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
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
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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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
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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Mental-health intervention and non-urban detection screen project. If, as expected, there is a positive return-on-investment to employers for mental health screening and early intervention, employers will adopt these methodologies. This eases the burden on the public health system. Early intervention reduces hospitalisations and the psychiatric medications prescribed resulting in decreased MBS and PBS spending. Intervention for mental health decreases transitions into unemployment, sickness o ....Mental-health intervention and non-urban detection screen project. If, as expected, there is a positive return-on-investment to employers for mental health screening and early intervention, employers will adopt these methodologies. This eases the burden on the public health system. Early intervention reduces hospitalisations and the psychiatric medications prescribed resulting in decreased MBS and PBS spending. Intervention for mental health decreases transitions into unemployment, sickness or disability benefit reducing the societal burden of mental health. Maintaining individuals in employment also increases tax revenue. Increase in employee's productivity serves to increase gross domestic product. The employees, their families, and community's quality of life will improve.Read moreRead less
Child Dental Benefit Policies and the Health of Australian Children. This project aims to examine the early effects of two recent initiatives by the Australian government to improve children’s dental health by providing funds to cover essential dental services for children from disadvantaged families. It explores the factors affecting eligible children’s access to benefits from these initiatives and identifies the causal impacts of these changed health care financing arrangements on children’s c ....Child Dental Benefit Policies and the Health of Australian Children. This project aims to examine the early effects of two recent initiatives by the Australian government to improve children’s dental health by providing funds to cover essential dental services for children from disadvantaged families. It explores the factors affecting eligible children’s access to benefits from these initiatives and identifies the causal impacts of these changed health care financing arrangements on children’s consumption of dental services, indicators of oral health and general health, and other indicators of cognitive and non-cognitive development. Using advanced econometric techniques and panel datasets, this project is expected to contribute to the development of effective policies for promoting health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100663
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$440,850.00
Summary
The Real Price of Health: Experiences of Out-of-Pocket Costs in Australia. This project aims to investigate the experiences and preferences of Australian families and individuals on low, middle, and high incomes in managing the out-of-pocket costs of chronic disease. This project aspires to ensure outcomes that are relevant to the public and patients through involving people living with chronic disease in the research team. The project expects to generate a discrete choice model that describes p ....The Real Price of Health: Experiences of Out-of-Pocket Costs in Australia. This project aims to investigate the experiences and preferences of Australian families and individuals on low, middle, and high incomes in managing the out-of-pocket costs of chronic disease. This project aspires to ensure outcomes that are relevant to the public and patients through involving people living with chronic disease in the research team. The project expects to generate a discrete choice model that describes people with chronic diseases’ preferences, and the trade-offs that they are faced with when deciding how to manage out-of-pocket health costs. The evidence arising from this innovative study will be used to directly inform Australian health policy, leading to wide-ranging health and economic benefits for the whole community.Read moreRead less
The role of taxes and subsidies in promoting healthy lifestyles: an economic analysis. This project will look at two critically important policy relevant questions in public health terms - obesity prevention and changing consumption patterns with respect to drinks consumption, including alcohol.