The evolution of Australian enterprises, 1990 to 2007 : An empirical analysis of the relationship between turbulence among firms, productivity, growth and exports. This project will examine determinants and effects of enterprise entry and exit on growth, export and productivity in Australian industry using innovative panel enterprise data sets which have been collated and linked from existing ABS surveys, administrative data and accounting data. Currently, there is only one short longitudinal en ....The evolution of Australian enterprises, 1990 to 2007 : An empirical analysis of the relationship between turbulence among firms, productivity, growth and exports. This project will examine determinants and effects of enterprise entry and exit on growth, export and productivity in Australian industry using innovative panel enterprise data sets which have been collated and linked from existing ABS surveys, administrative data and accounting data. Currently, there is only one short longitudinal enterprise data set in Australia. Further data sets are required if policy makers are to understand patterns and causes of growth and business survival in Australia. Understanding provided from these studies should significantly improve our undertanding of how businesses perform.Read moreRead less
General market equilibrium analysis of securitisable assets in the presence of private information, when contracts are incomplete. Three key markets (among others) were involved in the gestation of the worst financial crisis seen since the great depression: the market for mortgages and the market for securities, backed by mortgages and housing market. The focus of this project is to examine financial fragility in such markets, theoretically applying outcomes to Australian policy.
Measuring Hospital Performance: Outputs, Quality of Care, Competition and Efficiency. Hospitals are a critical component of the health infrastructure. An understanding of the performance of hospitals is important in shaping an overall health care strategy. Unfortunately, assessing hospital performance has been fraught with difficulties. A major obstacle is in defining and measuring the outputs and quality of hospitals. Collaborating with the Victorian Department of Human Services, and using t ....Measuring Hospital Performance: Outputs, Quality of Care, Competition and Efficiency. Hospitals are a critical component of the health infrastructure. An understanding of the performance of hospitals is important in shaping an overall health care strategy. Unfortunately, assessing hospital performance has been fraught with difficulties. A major obstacle is in defining and measuring the outputs and quality of hospitals. Collaborating with the Victorian Department of Human Services, and using the Department's VAED datasets, we aim to develop a framework within which unobservable quality dimensions can be estimated, so that hospital output and quality can be accounted for. The framework will be useful for addressing pertinent health policy issues, including hospital funding, specialisation, and competition issues.Read moreRead less
The Aging Population, Superannuation and Corporate Dividend Policy. The project intends to examine how population wealth and age affect one important aspect of corporate decision-making, namely dividend policy. Researchers invest considerable effort in understanding how demographics impact upon the need for, and structure of, government systems including social security and taxation, but relatively little is known about its effect on capital markets or corporate decision-making. Although individ ....The Aging Population, Superannuation and Corporate Dividend Policy. The project intends to examine how population wealth and age affect one important aspect of corporate decision-making, namely dividend policy. Researchers invest considerable effort in understanding how demographics impact upon the need for, and structure of, government systems including social security and taxation, but relatively little is known about its effect on capital markets or corporate decision-making. Although individual investors are, by nature, atomistic, the project argues changes in investor preferences will ultimately prompt companies to alter their dividend policies. Pressure on firms to update these policies will come from superannuation and pension fund managers who, as fiduciaries, will invest money consistent with clients' revised preferences. The project aims to more fully characterise how Australia's ageing population will affect the public and private sectors.Read moreRead less
Transport and productivity, a study on Australia's largest trading partner. This project aims to study how transport infrastructure supports innovations, productivity gains, and industrial development. This project will study the effects of this development on productivity and resource allocation in the manufacturing sector, output and efficiency growth, and the spatial allocation of capital and labour inputs. The project expects to build a geospatial database covering China's full transportatio ....Transport and productivity, a study on Australia's largest trading partner. This project aims to study how transport infrastructure supports innovations, productivity gains, and industrial development. This project will study the effects of this development on productivity and resource allocation in the manufacturing sector, output and efficiency growth, and the spatial allocation of capital and labour inputs. The project expects to build a geospatial database covering China's full transportation network from 1993-2014, merge this database with manufacturing plants’ longitudinal data, and apply (quasi)-natural experiments for analyses. Knowledge derived from this project will be significant for Australia because China’s productivity, resource allocation, and competitive advantage directly impact Australia’s industrial development, employment and sustainable economic growth.Read moreRead less
Small firms' finances: effects on employment, wages and growth. The project aims to estimate how difficulties in accessing financial and credit markets affect small and medium enterprise (SME) decisions about employment, wages, entry and exit. Although the SME sector is Australia’s largest employer, the extent to which financial constraints affect these firms' market performance and their ability to create and sustain employment is unknown. The project plans to use an econometric analysis of fir ....Small firms' finances: effects on employment, wages and growth. The project aims to estimate how difficulties in accessing financial and credit markets affect small and medium enterprise (SME) decisions about employment, wages, entry and exit. Although the SME sector is Australia’s largest employer, the extent to which financial constraints affect these firms' market performance and their ability to create and sustain employment is unknown. The project plans to use an econometric analysis of firm level panel data to fill this gap. The intended outcome is micro-econometric findings tailored to improve targeted labour and financial policy. The expected benefit is to provide input to policy responses that support employment, productivity and wages in volatile market conditions.Read moreRead less
The efficiency of the global patent system. This project will be the first study in the world to combine a new international patent database with more in-depth local information from Australia, Japan, US, Europe and Chinese Asia (China, Taiwan). The patent system should be globally consistent; simple and cost effective to use; parsimonious in the grant of monopoly rights; and provide a level playing field for all inventors. Existing empirical evidence indicates that the patent system is current ....The efficiency of the global patent system. This project will be the first study in the world to combine a new international patent database with more in-depth local information from Australia, Japan, US, Europe and Chinese Asia (China, Taiwan). The patent system should be globally consistent; simple and cost effective to use; parsimonious in the grant of monopoly rights; and provide a level playing field for all inventors. Existing empirical evidence indicates that the patent system is currently inefficient and this has negative effects on our Research and Development sector.Read moreRead less
Closing the Political Legitimacy Gap: The International Monetary Fund and Tax Reform, 1965-2005. This project investigates how the International Monetary Fund (IMF) can improve its poor success with tax reform programs in borrowing states. It does so by analysing the success and failure of IMF tax reform programs in 20 borrowing states with varied regional, political, and economic characteristics between 1965 and 2005. This research has national and community benefit for two reasons. First, Aust ....Closing the Political Legitimacy Gap: The International Monetary Fund and Tax Reform, 1965-2005. This project investigates how the International Monetary Fund (IMF) can improve its poor success with tax reform programs in borrowing states. It does so by analysing the success and failure of IMF tax reform programs in 20 borrowing states with varied regional, political, and economic characteristics between 1965 and 2005. This research has national and community benefit for two reasons. First, Australia has a close relationship with the IMF and an obligation to assist it with issues of global political and economic concern. Second, as problems with fiscal sustainability are strongly associated with international political and economic instability, Australia must develop its knowledge base on the politics of successful tax reform.Read moreRead less
Rethinking Impartial Humanitarianism: Lessons from the Recent History of the Asia-Pacific Region. Australia today is increasingly involved in complex international humanitarian missions, involving cooperation with other nations and with international non-government organizations. These actions have profound implications for relationships between Australia and other countries. Through an investigation of key case studies from the Asia-Pacific region, this project will create a deeper understandin ....Rethinking Impartial Humanitarianism: Lessons from the Recent History of the Asia-Pacific Region. Australia today is increasingly involved in complex international humanitarian missions, involving cooperation with other nations and with international non-government organizations. These actions have profound implications for relationships between Australia and other countries. Through an investigation of key case studies from the Asia-Pacific region, this project will create a deeper understanding of the long-term experiences, possibilities and limitations of impartial humanitarian action. It will thus contribute to global debates about humanitarianism, and to better-informed Australian engagement in responding to humanitarian crises in our region and the wider world.Read moreRead less
Responsibility, regionalism and refugees. This project will ask how responsibility for refugees may be shared among countries, resulting in guiding principles for policy makers and other outputs that will inform debates about potential models for responsibility sharing at the United Nations and within Australia.