Assessing the national productivity impacts of chronic ill health. The project aims to address one of the biggest gaps in health and productivity research by designing a novel composite national metric that will rank lost productivity due to chronic illness The project brings together tax/transfer modelling, health modelling and epidemiological modelling specialists to develop a highly innovative microsimulation model: Health&WorkMOD to then quantify the costs of health-related productivity loss ....Assessing the national productivity impacts of chronic ill health. The project aims to address one of the biggest gaps in health and productivity research by designing a novel composite national metric that will rank lost productivity due to chronic illness The project brings together tax/transfer modelling, health modelling and epidemiological modelling specialists to develop a highly innovative microsimulation model: Health&WorkMOD to then quantify the costs of health-related productivity loss. The proposed model, an international first, will be a powerful tool to comprehensively model the cost impacts of illness and simulate policy options related to health and productivity. This will provide answers to critical policy questions for government with potential significant economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Food and beverage price promotions: An untapped policy target . We aim to generate evidence on the influence of price promotions on foods and beverages considered to be of concern for human and planetary health. We further aim to identify if, and how, policies can be designed to reduce these types of price promotions and understand the feasibility and acceptability of doing so, from a range of perspectives.The significance of this project is substantial - unhealthy diets are the leading cause of ....Food and beverage price promotions: An untapped policy target . We aim to generate evidence on the influence of price promotions on foods and beverages considered to be of concern for human and planetary health. We further aim to identify if, and how, policies can be designed to reduce these types of price promotions and understand the feasibility and acceptability of doing so, from a range of perspectives.The significance of this project is substantial - unhealthy diets are the leading cause of disease and death and unhealthy foods account for >30% of the food-related environmental footprint. By understanding if, and how, this novel policy target can be designed to improve population food choices, this project will ultimately deliver benefits for human and planetary through improved dietary choices.Read moreRead less
Understanding recent Australian trends in alcohol consumption and harms. This project aims to provide critical insight into recent trends in alcohol consumption and related harm in Australia. Many indicators of harm from alcohol have increased dramatically in the past decade, while drinking behaviours appear largely unchanged. This project aims to investigate two potential explanations for these trends: that apparent increases in rates of alcohol-related harm are driven by operational or adminis ....Understanding recent Australian trends in alcohol consumption and harms. This project aims to provide critical insight into recent trends in alcohol consumption and related harm in Australia. Many indicators of harm from alcohol have increased dramatically in the past decade, while drinking behaviours appear largely unchanged. This project aims to investigate two potential explanations for these trends: that apparent increases in rates of alcohol-related harm are driven by operational or administrative practices rather than by increases in actual harm; and that stable per-capita consumption data obscures divergent drinking behaviours, with increases among heavy drinkers driving increasing harm rates. The project aims to inform alcohol policy debates, which rely on robust trend data.Read moreRead less
Enhancing the Technology Transfer Capability of Australian Univerities. This project aims to assist in achieving enhanced University capability in technology transfer which is regarded by government as cruicial to improving national innovation performance. I seeks to identify the determinants of effective technology transfer and provide in-depth understanding of the social process involved in transferring both inventions and associated scientific knowledge from universities to corporationss. Emp ....Enhancing the Technology Transfer Capability of Australian Univerities. This project aims to assist in achieving enhanced University capability in technology transfer which is regarded by government as cruicial to improving national innovation performance. I seeks to identify the determinants of effective technology transfer and provide in-depth understanding of the social process involved in transferring both inventions and associated scientific knowledge from universities to corporationss. Employing a contingent effectiveness model, the research will focus on the characteristics of the transfer agent, the transfer recipient, the transfer medium, the transfer object and the demand environment. Results and recommended strategies will be communicated to university and industry managers and government officials.Read moreRead less
The impact of small business policy systems on small firm innovation and competitiveness in critical industry sectors. This research will examine the proposition that small business policy systems affect the structure and strategy of SMEs and in turn the sectors within which SMEs innovate and specialise. It will involve an analysis of SME policy systems; sectors of SME specialisation based on patent data, annual reports and firm web sites; and a longitudinal study of the strategy and structure o ....The impact of small business policy systems on small firm innovation and competitiveness in critical industry sectors. This research will examine the proposition that small business policy systems affect the structure and strategy of SMEs and in turn the sectors within which SMEs innovate and specialise. It will involve an analysis of SME policy systems; sectors of SME specialisation based on patent data, annual reports and firm web sites; and a longitudinal study of the strategy and structure of 29 case study firms in 3 sectors in 3 countries based on in-depth interviews and focus groups. Findings will provide a basis for improved policy advice concerning the mechanisms for encouraging small firm innovation and competitiveness in critical sectors.Read moreRead less
Economic growth and globalisation: identifying costs and benefits. Globalisation provides opportunities to stimulate economic development and growth, but it may also impose costs on national economies. This project will utilise economic theory and econometric analysis to identify the principal sources and the magnitude of such benefits and costs. It will focus on three areas: trade in consumer goods; trade in capital goods; and the importation of knowledge and technology. The results will in ....Economic growth and globalisation: identifying costs and benefits. Globalisation provides opportunities to stimulate economic development and growth, but it may also impose costs on national economies. This project will utilise economic theory and econometric analysis to identify the principal sources and the magnitude of such benefits and costs. It will focus on three areas: trade in consumer goods; trade in capital goods; and the importation of knowledge and technology. The results will inform national policy-making in the areas of trade policy, industry policy, education and R&D.Read moreRead less
Material well-being in the Australian welfare state. This project will use Australian Bureau of Statistics data on incomes, wealth and time use to construct a picture of material well-being in contemporary Australia. The results will show how material well-being relates to stages in the life cycle, to family types, and to relative affluence and relative poverty. Comparisons will be drawn between these results and a similar Australian study based on data from the late 1980s. International compari ....Material well-being in the Australian welfare state. This project will use Australian Bureau of Statistics data on incomes, wealth and time use to construct a picture of material well-being in contemporary Australia. The results will show how material well-being relates to stages in the life cycle, to family types, and to relative affluence and relative poverty. Comparisons will be drawn between these results and a similar Australian study based on data from the late 1980s. International comparisons will also be attempted. The findings provide important guidelines for public policy and especially for welfare policy.Read moreRead less
Designing world-class venture capital programs to support commercialisation of Australian research during and beyond an economic crisis. Government support of venture capital investment is vital for Australia’s economic prosperity. This project examines how foreign governments have tackled the effect of the financial crisis on such investment and provides policy options for ensuring Australia maintains internationally competitive programs in challenging economic times.
Inequality, Prosperity and the Australian Welfare State. This project aims to clarify contested understandings of Australian inequality and the role of economic and social policies in addressing policy challenges going forward. The objective of the project is to generate significantly improved knowledge of inequality in Australia using innovative approaches of data splicing, decomposition, simulation and backcasting to fill research gaps and resolve contested interpretations. We aim to provide a ....Inequality, Prosperity and the Australian Welfare State. This project aims to clarify contested understandings of Australian inequality and the role of economic and social policies in addressing policy challenges going forward. The objective of the project is to generate significantly improved knowledge of inequality in Australia using innovative approaches of data splicing, decomposition, simulation and backcasting to fill research gaps and resolve contested interpretations. We aim to provide a benchmark and robust framework against which policy development after the current crisis can be evaluated. This project aims to provide significant benefits, keeping Australia at the forefront of research on inequality and public policy, strengthening links between researchers and policy makers.
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Child poverty, labour markets and social transfers. This project aims to discover how earnings and social transfers determine the living standards of disadvantaged families with children, and the constraints that wage rates and employment patterns place on social transfer structures. This project will compare the family incomes of disadvantaged children and how the interaction of wage rates, employment and social policies affect them. It will compare Australian outcomes to those in OECD and midd ....Child poverty, labour markets and social transfers. This project aims to discover how earnings and social transfers determine the living standards of disadvantaged families with children, and the constraints that wage rates and employment patterns place on social transfer structures. This project will compare the family incomes of disadvantaged children and how the interaction of wage rates, employment and social policies affect them. It will compare Australian outcomes to those in OECD and middle income countries. This project expects to understand which labour market and social policies combine to lead to the best economic outcomes for disadvantaged families and children.Read moreRead less