A Review of Work for the Dole as a Labour Market Program. The project will review the Work for the Dole program in terms of its first formal objective (to install work habits in young people)and in the wider context of giving young unemployed people the skills and confidence that will increase their chances of finding employment. The principal research tools used will be sample surveys and in-depth interviews. An independent substantial review will give a firm basis for discussions of the progr ....A Review of Work for the Dole as a Labour Market Program. The project will review the Work for the Dole program in terms of its first formal objective (to install work habits in young people)and in the wider context of giving young unemployed people the skills and confidence that will increase their chances of finding employment. The principal research tools used will be sample surveys and in-depth interviews. An independent substantial review will give a firm basis for discussions of the program, including how it can be improved and whether or not, given the political imperatives to retain it,it is desirable to increase expenditure on it.Read moreRead less
Designing Weather Derivatives and Yield Index Contracts for Rural Australia. This project addresses the security of communities in rural areas. Successful risk management based on weather derivatives and yield index contracts will stabilise the income of rural industries and improve the financial viability of rural communities. It will allow systemic risks from climate change to be reinsured with financial institutions, maintain some of Australia's most important export industries and help maint ....Designing Weather Derivatives and Yield Index Contracts for Rural Australia. This project addresses the security of communities in rural areas. Successful risk management based on weather derivatives and yield index contracts will stabilise the income of rural industries and improve the financial viability of rural communities. It will allow systemic risks from climate change to be reinsured with financial institutions, maintain some of Australia's most important export industries and help maintain leadership in climate risk research. It will use state of the art methods to derive and estimate nonlinear yield indexes, and develop new option pricing methods to value the premium that farmers should pay for a yield index contract. Finally it will evaluate the likely adoption by farmers using nonlinear portfolio theory.Read moreRead less
Adding value to natural advantage through business clustering:Winners and losers along the Murray River. In terms of river-based business activity, the success of cities located on the Murray River, such as Albury/Wodonga, Echuca, Swan Hill and Mildura varies. We shall identify how some towns along the river have added value to the natural advantage of the river through business clustering while others have not. Processes by which successful communities have gained and retain advantage will be ....Adding value to natural advantage through business clustering:Winners and losers along the Murray River. In terms of river-based business activity, the success of cities located on the Murray River, such as Albury/Wodonga, Echuca, Swan Hill and Mildura varies. We shall identify how some towns along the river have added value to the natural advantage of the river through business clustering while others have not. Processes by which successful communities have gained and retain advantage will be compared with strategies applied by less successful towns. The concept of business clustering not only permits regional diversity to be more readily understood, but points to future initiatives for less successful regions.Read moreRead less
Identifying technological trajectories using machine learning algorithms. This project aims to improve our understanding of why scientific knowledge progresses in certain directions and what causes it to grow faster or slower across fields. The project will create new neural-network machine-learning algorithms to scan patent and scientific article texts (specifications and claims) for natural language concepts. The results will potentially be used by patent offices to improve their own database ....Identifying technological trajectories using machine learning algorithms. This project aims to improve our understanding of why scientific knowledge progresses in certain directions and what causes it to grow faster or slower across fields. The project will create new neural-network machine-learning algorithms to scan patent and scientific article texts (specifications and claims) for natural language concepts. The results will potentially be used by patent offices to improve their own database search, by business analytics companies to reveal new technologies and potential collaborators, and by academic economists to understand how knowledge travels and accumulates.
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Tackling the Tough Problems in Productivity Measurement: Infrastructure, Services and R&D. Productivity is seen as a main driver of economic growth and welfare improvements. Productivity indexes are used in a variety of policy contexts, in particular in determining the effectiveness (or otherwise) of government policies. Most industrialized countries have productivity accounts, but measurement problems persist and may even be more problematic in the future given an expansion in new goods and ser ....Tackling the Tough Problems in Productivity Measurement: Infrastructure, Services and R&D. Productivity is seen as a main driver of economic growth and welfare improvements. Productivity indexes are used in a variety of policy contexts, in particular in determining the effectiveness (or otherwise) of government policies. Most industrialized countries have productivity accounts, but measurement problems persist and may even be more problematic in the future given an expansion in new goods and services. Improved productivity measurement and an improved understanding of its sources can inform aggregate and regional policy. The project includes collaboration with the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Productivity Commission, with the participation of the Reserve Bank of Australia.Read moreRead less
The role of branding and international trademarks in global value chains. The role of branding and international trademarks in global value chains. This project will examine the role of brands and trademarks on global value chains. Trademarks can help firms de-risk, scale up and add value to their offerings. This project will develop a machine learning algorithm to identify international trademark families and extend a novel global trademark family dataset. It will use the dataset to analyse how ....The role of branding and international trademarks in global value chains. The role of branding and international trademarks in global value chains. This project will examine the role of brands and trademarks on global value chains. Trademarks can help firms de-risk, scale up and add value to their offerings. This project will develop a machine learning algorithm to identify international trademark families and extend a novel global trademark family dataset. It will use the dataset to analyse how international trademarks are used and mis-used; how they enable vertical dis-integration and international dispersion of manufacturing production (two central features of global value chains); and how they affect businesses’ ability to enter and compete in global markets. This research should help Australian businesses extend their international reach and policy makers increase domestic gains from global value chains.Read moreRead less
Determinants of Variations in Productivity Growth across the States of Australia: Aggregate and Sectoral Analyses. This research project will investigate factors which account for differences in economic and productivity growth performance across the states of Australia. This is a topic of considerable significance to academic researchers, policy-makers, and the public at large. The proposed project will be at the forefront of international research in two sub-areas, namely analysis of inters ....Determinants of Variations in Productivity Growth across the States of Australia: Aggregate and Sectoral Analyses. This research project will investigate factors which account for differences in economic and productivity growth performance across the states of Australia. This is a topic of considerable significance to academic researchers, policy-makers, and the public at large. The proposed project will be at the forefront of international research in two sub-areas, namely analysis of interstate productivity growth at a sectoral level, and measurement of productivity growth in services industries. It will break new ground in Australian research in two respects, namely estimation of state capital stocks, and analysis of total factor productivity on an interstate basis.
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Exchange Rates and Commodity Prices in a Volatile Business Environment. In recent years, many Australian companies have been hurt by the large movements in the value of the Australian dollar, by their inability to forecast these movements, and by deficiencies of their hedging strategies to deal with foreign-exchange risk. This project will develop an alternative way of forecasting the $A in real time using a new methodology, based on purchasing power parity, that shows much promise. Additional ....Exchange Rates and Commodity Prices in a Volatile Business Environment. In recent years, many Australian companies have been hurt by the large movements in the value of the Australian dollar, by their inability to forecast these movements, and by deficiencies of their hedging strategies to deal with foreign-exchange risk. This project will develop an alternative way of forecasting the $A in real time using a new methodology, based on purchasing power parity, that shows much promise. Additionally, an innovative way to analyse gold prices will be further developed, which when combined with the $A forecasts, offers a potentially valuable method of hedging foreign exchange and commodity price risk faced by Australian gold producers.Read moreRead less
Improving Corporate Governance in China's Largest 166 State-Owned Central Enterprise Groups. This is a pioneering study that takes advantage of a unique research opportunity for Australian researchers to be at the forefront of research in the corporate governance of China's largest 166 state-owned central enterprises with which the Australia business sector is increasingly engaged in both trade and investment.
The project will allow Australians to play a leading role in shaping a major reform ....Improving Corporate Governance in China's Largest 166 State-Owned Central Enterprise Groups. This is a pioneering study that takes advantage of a unique research opportunity for Australian researchers to be at the forefront of research in the corporate governance of China's largest 166 state-owned central enterprises with which the Australia business sector is increasingly engaged in both trade and investment.
The project will allow Australians to play a leading role in shaping a major reform in our second most important trading partner and will enhance Australian knowledge of impending trends in strategic areas of mutual interest. It will arm Australia with greater understanding of its many faceted engagements with China.Read moreRead less