Origins, evolution, and economic cost of gender norms. Gender norms are slow to change, and key drivers of economic development. This proposal leverages natural experiments to test their causal implications on two major channels of economic growth: the trust shared by individuals and the productivity of firms. It will use cutting-edge empirical techniques to generate novel measures of diversity and inclusion for Australian firms, and will conduct original fieldwork, matching experimental measure ....Origins, evolution, and economic cost of gender norms. Gender norms are slow to change, and key drivers of economic development. This proposal leverages natural experiments to test their causal implications on two major channels of economic growth: the trust shared by individuals and the productivity of firms. It will use cutting-edge empirical techniques to generate novel measures of diversity and inclusion for Australian firms, and will conduct original fieldwork, matching experimental measures of trust and cooperation with variation in traditional male versus female roles. This research aims at improving fundamental knowledge about how cultural norms shape economic outcomes and anticipates delivering practical policy recommendations for more efficient and inclusive economic growth. Read moreRead less
Determinants, Motives and Channels of Pacific Island Workers' Remittances from Australia. This research will inform current policy debate on the benefits to migrant-sending communities of expanding migration opportunities for migrants from the Pacific islands through targeted worker schemes. Australian industry and agricultural employers are experiencing acute labour shortages while Pacific island governments are urging Australia and New Zealand to open their labour markets to low-skilled worker ....Determinants, Motives and Channels of Pacific Island Workers' Remittances from Australia. This research will inform current policy debate on the benefits to migrant-sending communities of expanding migration opportunities for migrants from the Pacific islands through targeted worker schemes. Australian industry and agricultural employers are experiencing acute labour shortages while Pacific island governments are urging Australia and New Zealand to open their labour markets to low-skilled workers in the face of growing unemployment and political instability. The findings will also provide Australian foreign aid organisations with a better understanding of the way in which migrants' remittances are determined and migrant's interaction with money transfer agencies.Read moreRead less
Health and Intergenerational Poverty in a Developing Country. The alleviation of poverty is a major policy objective of the Indonesian government. As one of Indonesia's closest neighbours and allies, Australia has a special interest in the economic and social wellbeing of Indonesia. This interest is often expressed through financial aid and through the sharing of expertise. This research aims to contribute to this expertise by investigating whether health is a mechanism that transmits poverty ....Health and Intergenerational Poverty in a Developing Country. The alleviation of poverty is a major policy objective of the Indonesian government. As one of Indonesia's closest neighbours and allies, Australia has a special interest in the economic and social wellbeing of Indonesia. This interest is often expressed through financial aid and through the sharing of expertise. This research aims to contribute to this expertise by investigating whether health is a mechanism that transmits poverty across generations of Indonesians. 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.Read moreRead less
Inequality of health, wealth and education in China. This project aims to examine whether China’s recent increase in income inequality is associated with increased inequalities in other well-being related outcomes: health, education and wealth. It also aims to identify the factors associated with increases in inequalities. Significant increases in income and wealth inequality could have detrimental effects on economic and political stability. The expected outcomes from this project will help to ....Inequality of health, wealth and education in China. This project aims to examine whether China’s recent increase in income inequality is associated with increased inequalities in other well-being related outcomes: health, education and wealth. It also aims to identify the factors associated with increases in inequalities. Significant increases in income and wealth inequality could have detrimental effects on economic and political stability. The expected outcomes from this project will help to identify policies useful in addressing inequalities and enhancing stability within Australia's important trading partner.Read moreRead less
A New Phase and New Issues of Rural-Urban Migration in China. China’s urbanisation has come to a turning point. The large pool of rural young workers (16-25 years of age), which fed the industrialisation needs of the 1990s and 2000s, has exhausted. Future growth needs to rely on the increase in the length of stay of the existing migrants and the increase in older new migrants. Due to this shift, the institutional restrictions, which deter family migration, become the key challenge. This project ....A New Phase and New Issues of Rural-Urban Migration in China. China’s urbanisation has come to a turning point. The large pool of rural young workers (16-25 years of age), which fed the industrialisation needs of the 1990s and 2000s, has exhausted. Future growth needs to rely on the increase in the length of stay of the existing migrants and the increase in older new migrants. Due to this shift, the institutional restrictions, which deter family migration, become the key challenge. This project examines the cost of the migration restrictions (shortened labour supply and reduced human capital accumulation for the current and next generation migrants: their education, health and pro-social behaviour); and the best way to reform the restrictions on family migration and the priority for the reform.Read moreRead less
Private Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Distribution, and Social Welfare Reform in Urban China. During the 1990s, when the Chinese urban labour market and social security reforms accelerated, average urban household wealth increased more than three fold and the distribution of wealth widened. We will document this significant change and examine its relationship to past and future social welfare reform. This project will:
· Be the first study of wealth accumulation and distribution in China over th ....Private Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Distribution, and Social Welfare Reform in Urban China. During the 1990s, when the Chinese urban labour market and social security reforms accelerated, average urban household wealth increased more than three fold and the distribution of wealth widened. We will document this significant change and examine its relationship to past and future social welfare reform. This project will:
· Be the first study of wealth accumulation and distribution in China over the 1990s.
· Add to our knowledge of the interrelationship between wealth accumulation, distribution and political power during economic transition.
· Contribute to a better design of a new social welfare system.
· Develop lessons and policy implications that will be broadly applicable to most transitional and developing economies.
The project will produce at least seven journal articles and one book.
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Optimal Tax Policy Meets Modern Labour Supply Theory. This project aims to generate new evidence on the optimal design of the federal tax system. Specifically, it seeks to determine the optimal combination of taxes on income, capital and consumption to raise necessary revenue while minimizing disincentives for work and capital formation. The project is innovative because, for the first time, it does optimal tax calculations using models that account fully for how taxes affect human capital inves ....Optimal Tax Policy Meets Modern Labour Supply Theory. This project aims to generate new evidence on the optimal design of the federal tax system. Specifically, it seeks to determine the optimal combination of taxes on income, capital and consumption to raise necessary revenue while minimizing disincentives for work and capital formation. The project is innovative because, for the first time, it does optimal tax calculations using models that account fully for how taxes affect human capital investment and labour force participation. It aims to enhance or understanding of the optimal mix between taxes on earnings, capital and consumption, and the optimal degree of income tax progressivity. The benefit is a tax system better designed to promote economic efficiency and human capital formation. Read moreRead less
Skills, productivity, and wages: Theory and evidence . This project aims to build a macroeconomic model to help understand the implications of heterogeneity in workers skills for wages and productivity.
The research significance of this project is in its treatment of worker skills as an indivisible bundle. This bundling of skills gives rise to the possibility that a given skill is priced differently in different occupations which in turn has implications for firms' incentives to invest in tech ....Skills, productivity, and wages: Theory and evidence . This project aims to build a macroeconomic model to help understand the implications of heterogeneity in workers skills for wages and productivity.
The research significance of this project is in its treatment of worker skills as an indivisible bundle. This bundling of skills gives rise to the possibility that a given skill is priced differently in different occupations which in turn has implications for firms' incentives to invest in technology and training and workers' incentives to invest in education.
This project uses state of the art economic theory and empirical methods and expects to provide a new and better understanding of the sources of wage growth that helps guide national policy formation in innovation and training.
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Structural Adjustment, Income Risk, and Human Capital Specificity. This project will build a macroeconomic model to attempt to understand how an economy should manage structural adjustment to economic shocks (such as a substantial change in trade policy, significant exchange rate appreciation, or major technological change) in order to induce the reallocation of labour and other factors of production across different sectors of the economy. Two key features of the model will be human capital spe ....Structural Adjustment, Income Risk, and Human Capital Specificity. This project will build a macroeconomic model to attempt to understand how an economy should manage structural adjustment to economic shocks (such as a substantial change in trade policy, significant exchange rate appreciation, or major technological change) in order to induce the reallocation of labour and other factors of production across different sectors of the economy. Two key features of the model will be human capital specificity, that is, skills may not be easily transferrable across sectors of the economy, and incomplete markets for income risk so that the burdens of adjustment may be concentrated on displaced workers rather than being efficiently shared. Various policies for managing adjustment will be evaluated quantitatively.Read moreRead less
International exchanges of knowledge, temporary skilled labour movements, and Australia's economic growth. It is known that skilled labour is a significant source of economic growth as it creates new knowledge and innovation, and that Australia, like other countries, uses policies to attract skilled migrants. It is less known however that thousands of skilled workers also migrate temporarily, often to exchange knowledge. Whilst the effect of permanent migration is widely researched, this project ....International exchanges of knowledge, temporary skilled labour movements, and Australia's economic growth. It is known that skilled labour is a significant source of economic growth as it creates new knowledge and innovation, and that Australia, like other countries, uses policies to attract skilled migrants. It is less known however that thousands of skilled workers also migrate temporarily, often to exchange knowledge. Whilst the effect of permanent migration is widely researched, this project will examine the economic impact of short-term labour movements. Using data from DIMIA and surveying temporary migrants, this project will analyse the consequences of temporary labour movements on Australia's innovation ability, productivity and economic growth, contributing to develop migration policy.Read moreRead less