Small firms' finances: effects on employment, wages and growth. The project aims to estimate how difficulties in accessing financial and credit markets affect small and medium enterprise (SME) decisions about employment, wages, entry and exit. Although the SME sector is Australia’s largest employer, the extent to which financial constraints affect these firms' market performance and their ability to create and sustain employment is unknown. The project plans to use an econometric analysis of fir ....Small firms' finances: effects on employment, wages and growth. The project aims to estimate how difficulties in accessing financial and credit markets affect small and medium enterprise (SME) decisions about employment, wages, entry and exit. Although the SME sector is Australia’s largest employer, the extent to which financial constraints affect these firms' market performance and their ability to create and sustain employment is unknown. The project plans to use an econometric analysis of firm level panel data to fill this gap. The intended outcome is micro-econometric findings tailored to improve targeted labour and financial policy. The expected benefit is to provide input to policy responses that support employment, productivity and wages in volatile market conditions.Read moreRead less
The role of branding and international trademarks in global value chains. The role of branding and international trademarks in global value chains. This project will examine the role of brands and trademarks on global value chains. Trademarks can help firms de-risk, scale up and add value to their offerings. This project will develop a machine learning algorithm to identify international trademark families and extend a novel global trademark family dataset. It will use the dataset to analyse how ....The role of branding and international trademarks in global value chains. The role of branding and international trademarks in global value chains. This project will examine the role of brands and trademarks on global value chains. Trademarks can help firms de-risk, scale up and add value to their offerings. This project will develop a machine learning algorithm to identify international trademark families and extend a novel global trademark family dataset. It will use the dataset to analyse how international trademarks are used and mis-used; how they enable vertical dis-integration and international dispersion of manufacturing production (two central features of global value chains); and how they affect businesses’ ability to enter and compete in global markets. This research should help Australian businesses extend their international reach and policy makers increase domestic gains from global value chains.Read moreRead less
Identifying technological trajectories using machine learning algorithms. This project aims to improve our understanding of why scientific knowledge progresses in certain directions and what causes it to grow faster or slower across fields. The project will create new neural-network machine-learning algorithms to scan patent and scientific article texts (specifications and claims) for natural language concepts. The results will potentially be used by patent offices to improve their own database ....Identifying technological trajectories using machine learning algorithms. This project aims to improve our understanding of why scientific knowledge progresses in certain directions and what causes it to grow faster or slower across fields. The project will create new neural-network machine-learning algorithms to scan patent and scientific article texts (specifications and claims) for natural language concepts. The results will potentially be used by patent offices to improve their own database search, by business analytics companies to reveal new technologies and potential collaborators, and by academic economists to understand how knowledge travels and accumulates.
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The relationship between firm innovation and performance and the role of the government. Productivity growth in Australia has plateaued. Although Federal and State Governments employ a range of different innovation policies designed to stimulate productivity growth, little is known about the effects these programs, and of innovation more generally, on firm performance. One reason why this relationship is unknown relates to the availability of firm-level data. This project, will take advantage of ....The relationship between firm innovation and performance and the role of the government. Productivity growth in Australia has plateaued. Although Federal and State Governments employ a range of different innovation policies designed to stimulate productivity growth, little is known about the effects these programs, and of innovation more generally, on firm performance. One reason why this relationship is unknown relates to the availability of firm-level data. This project, will take advantage of unique access to a dataset provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics which enables us to observe the activities of every firm in Australia. Using these data and appropriate econometric techniques, the study will examine the effect of a range of government policies designed to stimulate innovation and productivity growth. Read moreRead less
Natural resources and ecosystem services in productivity measurement. This project aims to understand sources of productivity growth through addressing theoretical and practical problems in the economics of natural resources and ecosystem services. It will study the valuation of non-renewable resources and ecosystem services, acknowledging their contributions to economic activity and the effect on national income from their depletion and degradation. It will develop approaches to incorporating n ....Natural resources and ecosystem services in productivity measurement. This project aims to understand sources of productivity growth through addressing theoretical and practical problems in the economics of natural resources and ecosystem services. It will study the valuation of non-renewable resources and ecosystem services, acknowledging their contributions to economic activity and the effect on national income from their depletion and degradation. It will develop approaches to incorporating natural resource depletion and degradation into productivity analysis with the aim of better informing environmental, innovation and industry policy.Read moreRead less
Determining the factors influencing the success of private and community-owned Indigenous businesses across remote, regional and urban Australia. The main benefit of this project is a thorough understanding of the challenges facing Indigenous enterprises in a range of geographical, economic and social settings. The research will identify and determine the importance of a broad range of factors which influence the success of Indigenous enterprises.
Research to enhance measurement, understanding, and policy regulatory approaches to emerging markets and trade in mothers' milk. Innovation affecting human milk supply challenges current regulation of infant food, but new markets in human milk assist the economic valuation of breastfeeding. Mothers are finding new ways to share their milk, and milk banking and human milk-based products are emerging as alternatives to commercial infant formula. This project builds on previous world-leading Austra ....Research to enhance measurement, understanding, and policy regulatory approaches to emerging markets and trade in mothers' milk. Innovation affecting human milk supply challenges current regulation of infant food, but new markets in human milk assist the economic valuation of breastfeeding. Mothers are finding new ways to share their milk, and milk banking and human milk-based products are emerging as alternatives to commercial infant formula. This project builds on previous world-leading Australian research into the economics of breastfeeding. It aims to increase understanding of markets in milk for infants and inform regulation of milk markets and milk exchange. It will investigate key features of these markets, how milk is priced, and how to access data on market prices which might improve the social and economic valuation of breastfeeding.Read moreRead less