Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100608
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$396,000.00
Summary
The economic and social consequences of illicit drug markets. This project aims to understand the economic and social effects of illicit drugs. An estimated one-quarter of a billion people use illicit drugs each year. This causes major health and personal problems, while the violence and organised crime associated with illicit drug markets affect society. This project will apply econometric techniques to administrative and survey data to establish the long-term causal effects of illicit drug mar ....The economic and social consequences of illicit drug markets. This project aims to understand the economic and social effects of illicit drugs. An estimated one-quarter of a billion people use illicit drugs each year. This causes major health and personal problems, while the violence and organised crime associated with illicit drug markets affect society. This project will apply econometric techniques to administrative and survey data to establish the long-term causal effects of illicit drug markets on crime, health, education and employment. The results are expected to show how illicit drug policies can improve health and well-being in communities.Read moreRead less
A benefit-cost analysis of the Early Years Education Program. This project undertakes a benefit-cost analysis of the Early Years Education Program (EYEP). EYEP is an innovative early years education and childcare program for children at risk of abuse and neglect that is being trialled by the Children’s Protection Society in Melbourne. The use of the randomised evaluation method in the trial, the innovative and extensive nature of EYEP, the inter-disciplinary research team, and the breadth of dat ....A benefit-cost analysis of the Early Years Education Program. This project undertakes a benefit-cost analysis of the Early Years Education Program (EYEP). EYEP is an innovative early years education and childcare program for children at risk of abuse and neglect that is being trialled by the Children’s Protection Society in Melbourne. The use of the randomised evaluation method in the trial, the innovative and extensive nature of EYEP, the inter-disciplinary research team, and the breadth of data collection, provide the opportunity to complete a high quality benefit-cost analysis that will be internationally unique. Results from the study have the potential to influence the design of childcare and education for 30,000 at-risk children in Australia, as well as informing approaches in regular childcare.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101270
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The behavioural birthdate effect: the impact of relative position within cohorts on risk aversion, self-confidence and aspiration levels. The 'birthdate effect' describes the phenomenon where children born just after the school entry cut off date are more successful in life than those born just before. This project will study why these children make very different life choices, those born just after the cut-off date are expected to take greater risks and have higher self esteem.
Income inequality and mobility in Australia, Great Britain and the US. A major debate is raging on the growth of income inequality, especially in Anglo-Saxon countries. This project will use a cross-national framework to investigate income inequality and mobility in Australia, Britain and the United States of America. It will re-evaluate the tax-based evidence and reconcile it with household survey evidence. Using household panel data, it will comprehensively examine income mobility patterns, us ....Income inequality and mobility in Australia, Great Britain and the US. A major debate is raging on the growth of income inequality, especially in Anglo-Saxon countries. This project will use a cross-national framework to investigate income inequality and mobility in Australia, Britain and the United States of America. It will re-evaluate the tax-based evidence and reconcile it with household survey evidence. Using household panel data, it will comprehensively examine income mobility patterns, using a variety of mobility measures. It aims to show the sensitivity of income inequality and mobility patterns and trends to broader income measures. The project also aims to provide policymakers with a more accurate and complete understanding of Australian income inequality and mobility trends and their drivers within an international context.Read moreRead less
Consequences of water reform and changing farm adaptation in the Basin. This project aims to evaluate the consequences of, and lessons learned from, the past two decades of water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). In particular, it will examine the recent economic and farm consequences of water recovery. Australia is over halfway through implementation of the MDB Plan, and has spent over $6 billion in water recovery to achieve basin-wide resilience, with billions more still committed. Pro ....Consequences of water reform and changing farm adaptation in the Basin. This project aims to evaluate the consequences of, and lessons learned from, the past two decades of water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). In particular, it will examine the recent economic and farm consequences of water recovery. Australia is over halfway through implementation of the MDB Plan, and has spent over $6 billion in water recovery to achieve basin-wide resilience, with billions more still committed. Project expected outcomes include pioneering new methods to track how MDB irrigation efficiency, productivity and other farm outcomes have changed as a response to water reform. It will also draw lessons from both national and international case studies to consequently inform more effective water management.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL190100164
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,336,000.00
Summary
Water Justice: Indigenous Water Valuation and Resilient Decision-making . The aim is to value water and support resilient decision-making for water justice. Its significance is to provide missing socio-cultural-environmental values of First Peoples water, the absence of which means Indigenous demands for water justice are frequently ignored. Project outcomes will empower First Peoples and support resilient and evidence-based decision-making. The key benefit is a sustainable Australia through: fi ....Water Justice: Indigenous Water Valuation and Resilient Decision-making . The aim is to value water and support resilient decision-making for water justice. Its significance is to provide missing socio-cultural-environmental values of First Peoples water, the absence of which means Indigenous demands for water justice are frequently ignored. Project outcomes will empower First Peoples and support resilient and evidence-based decision-making. The key benefit is a sustainable Australia through: first-ever conjoint socio-cultural values of First Peoples’ water; transformative decision-making to account for Indigenous values and risks (such as droughts); and a Water Justice Hub to create a generation of scholars in integrated water valuation, resilient decision-making, and Traditional Water Knowledge. Read moreRead less
Policy-Related Lessons from the Econometric Analysis of Life Satisfaction Data in Australia. Our analyses will provide important information to policy-makers aiming to design policies that improve Australia's economic and social fabric. In particular, we will inform on the response of Australians to major life-events such as unemployment, ill-health or marital dissolution, but also exogenous shocks including drought and terrorism. Major focus will be on differentiating the determinants of life s ....Policy-Related Lessons from the Econometric Analysis of Life Satisfaction Data in Australia. Our analyses will provide important information to policy-makers aiming to design policies that improve Australia's economic and social fabric. In particular, we will inform on the response of Australians to major life-events such as unemployment, ill-health or marital dissolution, but also exogenous shocks including drought and terrorism. Major focus will be on differentiating the determinants of life satisfaction between rural and urban communities in Australia, and investigating the response of these communities to drought conditions. Moreover, we believe that a detailed international comparison using German and UK data will provide unique evidence on the relative quality of life in Australia and the role of culture and institutions. Read moreRead less
Multidisciplinary analysis of financial reference points and wellbeing. The aim is to find how to improve financial decisions (i) during unexpected economic shocks, and (ii) by the socially disadvantaged. The project will produce the first large-scale evidence on heterogeneity in benchmarks (reference points) against which people evaluate financial alternatives and the role of such benchmarks in financial risk-taking and in creating and perpetuating economic inequality. The expected outcomes inc ....Multidisciplinary analysis of financial reference points and wellbeing. The aim is to find how to improve financial decisions (i) during unexpected economic shocks, and (ii) by the socially disadvantaged. The project will produce the first large-scale evidence on heterogeneity in benchmarks (reference points) against which people evaluate financial alternatives and the role of such benchmarks in financial risk-taking and in creating and perpetuating economic inequality. The expected outcomes include transformed interdisciplinary understanding of financial decisions and significantly greater capacity for multidisciplinary collaboration. The findings will inform policy on promoting financial wellbeing and to mitigate the devastating effects of sudden economic shocks such as that of COVID-19.Read moreRead less
The Economics of Envy. Envy is persistent and universal. It may help explain why humans are relatively less hierarchical than other primate species and prone to egalitarianism. Envy may help explain the formation of political and social structures and taxation and redistribution policies. This project will examine how in-group and out-group bias, social/economic mobility, and luck versus ability exacerbate and mitigate social preference and when these factors result in destructive and/or constru ....The Economics of Envy. Envy is persistent and universal. It may help explain why humans are relatively less hierarchical than other primate species and prone to egalitarianism. Envy may help explain the formation of political and social structures and taxation and redistribution policies. This project will examine how in-group and out-group bias, social/economic mobility, and luck versus ability exacerbate and mitigate social preference and when these factors result in destructive and/or constructive envy. This investigation contributes to the understanding of envy and its behavioural manifestations. Understanding the correlates of social preferences and the resulting behaviour is important for developing policy to reduce destructive envy and encourage constructive envy. Read moreRead less
An economic study of charitable giving. This project aims to study the motivations for charitable giving and helping behaviour and how these motivations interact with external factors under different institutions.Recent data from 2015 show that charitable donations in Australia have fallen to a 30-year low. Although real GDP has increased, inequality has risen. Social norms and perceptions relating to disadvantaged people can influence donor motivations. The anticipated goal is to design initiat ....An economic study of charitable giving. This project aims to study the motivations for charitable giving and helping behaviour and how these motivations interact with external factors under different institutions.Recent data from 2015 show that charitable donations in Australia have fallen to a 30-year low. Although real GDP has increased, inequality has risen. Social norms and perceptions relating to disadvantaged people can influence donor motivations. The anticipated goal is to design initiatives that influence prosocial activities such as charitable giving, redistribution, refugee intake and migrant integration, and improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms of prosocial behaviour.Read moreRead less