Unions and Regional Regeneration. Unions face many challenges in older industrial regions, where they previously have had a strong presence. Successful regeneration of such regions depends on the active involvement of unions and their members as well as business. In some places, however, unions have remained marginal to these processes. Not only does this project extend theory on union purpose, capacities and organisation in support of economic, political and environmental change towards sustain ....Unions and Regional Regeneration. Unions face many challenges in older industrial regions, where they previously have had a strong presence. Successful regeneration of such regions depends on the active involvement of unions and their members as well as business. In some places, however, unions have remained marginal to these processes. Not only does this project extend theory on union purpose, capacities and organisation in support of economic, political and environmental change towards sustainable futures, it applies a novel combination of methods. This application examines the consequences of involvement and non-involvement in these processes. The project seeks to extend theories of social change and social mobilisation.Read moreRead less
Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk ....Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk of poor mental health, absenteeism, and exit from the workforce. This project will analyse data following people over time to investigate the long-term health and employment consequences of poor psychosocial job quality, and consider the special case of mature age workers. It will identify those individuals at greatest risk, and factors that can buffer against the adverse effects of poor quality work.Read moreRead less
Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. This project aims to develop a policy suite to respond to an older workforce. By 2060, nearly half of Australians aged 64 or older will be employed. Failure to address their health problems could threaten Australia’s economy, tax base and provision of health and care services. This collaboration between national policy portfolios (employment, social services, workplace health and socia ....Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. This project aims to develop a policy suite to respond to an older workforce. By 2060, nearly half of Australians aged 64 or older will be employed. Failure to address their health problems could threaten Australia’s economy, tax base and provision of health and care services. This collaboration between national policy portfolios (employment, social services, workplace health and social equity) and expert scientists in work, health, social equality and policy process intends to reveal the diversity of older workers’ work-health dilemmas and effective ways for national policies to solve them. The policy suite will promote financial independence and meet social goals of equity and healthy ageing.Read moreRead less
Hierarchy to high-performance? Evaluating 30yrs of Senior Executive Service. This project aims to evaluate whether Senior Executive Service (SES) schemes, introduced in the public sector the 1980s, have enabled the delivery of superior performance. This study will examine all nine Australian jurisdictions, across time in order to identify how and why institutional frameworks changed, analyse the composition of the SES and identify their changing roles and accountabilities. The expected outcomes ....Hierarchy to high-performance? Evaluating 30yrs of Senior Executive Service. This project aims to evaluate whether Senior Executive Service (SES) schemes, introduced in the public sector the 1980s, have enabled the delivery of superior performance. This study will examine all nine Australian jurisdictions, across time in order to identify how and why institutional frameworks changed, analyse the composition of the SES and identify their changing roles and accountabilities. The expected outcomes will provide a better understanding of the profile and roles of executives who lead policy development and service delivery, and an evaluation of whether current institutional frameworks optimise their capacity to perform their role.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100735
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$346,000.00
Summary
Charting work, life and well-being after the auto industry. This project aims to study the effects of industrial decline. Plans by Australia's last remaining car-makers to close local automotive assembly operations by 2016-17 are part of a major structural change in Australia’s economy and society away from manufacturing. This project will document how automotive employees and components manufacturers in Melbourne and Geelong contend with the transition. It will also explore how Federal and Vict ....Charting work, life and well-being after the auto industry. This project aims to study the effects of industrial decline. Plans by Australia's last remaining car-makers to close local automotive assembly operations by 2016-17 are part of a major structural change in Australia’s economy and society away from manufacturing. This project will document how automotive employees and components manufacturers in Melbourne and Geelong contend with the transition. It will also explore how Federal and Victorian State government transitional arrangements can safeguard manufacturing skills and occupations, mitigate socio-economic disadvantage in closure-affected communities and prevent workers and their families from sliding into precarity.Read moreRead less
May the Force Be With You: Furthering Fresh Futures for NSW Police Psychological Strengths, Wellbeing and Retention. There is international emphasis on cultivating the well-being of police but there is little research explicating key psychosocial drivers. Fresh solutions are urgently needed to address complex issues underpinning unsustainable rates of New South Wales Police medical leave, retirement and psychological stress that adversely impact on well-being and capacity to safeguard Australian ....May the Force Be With You: Furthering Fresh Futures for NSW Police Psychological Strengths, Wellbeing and Retention. There is international emphasis on cultivating the well-being of police but there is little research explicating key psychosocial drivers. Fresh solutions are urgently needed to address complex issues underpinning unsustainable rates of New South Wales Police medical leave, retirement and psychological stress that adversely impact on well-being and capacity to safeguard Australians. Capitalising on powerful longitudinal design, gold standard statistics and cutting-edge interdisciplinary and multi-method theory/research, the project aims to explicate psychosocial drivers of New South Wales Police well-being, commitment, resilience and retention and critical characteristics of effective police command units to further fresh futures and enrich the international research agenda.Read moreRead less
Modelling the Causes of Regional Disparities across Australia. This project aims to explain the changing patterns of regional economic performance across Australia between 2001-2011 in the context of two developments: major structural shifts in world trade and commodity prices spawning massive mining growth and negative exchange rate impacts elsewhere (for example, manufacturing); and the financial crisis ending the credit boom leaving east coast economies struggling. The resulting regional disp ....Modelling the Causes of Regional Disparities across Australia. This project aims to explain the changing patterns of regional economic performance across Australia between 2001-2011 in the context of two developments: major structural shifts in world trade and commodity prices spawning massive mining growth and negative exchange rate impacts elsewhere (for example, manufacturing); and the financial crisis ending the credit boom leaving east coast economies struggling. The resulting regional disparities have policy implications for education and skills training, housing affordability, infrastructure provision, and community sustainability. These issues will be investigated using a new functional economic regions geography and state of art spatial modelling tools supplemented by regional case studies.Read moreRead less
Employment dynamics, social determinants and regional disparities. This project explains the nature of individual employment dynamics during and after the global financial crisis in the context of the social and economic characteristics of individuals and the characteristics of the local labour markets in which they operate. Understanding how the dynamic paths through various employment states vary according to both individual (people-based) and place-based influences has important implications ....Employment dynamics, social determinants and regional disparities. This project explains the nature of individual employment dynamics during and after the global financial crisis in the context of the social and economic characteristics of individuals and the characteristics of the local labour markets in which they operate. Understanding how the dynamic paths through various employment states vary according to both individual (people-based) and place-based influences has important implications for the development of sustainable labour market policies and reducing the impact of disadvantaged employment outcomes. These issues are investigated using new functional economic regions and state of art modelling. The project seeks to improve policy responses to and academic understanding of uneven employment outcomes across Australia.Read moreRead less
Reducing youth unemployment through social procurement in construction. This project aims to produce new conceptual insights into effective cross-sector collaboration in construction, in order to provide solutions to address youth unemployment. Youth unemployment is a significant economic, social and health problem. Yet Australia’s largest youth employer, the construction industry, faces skills shortages to deliver an unprecedented construction and infrastructure pipeline. Social procurement is ....Reducing youth unemployment through social procurement in construction. This project aims to produce new conceptual insights into effective cross-sector collaboration in construction, in order to provide solutions to address youth unemployment. Youth unemployment is a significant economic, social and health problem. Yet Australia’s largest youth employer, the construction industry, faces skills shortages to deliver an unprecedented construction and infrastructure pipeline. Social procurement is a potential solution to both these challenges but requires new approaches to cross sector collaborations. This project aims to develop new insights, practical knowledge and practical tools for effective social procurement.Read moreRead less
Securing the next generation in farming and food careers. This project aims to investigate why and how young people (aged 15-35 years) enter, stay or leave jobs and careers in the agri-food sector, including farming, farm services and food processing. This project expects to generate new knowledge to improve youth career trajectories through using an innovative, interdisciplinary and engaged research design with young people. Expected outcomes include the co-design of youth-appropriate industry ....Securing the next generation in farming and food careers. This project aims to investigate why and how young people (aged 15-35 years) enter, stay or leave jobs and careers in the agri-food sector, including farming, farm services and food processing. This project expects to generate new knowledge to improve youth career trajectories through using an innovative, interdisciplinary and engaged research design with young people. Expected outcomes include the co-design of youth-appropriate industry and education policy proposals, new models of youth engagement in agri-food and better career outcomes for young people. This should provide significant benefits to the sustainability and growth of the agri-food sector and to rural and regional communities and their economic prosperity. Read moreRead less