A History of Foreign Multinational Enterprises in Australia from Federation. We aim to deliver the first history of foreign multinational firms in twentieth-century Australia, connecting to, and enhancing, a rich overseas literature on global business. Foreign corporations have played a critical but poorly understood role here with public and policy opinions polarised between approval for new investment, job creation and innovation against concern for their impact on tax revenue, competition, an ....A History of Foreign Multinational Enterprises in Australia from Federation. We aim to deliver the first history of foreign multinational firms in twentieth-century Australia, connecting to, and enhancing, a rich overseas literature on global business. Foreign corporations have played a critical but poorly understood role here with public and policy opinions polarised between approval for new investment, job creation and innovation against concern for their impact on tax revenue, competition, and economic policy. Through a closer, long term understanding of multinationals – their magnitude, motives to settle here, corporate structures, and adaptation to local conditions – our findings will inform public debate and policy about the roles of foreign investment and foreign enterprises in the Australian economy today.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101426
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Understanding industrialisation, entrepreneurship, and technology adoption in emerging economies: new evidence from historical Japanese firms. Japan's pre-war industrialisation is widely used as a model by emerging economies, despite a lack of detailed data. This project provides a new firm-level dataset from hitherto unused archives, which allows empirical testing of theories about entrepreneurial activity, technology adoption, financial access, and other determinants of economic growth.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100653
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$399,350.00
Summary
Tools of racial control: an economic analysis of laws vs. violence. This project aims to develop and empirically test a theory of racial violence, which predicts that as racist laws are removed, racial violence increases. To test this hypothesis, I will construct a new, comprehensive dataset of lynchings and racist legislation in post-Civil War America, where newly freed blacks gained significant freedoms, but also experienced widespread violence. The empirical analysis proposes to identify a no ....Tools of racial control: an economic analysis of laws vs. violence. This project aims to develop and empirically test a theory of racial violence, which predicts that as racist laws are removed, racial violence increases. To test this hypothesis, I will construct a new, comprehensive dataset of lynchings and racist legislation in post-Civil War America, where newly freed blacks gained significant freedoms, but also experienced widespread violence. The empirical analysis proposes to identify a novel mechanism for racial violence in this context: a desire for racial control in areas that incurred shocks to the white sex ratio during the Civil War and distorted marriage markets thereafter. The findings aim to significantly contribute to our understanding of racial violence in both the US and Australia today.Read moreRead less
The impact of globalisation on inequality in a small regional economy: South Australia 1845-1925. The impact of globalisation on income inequality is currently of great concern to many. Globalisation, however, is not a new phenomenon. This study examines the effect of global forces on wage and personal wealth inequality in South Australia in the 19th and early 20th century. While other studies have examined the impact of trade on inequality at an aggregate level, using questionable comparisons, ....The impact of globalisation on inequality in a small regional economy: South Australia 1845-1925. The impact of globalisation on income inequality is currently of great concern to many. Globalisation, however, is not a new phenomenon. This study examines the effect of global forces on wage and personal wealth inequality in South Australia in the 19th and early 20th century. While other studies have examined the impact of trade on inequality at an aggregate level, using questionable comparisons, this study represents a conceptual leap forward by directly estimating changes in income and wealth inequality, and their association with changes in wages, commodity and asset prices over an extended period in a small regional economy.Read moreRead less
Reassessing the role of industry associations through an examination of Australian and New Zealand wool marketing, 1890-1960. This is a study of organisational innovation in an internationally-important industry. Wool industry associations built and maintained a marketing organization, regionally and then nationally, that sold more than a half of the world's wool. Our long-term study assesses whether associations along the supply chain could replenish their social capital and remain adaptive and ....Reassessing the role of industry associations through an examination of Australian and New Zealand wool marketing, 1890-1960. This is a study of organisational innovation in an internationally-important industry. Wool industry associations built and maintained a marketing organization, regionally and then nationally, that sold more than a half of the world's wool. Our long-term study assesses whether associations along the supply chain could replenish their social capital and remain adaptive and flexible organisations in the face of marked changes in the environment. The nature of the web of connections between associations in the wool market deserves further study. If their cooperation made possible the institutions governing wool selling then government agencies may need to take a more nuanced approach to regulating inter-organizational collaboration.Read moreRead less
Putting death in its place. The project aims to link 890,000 population records to place of residence from 1838 to 1930, to examine the relationships between where people live, mortality, life expectancy and health. Where people live impacts their life-course outcomes. Using novel matching techniques, the project expects to identify intergenerational changes and the spatial dynamics of inequality and social mobility. Expected outcomes include the creation of a public resource of linked data and ....Putting death in its place. The project aims to link 890,000 population records to place of residence from 1838 to 1930, to examine the relationships between where people live, mortality, life expectancy and health. Where people live impacts their life-course outcomes. Using novel matching techniques, the project expects to identify intergenerational changes and the spatial dynamics of inequality and social mobility. Expected outcomes include the creation of a public resource of linked data and a better understanding of long-run health and inequality. These should provide economic and social benefits by informing policy aimed at contemporary social and health challenges, enhancing our understanding of Australian history, and developing public resources.Read moreRead less
A New Economic History of Australia. Australia is at a cross-roads. After almost a century of protectionism we have globally re-integrated and liberalised, as we were when we possessed the world's highest standard of living in the nineteenth century. But we have yet to truly rebuild our capability to compete well in a global knowledge economy and to do so sustainably and justly. It is the presumption of this Project that a new understanding of the role of human investment in our history can hel ....A New Economic History of Australia. Australia is at a cross-roads. After almost a century of protectionism we have globally re-integrated and liberalised, as we were when we possessed the world's highest standard of living in the nineteenth century. But we have yet to truly rebuild our capability to compete well in a global knowledge economy and to do so sustainably and justly. It is the presumption of this Project that a new understanding of the role of human investment in our history can help underpin a clearer understanding of the policy imperatives for our future. The Project will lead to an explicit and detailed policy agenda for re-shaping Australia's future so as to be again a clever country.Read moreRead less
The long term causal effects of Vietnam War era conscription on economic and social outcomes for Australian conscripts. The project will inform veterans' compensation, military and retirement income policies. A perennial policy issue is how best to re-integrate veterans into society. Our preliminary analysis suggests very different effects of conscription in Australia to the USA, particularly on employment. This may reflect different systems of benefits, which we will investigate. A greater unde ....The long term causal effects of Vietnam War era conscription on economic and social outcomes for Australian conscripts. The project will inform veterans' compensation, military and retirement income policies. A perennial policy issue is how best to re-integrate veterans into society. Our preliminary analysis suggests very different effects of conscription in Australia to the USA, particularly on employment. This may reflect different systems of benefits, which we will investigate. A greater understanding of the effects of conscription will also inform policy makers of the full cost to society of military service and participation in conflict. Since veterans are entitled to retirement pensions earlier than non-veterans, we also investigate the effects of benefit eligibility on employment outcomes amongst older men.Read moreRead less
New perspectives on Australian economic history: Geography, institutions and major episodes. This project will contribute directly to an improved knowledge of the determinants of the structure of economic activity, and macroeconomic performance and economic growth in Australia. Having a better understanding of the main influences on Australian economic growth will assist in the development of policies to promote these outcomes. The project will also make a significant addition to international ....New perspectives on Australian economic history: Geography, institutions and major episodes. This project will contribute directly to an improved knowledge of the determinants of the structure of economic activity, and macroeconomic performance and economic growth in Australia. Having a better understanding of the main influences on Australian economic growth will assist in the development of policies to promote these outcomes. The project will also make a significant addition to international knowledge in the field of new comparative economic history by adding an extra body of evidence to cross-country perspectives on the determinants of national economic performance that draws on Australia's distinctive geography and institutions. Finally, the project will provide valuable research training and skills.Read moreRead less
The World Economy, India and Exchange Banks: 1850 - 1914. This project aims to examine how exchange banks linked India to an expanding world economy between 1850 and 1914, and to show, in turn, how this process was defined by an imperial relationship that tied India to Britain. Its significance lies in the fact that while the exchange banks were central to the circulation of capital during this period, their crucial role in shaping the development of capitalism in India has been largely ignored. ....The World Economy, India and Exchange Banks: 1850 - 1914. This project aims to examine how exchange banks linked India to an expanding world economy between 1850 and 1914, and to show, in turn, how this process was defined by an imperial relationship that tied India to Britain. Its significance lies in the fact that while the exchange banks were central to the circulation of capital during this period, their crucial role in shaping the development of capitalism in India has been largely ignored. Expected outcomes include conference presentations, at least three articles, a monograph, and a digitised map that links time and space in outlining the spread of such banks.Read moreRead less