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
Intergenerational Transmission of Dependence on Income Support: Patterns, Causation and Implications for Australian Social Policy. This project examines the consequences of growing up in an income-support family. The first stage describes the relationship between parents' and children's income-support receipt to determine whether these children are more likely to access income-support programs themselves. Stage 2 identifies the causal mechanisms through which parental income-support receipt in ....Intergenerational Transmission of Dependence on Income Support: Patterns, Causation and Implications for Australian Social Policy. This project examines the consequences of growing up in an income-support family. The first stage describes the relationship between parents' and children's income-support receipt to determine whether these children are more likely to access income-support programs themselves. Stage 2 identifies the causal mechanisms through which parental income-support receipt influences children's outcomes. Identification of these transmission mechanisms is a necessary first step in formulating policies targeted towards breaking any cycle of welfare dependence. This project is innovative in its use of survey data merged to unique administrative data that link the income-support records of some 53,000 young Australians and their parents.
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Community-Led Sanitation Interventions :The Role of Social Capital. The economic and social wellbeing of its neighbours is important for Australia. This interest is often expressed through financial aid and the sharing of expertise. This research aims to enhance the effectiveness of financial aid by investigating the extent to which social capital is important in determining the success of a community-led development project. Thus, this research contributes to a body of knowledge that informs d ....Community-Led Sanitation Interventions :The Role of Social Capital. The economic and social wellbeing of its neighbours is important for Australia. This interest is often expressed through financial aid and the sharing of expertise. This research aims to enhance the effectiveness of financial aid by investigating the extent to which social capital is important in determining the success of a community-led development project. Thus, this research contributes to a body of knowledge that informs development policy, leading to more effective use of aid funds and to a more prosperous and safe region.
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How the allocation of children's time affects the stimulation of cognitive and non-cognitive development. In a 2008 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, more than seven percent of Australian children have fewer than 11 books in their family home, Australia ranks in the bottom third of OECD nations for infant mortality and 21st out of 27 for children eating meals with their parents. The Rudd Government is committed to a child-centred approach to family policy. In ....How the allocation of children's time affects the stimulation of cognitive and non-cognitive development. In a 2008 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, more than seven percent of Australian children have fewer than 11 books in their family home, Australia ranks in the bottom third of OECD nations for infant mortality and 21st out of 27 for children eating meals with their parents. The Rudd Government is committed to a child-centred approach to family policy. In this study we investigate the allocation of Australian children's time and its effect on their cognitive and non-cognitive development. Cognitive and non-cognitive development is crucial to the future wellbeing of a child and therefore to the wellbeing of the nation.Read moreRead less
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
How do macroeconomic fluctuations affect the educational choices of young Australians? The 1990-1991 recession, recent evidence, and econometric issues. The educational choices of young people are crucial for any nation's future. The project's empirical findings will inform public policy, particularly in the areas of education and training and youth unemployment. The research will help policy makers target people who need extra support in tough times and help determine the demand for different k ....How do macroeconomic fluctuations affect the educational choices of young Australians? The 1990-1991 recession, recent evidence, and econometric issues. The educational choices of young people are crucial for any nation's future. The project's empirical findings will inform public policy, particularly in the areas of education and training and youth unemployment. The research will help policy makers target people who need extra support in tough times and help determine the demand for different kinds of education. The findings have implications for future policies aimed at reducing inequality. The project's methodological contributions will lead to better and more reliable research in economics and other fields such as biology and engineering. The findings will be suitable for the top economics journals and contribute to Australia's standing in the academic community.Read moreRead less
Towards an enhanced understanding of child and youth social exclusion risk at a small area level in Australia. This project will produce major national benefits, improving our understanding of child and youth social exclusion risk at a small area level, and putting Australia at the forefront of research into child well-being. Communities will benefit from the availability of high quality, rigorously developed measures of child and youth disadvantage at a local area level. Results from this proje ....Towards an enhanced understanding of child and youth social exclusion risk at a small area level in Australia. This project will produce major national benefits, improving our understanding of child and youth social exclusion risk at a small area level, and putting Australia at the forefront of research into child well-being. Communities will benefit from the availability of high quality, rigorously developed measures of child and youth disadvantage at a local area level. Results from this project will provided policy makers with tools to develop measures for overcoming disadvantage and narrowing gaps in outcomes for Australia's young people. The international team will ensure that methodological developments will be widely available in other countries interested in developing small area measures of child and youth disadvantage.Read moreRead less
The economics of mothers milk and the market for infant food. Breastfeeding is increasingly recognized as an important public health issue, but is rarely viewed from an economic perspective. However, feminist critiques of mainstream economics have helped draw attention to the value of breastmilk and the significance of economic and commercial factors in women's decisions about infant feeding. This project aims to provide the economic analysis and social research relevant to effective public heal ....The economics of mothers milk and the market for infant food. Breastfeeding is increasingly recognized as an important public health issue, but is rarely viewed from an economic perspective. However, feminist critiques of mainstream economics have helped draw attention to the value of breastmilk and the significance of economic and commercial factors in women's decisions about infant feeding. This project aims to provide the economic analysis and social research relevant to effective public health policies on breastfeeding. The primary output will be a book manuscript.Read moreRead less
Supporting pacific development. The research looks at the extent to which twenty-two of the world's richest countries support development in the Pacific Islands region through their efforts with respect to aid, trade, migration, private investment, security, technology and environmental sustainability. It will develop an index that will rank these countries on the basis of these efforts.
Economic impact and policy implications of assisted reproductive technologies in Australia. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is now a large scale economic activity in Australia, provided almost exclusively by private clinics. The outcome of ART programs, involving the birth of one in 30 children, has a profound effect on the health of the nation. Policy and funding frameworks influence how ART is practiced and the subsequent health outcomes of ART children, yet there is a lack of evidence ....Economic impact and policy implications of assisted reproductive technologies in Australia. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is now a large scale economic activity in Australia, provided almost exclusively by private clinics. The outcome of ART programs, involving the birth of one in 30 children, has a profound effect on the health of the nation. Policy and funding frameworks influence how ART is practiced and the subsequent health outcomes of ART children, yet there is a lack of evidence to guide government and providers about effective, equitable and safe approaches to funding ART. This research will address that need, thereby fostering a healthy start to life and preventative healthcare; supporting the National Research Priority, promoting and maintaining good health, for ART children, their families and the community.Read moreRead less