Public-Private-Partnership Governance and Performance: An Empirical Assessment. While Australia's rural and regional communities require improved infrastructure services at reduced costs and higher quality; infrastructure costs are significant and governments' funds are insufficient to meet demand. Public-private-partnerships (PPPs), if they work successfully, can be the key to meet this demand. As PPPs reduce the financial investment that governments need to make, the greater the opportunity fo ....Public-Private-Partnership Governance and Performance: An Empirical Assessment. While Australia's rural and regional communities require improved infrastructure services at reduced costs and higher quality; infrastructure costs are significant and governments' funds are insufficient to meet demand. Public-private-partnerships (PPPs), if they work successfully, can be the key to meet this demand. As PPPs reduce the financial investment that governments need to make, the greater the opportunity for considered infrastructure development, if the PPPs are successful and meet their intended financial and social objectives. Thus, a better understanding of the performance outcomes of different governance mechanisms in PPPs can result in less expensive and better infrastructure services for Australia's communities.Read moreRead less
Public Policy and Immigrant Settlement in Australia. The proposed research will assess the relative importance of labour market conditions, income-support policy, and immigrant selection criteria in facilitating the settlement of recent immigrants in Australia. The project will be the first major academic study to make use of the complete data from the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia to compare two cohorts of recent immigrants who arrived under different policy settings and econom ....Public Policy and Immigrant Settlement in Australia. The proposed research will assess the relative importance of labour market conditions, income-support policy, and immigrant selection criteria in facilitating the settlement of recent immigrants in Australia. The project will be the first major academic study to make use of the complete data from the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia to compare two cohorts of recent immigrants who arrived under different policy settings and economic conditions and whose initial settlement outcomes varied dramatically. The results will advance our understanding of how immigrants adjust to Australia and will be useful for future policy development.
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Effects on Labour Supply, Savings and Welfare of the July 2007 Policy Changes to Superannuation and the Age Pension. This proposal's central question falls within the priority goal of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric'. Understanding the effects of alternative superannuation tax arrangements is crucial in view of concerns regarding aggregate private savings and labour force participation in an ageing economy. Low savings or participation could have implications for sustained ....Effects on Labour Supply, Savings and Welfare of the July 2007 Policy Changes to Superannuation and the Age Pension. This proposal's central question falls within the priority goal of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric'. Understanding the effects of alternative superannuation tax arrangements is crucial in view of concerns regarding aggregate private savings and labour force participation in an ageing economy. Low savings or participation could have implications for sustained economic growth. This project's outcomes will provide an indication of the potential effects of policies on labour supply and savings. After further modifications, the model developed in this project can also address other questions in the context of life-cycle decisions under uncertainty, such as labour supply, fertility or health.Read moreRead less
Integrating public and private retirement risk protection: public policy and business practice. Demographic shift has brought widespread calls for structures which allow both the private and public sectors to participate in retirement protection. This project will deliver outcomes for co-ordinating public policy and business practice to finance adequate retirement protection, and identify opportunities for specific outcome improvements.
Income inequality and mobility in Australia, Great Britain and the US. A major debate is raging on the growth of income inequality, especially in Anglo-Saxon countries. This project will use a cross-national framework to investigate income inequality and mobility in Australia, Britain and the United States of America. It will re-evaluate the tax-based evidence and reconcile it with household survey evidence. Using household panel data, it will comprehensively examine income mobility patterns, us ....Income inequality and mobility in Australia, Great Britain and the US. A major debate is raging on the growth of income inequality, especially in Anglo-Saxon countries. This project will use a cross-national framework to investigate income inequality and mobility in Australia, Britain and the United States of America. It will re-evaluate the tax-based evidence and reconcile it with household survey evidence. Using household panel data, it will comprehensively examine income mobility patterns, using a variety of mobility measures. It aims to show the sensitivity of income inequality and mobility patterns and trends to broader income measures. The project also aims to provide policymakers with a more accurate and complete understanding of Australian income inequality and mobility trends and their drivers within an international context.Read moreRead less
Modelling the labour market and the impact of the tax-benefit system on employment and GDP. The key national benefit from the proposed project will be development of a more informed and rigorous basis for analysing and making decisions on an important set of policy issues. The project will develop a more empirically relevant modelling framework than currently available for analysing changes in the labour market and in tax and welfare policies. The results will assist policy analysts in identifyi ....Modelling the labour market and the impact of the tax-benefit system on employment and GDP. The key national benefit from the proposed project will be development of a more informed and rigorous basis for analysing and making decisions on an important set of policy issues. The project will develop a more empirically relevant modelling framework than currently available for analysing changes in the labour market and in tax and welfare policies. The results will assist policy analysts in identifying directions for reform that can raise living standards and achieve a more egalitarian society. The project will also identify reforms required to avert an ageing crisis, and those that inhibit GDP growth due to their negative effects on female employment, household saving and fertility. Read moreRead less
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
A Lifecycle Approach to Labour Supply, Human Capital Accumulation and Public Policy. According to available time use data Australia has a relatively low labour supply, when compared with other major OECD countries, due primarily to low female working hours. This project will investigate the lifecycle dynamics of family labour supply decisions and human capital accumulation, to provide a more informed basis for policy debates. We therefore see the major national and community benefit as that of p ....A Lifecycle Approach to Labour Supply, Human Capital Accumulation and Public Policy. According to available time use data Australia has a relatively low labour supply, when compared with other major OECD countries, due primarily to low female working hours. This project will investigate the lifecycle dynamics of family labour supply decisions and human capital accumulation, to provide a more informed basis for policy debates. We therefore see the major national and community benefit as that of promoting Australia's rate of economic growth and ability to sustain funding for education, health and welfare, in an ageing population.Read moreRead less
Understanding and Improving Teacher Quality. The quality of Australia's schooling system is a key determinant of skills in the economy, affecting economic growth, unemployment and inequality. With 3 percent of GDP currently devoted to primary and secondary education, improving educational productivity could lead to enormous gains. International evidence suggests that a promising approach to improving our education system is to boost teacher quality, yet we currently know little about the differe ....Understanding and Improving Teacher Quality. The quality of Australia's schooling system is a key determinant of skills in the economy, affecting economic growth, unemployment and inequality. With 3 percent of GDP currently devoted to primary and secondary education, improving educational productivity could lead to enormous gains. International evidence suggests that a promising approach to improving our education system is to boost teacher quality, yet we currently know little about the differences between the best and worst teachers. With large numbers of teachers due to retire in the next decade, now is an ideal time to learn more about teacher quality, and implement policies to ensure that the calibre of the teaching profession is as good as it can be.Read moreRead less
Retirement asset decumulation: Adequacy, institutions and products. This proposal seeks to evaluate the present and future adequacy of retirement provision, and offers alternative, practical solutions to the problem of how to maximise the value of a retiree's accumulated assets and facilitate a financially secure retirement. First, a re-evaluation of the replacement rate as a measure of retirement provision adequacy will be undertaken. Second, the efficacy of new financial products and instituti ....Retirement asset decumulation: Adequacy, institutions and products. This proposal seeks to evaluate the present and future adequacy of retirement provision, and offers alternative, practical solutions to the problem of how to maximise the value of a retiree's accumulated assets and facilitate a financially secure retirement. First, a re-evaluation of the replacement rate as a measure of retirement provision adequacy will be undertaken. Second, the efficacy of new financial products and institutions designed to enhance the value of a retirement accumulation for retirement consumption will be analysed. Global trends towards population aging and increasing reliance on self-provision for retirement lends both urgency and significance to the proposed research.Read moreRead less