the cost of youth homelessness in Australia, the use of services by young homeless people and the costs and benefits of providing support services to young homeless people. The study will extend the evidence base on the cost-effectiveness of programs attempting to alleviate youth homelessness, and enable Australian governments, community groups and agencies involved in the provision ....The costs of youth homelessness in Australia. This three-year research project will provide a detailed picture of the cost of youth homelessness in Australia, the use of services by young homeless people and the costs and benefits of providing support services to young homeless people. The study will extend the evidence base on the cost-effectiveness of programs attempting to alleviate youth homelessness, and enable Australian governments, community groups and agencies involved in the provision of support services to homeless youth to understand better the pathways followed by young homeless people and the impact of service provision on the lives of young homeless people.Read moreRead less
Learned Academies Special Projects - Grant ID: LA170100022
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$118,098.00
Summary
Nourishing Australia: a decadal plan for nutrition science. This project aims to develop a plan to address the complex health and environmental challenges associated with changes in food production and consumption. Since the industrial revolution, our understanding of human diet has lagged behind the rate of change. This project aims to better integrate knowledge across nutrients, foods, meals, diets, and dietary patterns to understand balance rather than single nutrients or commodities. It will ....Nourishing Australia: a decadal plan for nutrition science. This project aims to develop a plan to address the complex health and environmental challenges associated with changes in food production and consumption. Since the industrial revolution, our understanding of human diet has lagged behind the rate of change. This project aims to better integrate knowledge across nutrients, foods, meals, diets, and dietary patterns to understand balance rather than single nutrients or commodities. It will examine the broader context of nutrition from individuals to communities to nations, and globally, and develop a consistent theoretical framework for nutrition that includes both individual biology and the physical, social and biological environment. This will provide broad benefits for social, cultural, economic and health outcomes in the region.Read moreRead less