Why poorer students are less likely to go to university: Theoretical and empirical evidence for Australia with implications for policy. This project will improve our understanding of the factors that lead to the under-representation of low income students in universities in Australia and other countries. The focus of the analysis will be the impact of a student's family and household environment and innate ability on their school performance, an essential pre-requisite for university admission, ....Why poorer students are less likely to go to university: Theoretical and empirical evidence for Australia with implications for policy. This project will improve our understanding of the factors that lead to the under-representation of low income students in universities in Australia and other countries. The focus of the analysis will be the impact of a student's family and household environment and innate ability on their school performance, an essential pre-requisite for university admission, together with the costs of university education. Identifying the relative importance of these factors in determining educational success will enable families, schools, universities and educational policy-makers to improve opportunities for high ability students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. This will in turn enhance economic growth and productivity, benefiting all Australians.Read moreRead less
The training and job decisions of nurses: an integrated approach using panel surveys and dynamic discrete choice experiments. The nursing shortage in Australia is considered to be at crisis stage. The results of this study will lead to improved recruitment and retention of students in nursing, improved retention of new nurses in the health workforce, better design of nursing roles and job structure, and testing of the acceptability of changed health service delivery models. It will also lead to ....The training and job decisions of nurses: an integrated approach using panel surveys and dynamic discrete choice experiments. The nursing shortage in Australia is considered to be at crisis stage. The results of this study will lead to improved recruitment and retention of students in nursing, improved retention of new nurses in the health workforce, better design of nursing roles and job structure, and testing of the acceptability of changed health service delivery models. It will also lead to better health workforce planning. The study directly contributes to filling the gaps in health labour force quantitative studies identified in a recent Productivity Commission Report, and provides a basis for the implementation of the Commission's recommendations.Read moreRead less
Robust Empirical Analysis of Consumption Poverty in Australia. Australia currently sends $47billion on income support programs, assisting 5.1 million people facing economic hardship. The aims of the project are to improve our understanding of economic poverty in Australia and contribute new methods to the field of poverty analysis. The analysis will include an assessment of the effectiveness of public programs targeted to the poor, and an evaluation of recent reforms to income support programs. ....Robust Empirical Analysis of Consumption Poverty in Australia. Australia currently sends $47billion on income support programs, assisting 5.1 million people facing economic hardship. The aims of the project are to improve our understanding of economic poverty in Australia and contribute new methods to the field of poverty analysis. The analysis will include an assessment of the effectiveness of public programs targeted to the poor, and an evaluation of recent reforms to income support programs. The project will also reveal the critical methodological assumptions underlying our current perceptions of poverty. This research will ultimately contribute to more effective poverty alleviation and income support programs in Australia.Read moreRead less
How the allocation of children's time affects the stimulation of cognitive and non-cognitive development. In a 2008 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, more than seven percent of Australian children have fewer than 11 books in their family home, Australia ranks in the bottom third of OECD nations for infant mortality and 21st out of 27 for children eating meals with their parents. The Rudd Government is committed to a child-centred approach to family policy. In ....How the allocation of children's time affects the stimulation of cognitive and non-cognitive development. In a 2008 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, more than seven percent of Australian children have fewer than 11 books in their family home, Australia ranks in the bottom third of OECD nations for infant mortality and 21st out of 27 for children eating meals with their parents. The Rudd Government is committed to a child-centred approach to family policy. In this study we investigate the allocation of Australian children's time and its effect on their cognitive and non-cognitive development. Cognitive and non-cognitive development is crucial to the future wellbeing of a child and therefore to the wellbeing of the nation.Read moreRead less
The effects of child disability on carer's labour market outcomes in Australia. Increasing prevalence of children with disabilities in Australia accompanied by lack of research makes this study imperative. The innovative approach adopted in this project means there will be a number of national benefits resulting from this study.
- It will help governments in Australia make more informed policies toward providing assistance to affected families, which will reduce the burden on families caring ....The effects of child disability on carer's labour market outcomes in Australia. Increasing prevalence of children with disabilities in Australia accompanied by lack of research makes this study imperative. The innovative approach adopted in this project means there will be a number of national benefits resulting from this study.
- It will help governments in Australia make more informed policies toward providing assistance to affected families, which will reduce the burden on families caring for children with disabilities.
- More informed policy will improve the well-being of such children.
- It will advance knowledge in the fields of labour and health economics, and econometrics, and hence enhance Australian research reputation in the fields.Read moreRead less
The dynamics of job creation and job destruction in Australia. The Project focuses on the processes of job creation and destruction in Australia using sophisticated econometric modelling and an innovative mix of data sources. The research outcomes will deliver benefits in the improvement of labour market policy. Special focus will be on the impacts of structural change, trade liberalisation and the role of small business. The research will fill major gaps in the literature by providing new insig ....The dynamics of job creation and job destruction in Australia. The Project focuses on the processes of job creation and destruction in Australia using sophisticated econometric modelling and an innovative mix of data sources. The research outcomes will deliver benefits in the improvement of labour market policy. Special focus will be on the impacts of structural change, trade liberalisation and the role of small business. The research will fill major gaps in the literature by providing new insights into job creation and destruction processes and the consequences for unemployment, at levels of disaggregation and in sectors not previously studied, notably, full-time/part-time; public/private; the service sector; as well as demographic variability.Read moreRead less
Effects of Maternal Work, Day Care Use and Other Investments in Children on Child Cognitive Outcomes. Later life outcomes due to investments by individuals and/or society in children is crucial to many countries, including Australia. Appropriate policy responses require reliable and valid estimates of the likely effects of individual investments and policy interventions. Despite many research reports on this topic, almost all do not control for selection bias (eg, high achieving mothers tend to ....Effects of Maternal Work, Day Care Use and Other Investments in Children on Child Cognitive Outcomes. Later life outcomes due to investments by individuals and/or society in children is crucial to many countries, including Australia. Appropriate policy responses require reliable and valid estimates of the likely effects of individual investments and policy interventions. Despite many research reports on this topic, almost all do not control for selection bias (eg, high achieving mothers tend to put children in day care), which is a feature of our work. Thus, our empirical results will have major policy implications, and will suggest ways to obtain similar results for Australian environments. Read moreRead less
The Sustainability of Agricultural Productivity Growth in a Changing Environment: An International Perspective. The project could provide significant benefits to Australia. Australia is a dry continent with fragile natural resources, and a significant exporter of agricultural products. A sound knowledge of the factors that affect agricultural sustainability is crucial. Perhaps more importantly, identifying economic, environmental, social, institutional and political factors that influence agric ....The Sustainability of Agricultural Productivity Growth in a Changing Environment: An International Perspective. The project could provide significant benefits to Australia. Australia is a dry continent with fragile natural resources, and a significant exporter of agricultural products. A sound knowledge of the factors that affect agricultural sustainability is crucial. Perhaps more importantly, identifying economic, environmental, social, institutional and political factors that influence agricultural sustainability in other countries, especially our Asian neighbours, will provide valuable information to relevant agencies in designing strategies aimed at ensuring that these countries are stable and well fed. This is of particular importance in the current climate, with growing influences of terrorist organisations in places where poverty exists.Read moreRead less
Maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters of stochastic differential equations. The primary objective of this project is to develop efficient algorithms for estimating the parameters of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) by simulated and exact maximum likelihood. The research will draw on both parametric and non-parametric analysis in novel ways to construct estimation procedures that are computationally feasible. These methods will then be applied in the area of finance and used to ....Maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters of stochastic differential equations. The primary objective of this project is to develop efficient algorithms for estimating the parameters of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) by simulated and exact maximum likelihood. The research will draw on both parametric and non-parametric analysis in novel ways to construct estimation procedures that are computationally feasible. These methods will then be applied in the area of finance and used to estimate the parameters of stochastic-volatility models, thus contributing to knowledge in a prominent area of complex systems, namely financial risk. The execution of this collaborative project will deliver quality research training in the topical area of mathematical finance and produce high-calibre postgraduates.
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Patient waiting times at public hospitals and the demand for private care. Public hospital waiting times compromise the objective of accessible health care for all Australians. Past policy focused on private insurance incentives to ease pressure on public hospitals. Current policy focuses on extra public provision. This will be the first Australian research to model the impact of waiting times on private health insurance and the choice between private and public hospital treatment. We will analy ....Patient waiting times at public hospitals and the demand for private care. Public hospital waiting times compromise the objective of accessible health care for all Australians. Past policy focused on private insurance incentives to ease pressure on public hospitals. Current policy focuses on extra public provision. This will be the first Australian research to model the impact of waiting times on private health insurance and the choice between private and public hospital treatment. We will analyse how waiting times differ by income, medical procedure and region, and quantify the benefits associated with different ways of reducing waiting lists. This research will provide an evidence base for effective policy design and lead to better targeting of health care investments.Read moreRead less