Lifelong Education and Health Investment: Implications for Life Expectancy, Economic Growth and Public Policy. This project will provide Australian policymakers a clear picture of the complex interaction between various policy instruments including subsidies on health and education and income support for retirees and children on the one hand, and socioeconomic outcomes including saving rates, labour participation, productivity, fertility, life expectancy and inequality on the other hand. This kn ....Lifelong Education and Health Investment: Implications for Life Expectancy, Economic Growth and Public Policy. This project will provide Australian policymakers a clear picture of the complex interaction between various policy instruments including subsidies on health and education and income support for retirees and children on the one hand, and socioeconomic outcomes including saving rates, labour participation, productivity, fertility, life expectancy and inequality on the other hand. This knowledge can be used to frame government policies in the areas of health, education, superannuation and pension, and family support. In particular, the project will inform policymakers about the mix of private and public funding of the health system that can produce better health and social outcomes.Read moreRead less
Child Dental Benefit Policies and the Health of Australian Children. This project aims to examine the early effects of two recent initiatives by the Australian government to improve children’s dental health by providing funds to cover essential dental services for children from disadvantaged families. It explores the factors affecting eligible children’s access to benefits from these initiatives and identifies the causal impacts of these changed health care financing arrangements on children’s c ....Child Dental Benefit Policies and the Health of Australian Children. This project aims to examine the early effects of two recent initiatives by the Australian government to improve children’s dental health by providing funds to cover essential dental services for children from disadvantaged families. It explores the factors affecting eligible children’s access to benefits from these initiatives and identifies the causal impacts of these changed health care financing arrangements on children’s consumption of dental services, indicators of oral health and general health, and other indicators of cognitive and non-cognitive development. Using advanced econometric techniques and panel datasets, this project is expected to contribute to the development of effective policies for promoting health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Long term economic impacts of disease on older workers to 2030: Costs to government and individuals and opportunities for intervention. This project will fill substantial gaps in Australian evidence about the health conditions of the future that will keep older workers out of the labour market and diminish their own immediate and long-term livings standards, thereby reducing funds available to government. We will address one of the most significant issues resulting from the fundamental changes t ....Long term economic impacts of disease on older workers to 2030: Costs to government and individuals and opportunities for intervention. This project will fill substantial gaps in Australian evidence about the health conditions of the future that will keep older workers out of the labour market and diminish their own immediate and long-term livings standards, thereby reducing funds available to government. We will address one of the most significant issues resulting from the fundamental changes to the demography of the Australian labour market and one that is regularly raised by the government following the release of the 2002 and 2007 Intergenerational Reports. This project will also examine the interventions that would improve the health of older workers and increase labour force participation over the long term.Read moreRead less
How does the Structure of Government, in Particular the Extent of Fiscal Decentralisation, Affect Long Term Economic Performance in Australia? The research analyses how Australia should best structure its government to maximise long-term economic performance in terms of economic growth and the optimal provision of public goods such as health, education and other public infrastructure. The optimal division of revenue raising and spending responsibilities between the federal government, State gove ....How does the Structure of Government, in Particular the Extent of Fiscal Decentralisation, Affect Long Term Economic Performance in Australia? The research analyses how Australia should best structure its government to maximise long-term economic performance in terms of economic growth and the optimal provision of public goods such as health, education and other public infrastructure. The optimal division of revenue raising and spending responsibilities between the federal government, State governments and other sub-national bodies like city and regional councils will be rigorously assessed from an economic perspective. The research will lead to recommendations regarding improvements in the structure of Australia's government sector, particularly the extent and nature of fiscal decentralisation, capable of improving productivity and future living standards.Read moreRead less
Economic complexity as a driver of innovation and smart specialisation. This project aims to determine how economic complexity can drive innovation and smart specialisation and how industry can be supported to transition to a more competitive economy. With the downturn of traditional manufacturing, innovation is crucial to create new industries and the jobs of the future. The expected outcomes of this project include high-value industry intelligence in support of product diversification. This sh ....Economic complexity as a driver of innovation and smart specialisation. This project aims to determine how economic complexity can drive innovation and smart specialisation and how industry can be supported to transition to a more competitive economy. With the downturn of traditional manufacturing, innovation is crucial to create new industries and the jobs of the future. The expected outcomes of this project include high-value industry intelligence in support of product diversification. This should provide significant benefits, such as increased international competitiveness, exports, revenue, and economic growth.
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Determinants, Motives and Channels of Pacific Island Workers' Remittances from Australia. This research will inform current policy debate on the benefits to migrant-sending communities of expanding migration opportunities for migrants from the Pacific islands through targeted worker schemes. Australian industry and agricultural employers are experiencing acute labour shortages while Pacific island governments are urging Australia and New Zealand to open their labour markets to low-skilled worker ....Determinants, Motives and Channels of Pacific Island Workers' Remittances from Australia. This research will inform current policy debate on the benefits to migrant-sending communities of expanding migration opportunities for migrants from the Pacific islands through targeted worker schemes. Australian industry and agricultural employers are experiencing acute labour shortages while Pacific island governments are urging Australia and New Zealand to open their labour markets to low-skilled workers in the face of growing unemployment and political instability. The findings will also provide Australian foreign aid organisations with a better understanding of the way in which migrants' remittances are determined and migrant's interaction with money transfer agencies.Read moreRead less
Disclosure in patents, an economic analysis using computational linguistics. This project aims to analyse the disclosure of patents. To achieve economic growth, the patent system aims to provide incentives for research and development as well as to ensure knowledge is accessible as widely as possible. This project will explore and demonstrate the usefulness of computational linguistics in the economic analysis of disclosure in patents. In particular, the project will look at the role of readabi ....Disclosure in patents, an economic analysis using computational linguistics. This project aims to analyse the disclosure of patents. To achieve economic growth, the patent system aims to provide incentives for research and development as well as to ensure knowledge is accessible as widely as possible. This project will explore and demonstrate the usefulness of computational linguistics in the economic analysis of disclosure in patents. In particular, the project will look at the role of readability in the patent application and examination process. This will provide a strong potential to inform and improve patent examination processes and patent policy. Expected outcomes will enable society to achieve greater use of the knowledge embedded in the patent system, thereby contributing to higher economic growth.Read moreRead less
Conceptualizing and Measuring Regional Endogenous Growth: A Collaborative International Comparative Investigation. Policy for regional economic development in Australia is placing more emphasis on facilitating regional self-help. For the first time this project will provide an actual measure of regional endogenous performance. It identifies those features of regional economies and local populations are most important in explaining differences in the performance of regions, and it shows how inst ....Conceptualizing and Measuring Regional Endogenous Growth: A Collaborative International Comparative Investigation. Policy for regional economic development in Australia is placing more emphasis on facilitating regional self-help. For the first time this project will provide an actual measure of regional endogenous performance. It identifies those features of regional economies and local populations are most important in explaining differences in the performance of regions, and it shows how institutional arrangements and leadership can enhance or detract from regional development performance. This will help public agencies formulate better policies and mechanisms to help regions maximise their capacities to achieve enhanced endogenous growth. International comparative studies provide wider significance for policy formulation in regional development.Read moreRead less
Redesigning Landcare policy to better coordinate across landholders. This project aims to study how landscape-sensitive economic incentives and social norms can be leveraged to enhance the short- and long-term effectiveness of conservation programs. It will yield new knowledge for innovative designs in conservation contracting that is urgently needed to address worsening environmental threats in Australia and worldwide. In collaboration with Nobel laureate Vernon Smith’s team, new methods and pr ....Redesigning Landcare policy to better coordinate across landholders. This project aims to study how landscape-sensitive economic incentives and social norms can be leveraged to enhance the short- and long-term effectiveness of conservation programs. It will yield new knowledge for innovative designs in conservation contracting that is urgently needed to address worsening environmental threats in Australia and worldwide. In collaboration with Nobel laureate Vernon Smith’s team, new methods and protocols will improve our ability to generate better data and better understand how social and incentive mechanisms can constructively interact to facilitate collaborative environmental action. Results will help make the achievement of environmental targets and the use of public funds more cost-effective. Read moreRead less
Mental-health intervention and non-urban detection screen project. If, as expected, there is a positive return-on-investment to employers for mental health screening and early intervention, employers will adopt these methodologies. This eases the burden on the public health system. Early intervention reduces hospitalisations and the psychiatric medications prescribed resulting in decreased MBS and PBS spending. Intervention for mental health decreases transitions into unemployment, sickness o ....Mental-health intervention and non-urban detection screen project. If, as expected, there is a positive return-on-investment to employers for mental health screening and early intervention, employers will adopt these methodologies. This eases the burden on the public health system. Early intervention reduces hospitalisations and the psychiatric medications prescribed resulting in decreased MBS and PBS spending. Intervention for mental health decreases transitions into unemployment, sickness or disability benefit reducing the societal burden of mental health. Maintaining individuals in employment also increases tax revenue. Increase in employee's productivity serves to increase gross domestic product. The employees, their families, and community's quality of life will improve.Read moreRead less