Inequality, Trade, and Technology. This project aims to improve our understanding of the causes of rising income inequality in the world economy and in Australia since the early 1980s. We focus on the increasing building costs and imports of machinery as significant contributors to the increasing inequality. We hypothesize 1) that the increasing costs of buildings have reduced the demand for workers that are complementary to non-residential building capital; thus, reducing real wages; and 2) tha ....Inequality, Trade, and Technology. This project aims to improve our understanding of the causes of rising income inequality in the world economy and in Australia since the early 1980s. We focus on the increasing building costs and imports of machinery as significant contributors to the increasing inequality. We hypothesize 1) that the increasing costs of buildings have reduced the demand for workers that are complementary to non-residential building capital; thus, reducing real wages; and 2) that the marked increase in imports of machinery since the 1960s has reduced the demand for unskilled labour and widened the employment and wage gap between skilled and unskilled labour. Both factors may have driven the increasing inequality in Australia.
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Inequality and economic growth. This project aims to identify forces driving inequality. Piketty’s influential book, Capital in the 21st Century, stimulated research on inequality to address the increased public concern about inequality and its side-effects such as reduced growth. Piketty proposes three laws that explain and predict inequality paths over time, but there is no empirical evidence or theoretical foundations for these laws. This project will examine Piketty’s laws and investigate fa ....Inequality and economic growth. This project aims to identify forces driving inequality. Piketty’s influential book, Capital in the 21st Century, stimulated research on inequality to address the increased public concern about inequality and its side-effects such as reduced growth. Piketty proposes three laws that explain and predict inequality paths over time, but there is no empirical evidence or theoretical foundations for these laws. This project will examine Piketty’s laws and investigate factors that shape inequality and its relation to growth. This knowledge should enable Australian governments to reduce inequality and benefit economic growth, thereby reducing disadvantage and building stronger, more resilient communities.Read moreRead less
Investigating imprecision in preferences and its possible consequences for economics and economic choices. When people's preferences are not clear, their choices become variable and susceptible to theoretically irrelevant influences. Examples can be found in surveys of preferences intended to inform public policy in areas such as health, safety and the environment. Understanding the nature of imprecision in people's values and choices is also likely to be crucial for consumers' ability to advan ....Investigating imprecision in preferences and its possible consequences for economics and economic choices. When people's preferences are not clear, their choices become variable and susceptible to theoretically irrelevant influences. Examples can be found in surveys of preferences intended to inform public policy in areas such as health, safety and the environment. Understanding the nature of imprecision in people's values and choices is also likely to be crucial for consumers' ability to advance their interests in our complex, choice-filled society. We plan to draw out some of the implications of our experimental work on preference imprecision for consumer behaviour and existing business practices, including the regulation of fair trading.Read moreRead less
Sustaining India's economic transformation: challenges, prospects and implications for Australia and the Pacific region. India's emergence from economic stagnation is beginning to have a profound impact on the world economy, including Australia. This project aims to investigate the sources of India's growth and the reforms needed to ensure that growth generates reductions in poverty and ensures equity and political stability.
Theoretically-motivated Long-term Internet Network Adoption Based on Short Time-series: Understanding the Diffusion of an Enabling Network Technology. A recent Government policy concerns innovation as a driver of long-term industry growth and a major determinant of global competitiveness. In particular, the Internet is a ?backbone? infrastructure for the conduct e-commerce, and enables efficiency benefits and product innovations to be realized in other sectors, e.g., banking, finance, health and ....Theoretically-motivated Long-term Internet Network Adoption Based on Short Time-series: Understanding the Diffusion of an Enabling Network Technology. A recent Government policy concerns innovation as a driver of long-term industry growth and a major determinant of global competitiveness. In particular, the Internet is a ?backbone? infrastructure for the conduct e-commerce, and enables efficiency benefits and product innovations to be realized in other sectors, e.g., banking, finance, health and tourism. This study estimates the network effect critical to forecasting Internet growth. Moreover, a structural model enhances understanding of underlying Internet dynamics and impacts on general economic conditions. Importantly, methods developed here apply to any network industry, and many non-network industries characterised by strong complementarity relations.Read moreRead less
Economic Growth and Real Exchange Rates. Exchange rate movements are important elements of Australia's economic environment. Protectionist interests in the US and Europe, constrained by WTO trade rules, accuse East Asian economies of deliberate undervaluation. While exchange rate movements are not readily predictable in the short run, long run changes in underlying real exchange rates are amenable to economic analysis using structural models. The clearer understanding of these forces, toward ....Economic Growth and Real Exchange Rates. Exchange rate movements are important elements of Australia's economic environment. Protectionist interests in the US and Europe, constrained by WTO trade rules, accuse East Asian economies of deliberate undervaluation. While exchange rate movements are not readily predictable in the short run, long run changes in underlying real exchange rates are amenable to economic analysis using structural models. The clearer understanding of these forces, toward which this project is directed, will better guide investment in the region, including in Australia, and more importantly, it will better inform future policy debates surrounding currency movements.Read moreRead less
Government, Institutions and Economic Activity: A Long Term Analysis. Using national and regional data for 30 to 50 countries over multiple centuries, this project will examine the effects of itemised government expenditure and revenue on productivity, investment, saving, labour force participation and research and development. The results are expected to shed light on the macroeconomic effects of different revenue and spending categories (education, transfers, and so on). In addition, the proje ....Government, Institutions and Economic Activity: A Long Term Analysis. Using national and regional data for 30 to 50 countries over multiple centuries, this project will examine the effects of itemised government expenditure and revenue on productivity, investment, saving, labour force participation and research and development. The results are expected to shed light on the macroeconomic effects of different revenue and spending categories (education, transfers, and so on). In addition, the project aims to determine which factors have been responsible for the increase of government size over the past two centuries. The results aim to further reveal which government revenue and expenditure items are most conducive to economic welfare and growth.Read moreRead less
The World Economy, India and Exchange Banks: 1850 - 1914. This project aims to examine how exchange banks linked India to an expanding world economy between 1850 and 1914, and to show, in turn, how this process was defined by an imperial relationship that tied India to Britain. Its significance lies in the fact that while the exchange banks were central to the circulation of capital during this period, their crucial role in shaping the development of capitalism in India has been largely ignored. ....The World Economy, India and Exchange Banks: 1850 - 1914. This project aims to examine how exchange banks linked India to an expanding world economy between 1850 and 1914, and to show, in turn, how this process was defined by an imperial relationship that tied India to Britain. Its significance lies in the fact that while the exchange banks were central to the circulation of capital during this period, their crucial role in shaping the development of capitalism in India has been largely ignored. Expected outcomes include conference presentations, at least three articles, a monograph, and a digitised map that links time and space in outlining the spread of such banks.Read moreRead less
Workplace Interventions To Reduce The Cost Of Neck Problems In Office Personnel
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$660,834.00
Summary
Neck pain in office workers is a major burden in industry in terms of lost productivity and personal suffering. This research will evaluate a novel intervention for the prevention and management of neck pain in computer users. The impact and value of neck specific exercises and best practice office ergonomics will be evaluated from the employers (productivity loss) and workers perspective (severity of neck pain). The findings will directly benefit future management of this significant health iss ....Neck pain in office workers is a major burden in industry in terms of lost productivity and personal suffering. This research will evaluate a novel intervention for the prevention and management of neck pain in computer users. The impact and value of neck specific exercises and best practice office ergonomics will be evaluated from the employers (productivity loss) and workers perspective (severity of neck pain). The findings will directly benefit future management of this significant health issue.Read moreRead less
Global production networks and worker representation in Myanmar. This project aims to assess the impact of global production networks on worker representation in Myanmar’s garment sector, which is leading the country’s integration into global supply chains at this crucial time in its economic and political development. This project’s findings will be used to theorise how complex interactions between different economic and social actors across geographic scale affect the rights and interests of g ....Global production networks and worker representation in Myanmar. This project aims to assess the impact of global production networks on worker representation in Myanmar’s garment sector, which is leading the country’s integration into global supply chains at this crucial time in its economic and political development. This project’s findings will be used to theorise how complex interactions between different economic and social actors across geographic scale affect the rights and interests of garment workers, and the quality of their employment. This will provide significant benefits that will make an important contribution to scholarly understandings of the impact of labour agency on global production networks and provide a strong evidence base for decision-making by local and international stakeholders.Read moreRead less