Height, Body Mass Index and Demographic Changes in the Asian Giants. This project aims to examine and explain trends in height and body mass index of the populations of the three Asian Giants, China, India and Indonesia, and to explore the links with two key demographic developments: fertility decline and urbanisation. The three parts of the project are: using anthropometric survey data on adults, to compare, contrast and analyse trends at the national and regional levels; to examine the relatio ....Height, Body Mass Index and Demographic Changes in the Asian Giants. This project aims to examine and explain trends in height and body mass index of the populations of the three Asian Giants, China, India and Indonesia, and to explore the links with two key demographic developments: fertility decline and urbanisation. The three parts of the project are: using anthropometric survey data on adults, to compare, contrast and analyse trends at the national and regional levels; to examine the relationship between adult height and childhood family size using econometric methods that account for possible endogeneity; and, to examine the link between individual BMI and rural or urban residence paying special attention to rural-urban migrants. Read moreRead less
Priority Setting in Child Protection: developing an evidence-based strategy to reduce child abuse and neglect and associated harms. Persons who are potential, current or previous victims of child abuse and neglect are the primary beneficiaries of this research. The study will facilitate evidence-based funding decisions by government (and nongovernment organizations) integrating data on quality of life impacts (physical/mental health, educational, social etc), and the costs to society of dealing ....Priority Setting in Child Protection: developing an evidence-based strategy to reduce child abuse and neglect and associated harms. Persons who are potential, current or previous victims of child abuse and neglect are the primary beneficiaries of this research. The study will facilitate evidence-based funding decisions by government (and nongovernment organizations) integrating data on quality of life impacts (physical/mental health, educational, social etc), and the costs to society of dealing with the consequences of child abuse. The research has the potential to profoundly enhance the well-being of Australia's most vulnerable children, simultaneously addressing the large costs on agencies of dealing with child abuse. The methodology will be highly applicable to other complex social problems requiring whole of government strategies.Read moreRead less
Disclosure in patents, an economic analysis using computational linguistics. This project aims to analyse the disclosure of patents. To achieve economic growth, the patent system aims to provide incentives for research and development as well as to ensure knowledge is accessible as widely as possible. This project will explore and demonstrate the usefulness of computational linguistics in the economic analysis of disclosure in patents. In particular, the project will look at the role of readabi ....Disclosure in patents, an economic analysis using computational linguistics. This project aims to analyse the disclosure of patents. To achieve economic growth, the patent system aims to provide incentives for research and development as well as to ensure knowledge is accessible as widely as possible. This project will explore and demonstrate the usefulness of computational linguistics in the economic analysis of disclosure in patents. In particular, the project will look at the role of readability in the patent application and examination process. This will provide a strong potential to inform and improve patent examination processes and patent policy. Expected outcomes will enable society to achieve greater use of the knowledge embedded in the patent system, thereby contributing to higher economic growth.Read moreRead less
Scarcity of Ideas and Design of Optimal Incentive Schemes for Innovation. Since innovation is the driving force behind economic growth, enhancing its innovative capacity is an important consideration for Australia. From an economics point of view, this requires the design of optimal incentive schemes in the institutional structures which are central to promoting innovation. The proposed research aims to achieve exactly this by developing a definition of innovativeness and analyzing its implicati ....Scarcity of Ideas and Design of Optimal Incentive Schemes for Innovation. Since innovation is the driving force behind economic growth, enhancing its innovative capacity is an important consideration for Australia. From an economics point of view, this requires the design of optimal incentive schemes in the institutional structures which are central to promoting innovation. The proposed research aims to achieve exactly this by developing a definition of innovativeness and analyzing its implications. Its results will contribute to the policy discussions on innovation in Australia and will enhance the academic interactions between Australian and international universities.Read moreRead less
Leveraging Remittances with Microfinance: A Cross-country Study. This study recognises the high and growing significance of overseas migrant remittances as contributors to GDP and household livelihoods in many countries. It responds to current policy interest in remittances as a development resource, as well as security concerns related to informal funds transfers. This groundbreaking study will work with microfinance providers in six Asia-Pacific countries (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, S ....Leveraging Remittances with Microfinance: A Cross-country Study. This study recognises the high and growing significance of overseas migrant remittances as contributors to GDP and household livelihoods in many countries. It responds to current policy interest in remittances as a development resource, as well as security concerns related to informal funds transfers. This groundbreaking study will work with microfinance providers in six Asia-Pacific countries (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga) to investigate the impacts of remittance-linked financial services on household well-being and economic development. The study will identify how existing and new services can best promote development and poverty reduction in migrant-sending areas.Read moreRead less
Conceptualizing and Measuring Regional Endogenous Growth: A Collaborative International Comparative Investigation. Policy for regional economic development in Australia is placing more emphasis on facilitating regional self-help. For the first time this project will provide an actual measure of regional endogenous performance. It identifies those features of regional economies and local populations are most important in explaining differences in the performance of regions, and it shows how inst ....Conceptualizing and Measuring Regional Endogenous Growth: A Collaborative International Comparative Investigation. Policy for regional economic development in Australia is placing more emphasis on facilitating regional self-help. For the first time this project will provide an actual measure of regional endogenous performance. It identifies those features of regional economies and local populations are most important in explaining differences in the performance of regions, and it shows how institutional arrangements and leadership can enhance or detract from regional development performance. This will help public agencies formulate better policies and mechanisms to help regions maximise their capacities to achieve enhanced endogenous growth. International comparative studies provide wider significance for policy formulation in regional development.Read moreRead less
Demand and Supply of Creative Arts in Rural and Regional Areas. The arts industry has experienced substantial growth over the last thirty years, providing significant economic and social benefits nationally. While growth in this sector is represented on both the demand and supply sides, it has not been evenly distributed geographically. There is significant difference between the health of the arts industry in the city centres and that of rural and regional areas. This project will investigat ....Demand and Supply of Creative Arts in Rural and Regional Areas. The arts industry has experienced substantial growth over the last thirty years, providing significant economic and social benefits nationally. While growth in this sector is represented on both the demand and supply sides, it has not been evenly distributed geographically. There is significant difference between the health of the arts industry in the city centres and that of rural and regional areas. This project will investigate entrepreneurial capacity of the arts in regional Victoria and develop best practice business models that promote sustainability in small to medium sized arts enterprises which will in turn aid in the regeneration of regional areas.Read moreRead less
Regional development of audiovisual industries in the digital era: Prospects for the Northern Rivers region of NSW. This project explores drivers and impediments within audiovisualindustries in the global digital era that impact on the industry's develoment in non-metropolitan regions. The project uses the Northern Rivers region of NSW as the major case study. It will evaluate opportunities arising from technological, economic and societal changes associated with the digital media era and iden ....Regional development of audiovisual industries in the digital era: Prospects for the Northern Rivers region of NSW. This project explores drivers and impediments within audiovisualindustries in the global digital era that impact on the industry's develoment in non-metropolitan regions. The project uses the Northern Rivers region of NSW as the major case study. It will evaluate opportunities arising from technological, economic and societal changes associated with the digital media era and identify relevant public policy influences. It will facilitate the development of tools and strategies for regional development practitioners and entrepreneurs in the 'Creative Industries' sector. It will highlight policy instruments for governments wanting to take advantage of benefits from the 'new' services and knowledge-based economies.Read moreRead less
Measuring the triple bottom line: an investigation of social, environmental and economic outcomes in the South Australian electricity market. The project will investigate the social, economic and environmental performance of the South Australian electricity market. It will track the impact of the implementation of full retail contestability in the SA electricity market. It will provide a suite of measurement tools for consumer groups to analyse market outcomes.
Living Standards, HIV/AIDS and its Impact on the Next Generation. The spread of HIV /AIDS is a major international challenge, particularly for developing countries. Its direct impact is mostly among working-age adults, leading to significant loss of labour income and capacity to care for children. Australia has made a sizeable aid commitment in this area and to addressing poverty and nutritional deprivation more generally. Through improved understanding of the interrelationships between wealt ....Living Standards, HIV/AIDS and its Impact on the Next Generation. The spread of HIV /AIDS is a major international challenge, particularly for developing countries. Its direct impact is mostly among working-age adults, leading to significant loss of labour income and capacity to care for children. Australia has made a sizeable aid commitment in this area and to addressing poverty and nutritional deprivation more generally. Through improved understanding of the interrelationships between wealth, HIV / AIDS and its impact on children, the project will provide valuable insight to guide Australia's aid efforts, as well as contributing to global efforts to understand the epidemic and its potential effects on the next generation.Read moreRead less