A study of consumers' competence when choosing between complex mobile phone contracts and the regulatory implications of their coping strategies. The main outcome of this project will be a better understanding of which kinds of mobile phone contracts and methods of displaying them to potential users are the biggest sources of decision making errors, and which techniques for coping with a plethora of such contracts are the most reliable ones. This knowledge will be used to derive recommendations ....A study of consumers' competence when choosing between complex mobile phone contracts and the regulatory implications of their coping strategies. The main outcome of this project will be a better understanding of which kinds of mobile phone contracts and methods of displaying them to potential users are the biggest sources of decision making errors, and which techniques for coping with a plethora of such contracts are the most reliable ones. This knowledge will be used to derive recommendations for consumer policy agencies and advice for consumers that will increase financial welfare and reduce mental stress for consumers. Some of the findings may have implications for regulators seeking to design consumer protection policies in other area where firms deliberately offer customers opaque contracts.Read moreRead less
The demand and supply of retirement provision. Population and a shrinking public sector mean increasing self-provision for retirement. This project examines various aspects of private retirement provision, focussing on both demand and supply in the retirement income industry. It will analyse institutional features of markets, pension funds and policy structures, and their implications for saving and investment behaviour, life-long financial strategies, efficient resource allocation, and retireme ....The demand and supply of retirement provision. Population and a shrinking public sector mean increasing self-provision for retirement. This project examines various aspects of private retirement provision, focussing on both demand and supply in the retirement income industry. It will analyse institutional features of markets, pension funds and policy structures, and their implications for saving and investment behaviour, life-long financial strategies, efficient resource allocation, and retirement income adequacy. Specially emphasised will be: the role of housing as a retirement asset; the impact of governance structure on pension fund administration; and firm technology and employer-sponsored pension plans. Empirical research will embrace Australia, Japan and the US, allowing international comparison.Read moreRead less
Private Responses to Demographic Change and Pension Reform in Urban China. Social, economic, and political stability in China is important for Australia and its business community due to the sheer size of China and its market. The rapid aging and significant social welfare reform is a potential instability source. This project contributes to the improvement of policy making in this area, which will enhance China's long term stability. This study provides detailed information on Chinese household ....Private Responses to Demographic Change and Pension Reform in Urban China. Social, economic, and political stability in China is important for Australia and its business community due to the sheer size of China and its market. The rapid aging and significant social welfare reform is a potential instability source. This project contributes to the improvement of policy making in this area, which will enhance China's long term stability. This study provides detailed information on Chinese household behaviour in pension financing, which may be helpful to the Australian business sector in making judgments on important economic relationships in the Chinese insurance market. Australia is also facing a changing age structure and seeking financial solutions. Our study may feed into improved research in this area.Read moreRead less
The Wealth and Asset Holdings of Native- and Foreign-born Australian Families. The national/community benefits of this project are twofold. First, understanding net worth, portfolio allocation, and wealth accumulation is central to a number of Australian policy debates. Our ability to lessen the budget pressures caused by population aging will rest on finding incentives for families to accumulate more personal wealth, while the ability of immigration to solve this budget problem rests on determi ....The Wealth and Asset Holdings of Native- and Foreign-born Australian Families. The national/community benefits of this project are twofold. First, understanding net worth, portfolio allocation, and wealth accumulation is central to a number of Australian policy debates. Our ability to lessen the budget pressures caused by population aging will rest on finding incentives for families to accumulate more personal wealth, while the ability of immigration to solve this budget problem rests on determining whether foreign- and native-born families accumulate wealth in the same way. Second, this project allows Australia to make a unique contribution to the international evidence on the relationship between race, ethnicity, and nativity and economic well being. Read moreRead less
International comparisons of retirement decisions and well-being of mature age populations: applied micro-economic analyses. Australia needs a pension reform to promote longer working lives of mature people in a health- and productivity-enhancing way, that is also financially sustainable. This study uses cutting-edge methodology and data to analyse decisions surrounding how mature people disengage from employment towards their eventual permanent retirement, and how these decisions relate to thei ....International comparisons of retirement decisions and well-being of mature age populations: applied micro-economic analyses. Australia needs a pension reform to promote longer working lives of mature people in a health- and productivity-enhancing way, that is also financially sustainable. This study uses cutting-edge methodology and data to analyse decisions surrounding how mature people disengage from employment towards their eventual permanent retirement, and how these decisions relate to their health and well-being. It compares and contrasts Australia with the UK, Germany and the US to derive lessons for developing evidence-based pension reform. International comparative research enables the identification of important policy, institutional and/or cultural differences and lessons that may well be missed by single country studies.Read moreRead less
What are the determinants and effects of school choice? An international comparison between Australia and the UK. The project will provide a clearer picture of the determinants of school choice, most notably the impact of economic phenomena on that choice. For Australia, this will mean we have a better understanding of the competing explanations of the growth of students at private schools over the past three decades: the role of government subsidies; the role of demographic changes; the effec ....What are the determinants and effects of school choice? An international comparison between Australia and the UK. The project will provide a clearer picture of the determinants of school choice, most notably the impact of economic phenomena on that choice. For Australia, this will mean we have a better understanding of the competing explanations of the growth of students at private schools over the past three decades: the role of government subsidies; the role of demographic changes; the effects of increased income inequality; and the role of changes in preferences towards private schools. This information will provide a better evidence base for future policy development in this area.Read moreRead less
Determining urban water conservation and management strategies: a novel approach using field experiment and survey data. The project's national benefits are consistent with the research priorities that evaluate an environmentally sustainable Australia through efficient and sustainable water use. The project explores how households react to different demand side instruments and identifies water saving strategies preferred by the public. The findings can be used by decision-makers to select eff ....Determining urban water conservation and management strategies: a novel approach using field experiment and survey data. The project's national benefits are consistent with the research priorities that evaluate an environmentally sustainable Australia through efficient and sustainable water use. The project explores how households react to different demand side instruments and identifies water saving strategies preferred by the public. The findings can be used by decision-makers to select effective instruments to enhance water conservation, reduce water consumption and therefore use water sustainably according to Australia's ecological means. Read moreRead less
New Econometric Evidence on the Roles of Socio-Economic Characteristics and Lifestyle Choices in Determining Child and Adult Health Outcomes. This research is directly relevant to the National Research Priority 'Promoting and Maintaining Good Health'. It will provide detailed information on issues such as the extent of socio-economic differentials in child and adult health, the role of income redistribution in reducing health inequalities, the effectiveness of the national health system in prote ....New Econometric Evidence on the Roles of Socio-Economic Characteristics and Lifestyle Choices in Determining Child and Adult Health Outcomes. This research is directly relevant to the National Research Priority 'Promoting and Maintaining Good Health'. It will provide detailed information on issues such as the extent of socio-economic differentials in child and adult health, the role of income redistribution in reducing health inequalities, the effectiveness of the national health system in protecting the health of children from the poorest families, and the role of lifestyle choices in determining health outcomes. Attention will be paid to the effects of alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise and diet in the context of adult and childhood obesity. There will also be new insights on the relative importance of 'nature' versus 'nurture' in determining child health.Read moreRead less
Estimation of School Cost Functions. The main objective of the project is to determine the efficient school size for government schools. To achieve this cost functions for WA government schools will be estimated. Knowledge of the cost functions will shed light on whether regional non-government schools are disadvantaged by Federal and Sate funding models, the impact of school size and expenditure on outcomes and the extent of savings or costs as the enrolment shares of private and public schools ....Estimation of School Cost Functions. The main objective of the project is to determine the efficient school size for government schools. To achieve this cost functions for WA government schools will be estimated. Knowledge of the cost functions will shed light on whether regional non-government schools are disadvantaged by Federal and Sate funding models, the impact of school size and expenditure on outcomes and the extent of savings or costs as the enrolment shares of private and public schools changes. Knowledge of the latter is critical to the proper functioning of the Enrolment Benchmark Adjustment (EBA) used to address cost-shifting in Commonwealth-State education funding arrangements.Read moreRead less
Uncertain Intellectual Property Rights and Start-Up Commercialisation Strategy. This project will consider a perviously unexploited fact about the patent process: that there is a lag between patent application and patent granting during which important trade in ideas (e.g., licensing or other cooperative agreements) can take place. At both theoretical and empirical, we will attempt to understand the drivers of pre-patent licensing and its impact on Coasian bargaining. The aim is to better unders ....Uncertain Intellectual Property Rights and Start-Up Commercialisation Strategy. This project will consider a perviously unexploited fact about the patent process: that there is a lag between patent application and patent granting during which important trade in ideas (e.g., licensing or other cooperative agreements) can take place. At both theoretical and empirical, we will attempt to understand the drivers of pre-patent licensing and its impact on Coasian bargaining. The aim is to better understand the effects of uncertain property rights on the efficient operation of markets for ideas.Read moreRead less