Problem gambling: development and application of a new conceptual framework for aetiology and treatment. Around 470,000 Australians (3.3% of the adult population) are estimated to have 'significant' or 'severe' gambling problems. This project responds to the call for a new framework for theorising and researching problem gambling (Productivity Commission, 1999). Currently, the research literature is characterised by disagreement about definition, causes, and treatment. At the community level, di ....Problem gambling: development and application of a new conceptual framework for aetiology and treatment. Around 470,000 Australians (3.3% of the adult population) are estimated to have 'significant' or 'severe' gambling problems. This project responds to the call for a new framework for theorising and researching problem gambling (Productivity Commission, 1999). Currently, the research literature is characterised by disagreement about definition, causes, and treatment. At the community level, different stakeholder constructions of problem gambling have deadlocked debate. There is a clear need to re-think existing approaches. This project applies an innovative, social-scientific methodology specifically designed to analyse complex, real-world social problems in order to develop a new conceptual framework for understanding and treating problem gambling.Read moreRead less
How to manage on-farm surface water storage for sustainable and safe catchments. Unsafe on-farm storage of runoff is a potential but silent problem ready to strike downstream communities. Unfair storage already occurs at the expense of farmers, communities and environment. Stakeholders will gain understanding of these two inter-related problems and the factors that drive them. The national benefit will be empirical evidence and policy guidance about the drivers of on-farm dam storage which ensur ....How to manage on-farm surface water storage for sustainable and safe catchments. Unsafe on-farm storage of runoff is a potential but silent problem ready to strike downstream communities. Unfair storage already occurs at the expense of farmers, communities and environment. Stakeholders will gain understanding of these two inter-related problems and the factors that drive them. The national benefit will be empirical evidence and policy guidance about the drivers of on-farm dam storage which ensures fairness and safety in surface water sharing systems by (1)providing certainty of water entitlements and encouraging farming investment in safe dams, (2)minimising hardship to farmers and communities not benefiting from their full entitlement and to those that suffer from dam failures, and (3)maximising environment's share.Read moreRead less
Job quality and care quality in aged care. The project aims to investigate how job quality and the quality of care are linked in residential and community-based aged care services. Population ageing and fewer informal carers place pressure on aged care provision across the OECD There is little understanding, at either the policy or workplace levels, of how the quality of aged care jobs affects the viability and quality of that provision. The project expects to improve knowledge about how job qua ....Job quality and care quality in aged care. The project aims to investigate how job quality and the quality of care are linked in residential and community-based aged care services. Population ageing and fewer informal carers place pressure on aged care provision across the OECD There is little understanding, at either the policy or workplace levels, of how the quality of aged care jobs affects the viability and quality of that provision. The project expects to improve knowledge about how job quality affects aged care quality; and identify care markets, policy regimes and work organisation that best support sustainable quality aged care.Read moreRead less
Knowledge/economy/society: a sociological study of an education policy discourse in Australia in globalising circumstances. Education policies that fuse knowledge, economy and society are globally influential. Such policies seek to promote economic and social enhancement. Yet critics claim that these policies have a narrow view of knowledge, society and the economy, and of current trends. This study adopts inventive methodologies to assess such critics' claims in the light of research by leading ....Knowledge/economy/society: a sociological study of an education policy discourse in Australia in globalising circumstances. Education policies that fuse knowledge, economy and society are globally influential. Such policies seek to promote economic and social enhancement. Yet critics claim that these policies have a narrow view of knowledge, society and the economy, and of current trends. This study adopts inventive methodologies to assess such critics' claims in the light of research by leading sociologists. It explores the ways that the knowledge/economy/society discourse is interpreted in national and supranational policy texts, by senior policy agents and in innovative educational programs in different educational settings. The research findings will enrich education policy research and benefit national education policy.Read moreRead less
Statistical methods for the analysis of critical care data, with application to the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Database. The recent inquiry into Queensland's Bundaberg Base Hospital highlights the need to monitor hospital performance. This project develops new statistical methods to account for uncertainty in the assessment of provider performance and its outcomes will provide government with institutional comparisons for policy and planning.
Understanding the Effects of News Shocks on Macroeconomic Fluctuations. There are significant potential benefits for Australia. First, it could lead to more effective policymaking, with an understanding of how policy in one branch of the government can affect other sectors that have not been considered before. For example, changes in fiscal policy can affect not just growth, but also unemployment, inflation, and the income distribution. Second, this project will make a contribution to the resear ....Understanding the Effects of News Shocks on Macroeconomic Fluctuations. There are significant potential benefits for Australia. First, it could lead to more effective policymaking, with an understanding of how policy in one branch of the government can affect other sectors that have not been considered before. For example, changes in fiscal policy can affect not just growth, but also unemployment, inflation, and the income distribution. Second, this project will make a contribution to the research training of new macroeconomists in Australia: we will train three PhD students in the very latest methods. We also will organize a conference and bring the very top economists in the world to work with researchers here, and to consider issues surrounding the Australian economy. Read moreRead less
Missing workers: retaining mature age women workers to ensure future labour security. This project will generate new data and analyses of the factors affecting the retention of mature age women in paid work. It will produce an evidence base on mature age women's employment for the development of policy frameworks aimed at strengthening labour security in the aged care and other sectors.
Intra-household resource allocations of older couples. This project aims to analyse processes and outcomes within older households using national, large-scale representative data and mixed methods research design. In an ageing population where households are becoming responsible for provisioning retirement needs, understanding what happens in older couple households is important. The project expects to influence policy by generating evidence relevant to the design of regulations governing the al ....Intra-household resource allocations of older couples. This project aims to analyse processes and outcomes within older households using national, large-scale representative data and mixed methods research design. In an ageing population where households are becoming responsible for provisioning retirement needs, understanding what happens in older couple households is important. The project expects to influence policy by generating evidence relevant to the design of regulations governing the allocation of superannuation assets, tax incentives for alternative forms of retirement savings, asset and income tests on the Age Pension, and initiatives targeting older Australians’ financial literacy.Read moreRead less
Discovering the fundamental metrics of political behaviour: African-Americans and their White Neighbours in an era of revolutionary change. Newly freed from slavery, African-Americans first voted in the 1870s; remarkably, their names and individual political choices still survive in the records of one American state. Using innovative software to track voters and map social networks, this project will reveal the dynamics of black and white voting in this era of revolutionary change.
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