International Trade, Climate Change and Economic Policy. The research project addresses the role of, and interactions between, environmental and international trade policies within the context of a global economy with increasingly open economies whose production and consumption activities generate emissions of greenhouse gases that accumulate in the atmosphere and have potentially adverse effects on the world’s climate, which then impacts the environment, production and households. The objective ....International Trade, Climate Change and Economic Policy. The research project addresses the role of, and interactions between, environmental and international trade policies within the context of a global economy with increasingly open economies whose production and consumption activities generate emissions of greenhouse gases that accumulate in the atmosphere and have potentially adverse effects on the world’s climate, which then impacts the environment, production and households. The objective is to develop better understanding of the nexus between the international economy, climate change through the environment, and international trade and environmental policies. It will achieve this objective by analyses of multi-country models of international trade, climate change and policy design.Read moreRead less
International Trade Policy and the Dynamics of Open Economies. The project is concerned with the relationship between an open economy's international trading conditions and the allocation of resources within the economy, particularly over time (dynamic effects). The trading conditions reflect international markets and governments' trade policies. The dynamic effects upon the economy include the rate of growth, saving and inter-generation welfare. The models developed to study these relationship ....International Trade Policy and the Dynamics of Open Economies. The project is concerned with the relationship between an open economy's international trading conditions and the allocation of resources within the economy, particularly over time (dynamic effects). The trading conditions reflect international markets and governments' trade policies. The dynamic effects upon the economy include the rate of growth, saving and inter-generation welfare. The models developed to study these relationships will link international markets with domestic and future markets in a unified and consistent manner. The outcomes include a better theoretical understanding of these relationships and empirical inter-temporal models for the Australian economy that permit measurement of these dynamic effects.Read moreRead less
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
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
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
Experimental evaluation of YP4 - Is 'joining up' services for homeless and jobless people a net benefit to society? This project will provide evidence on the social costs and benefits of programs that seek to 'join up' delivery of government services - with specific reference to young homeless jobseekers. This knowledge has direct application in future design of government policies on implementing programmes for government payment recipients with multiple sources of disadvantage. Furthermore, th ....Experimental evaluation of YP4 - Is 'joining up' services for homeless and jobless people a net benefit to society? This project will provide evidence on the social costs and benefits of programs that seek to 'join up' delivery of government services - with specific reference to young homeless jobseekers. This knowledge has direct application in future design of government policies on implementing programmes for government payment recipients with multiple sources of disadvantage. Furthermore, the project will provide a 'case study' demonstration of the capacity for not-for-profit organisations to independently undertake policy reform, and to implement that reform in a way that allows rigorous evaluation of its effects. The project will also extend research expertise in the area of program evaluation, particularly as applied in the Australian context.Read moreRead less
An Investigation of Chronic and Transitory Poverty in Australia in the Twenty-First Century. People in chronic poverty are unlikely to lead 'healthy, productive or fulfilling' lives. Their unrealized productive and creative potential is a loss to society as well as to the individuals themselves. The information about the intensity of chronic and transitory poverty in Australia that is generated by this project will enable government and charitable institutions to better allocate the substantial ....An Investigation of Chronic and Transitory Poverty in Australia in the Twenty-First Century. People in chronic poverty are unlikely to lead 'healthy, productive or fulfilling' lives. Their unrealized productive and creative potential is a loss to society as well as to the individuals themselves. The information about the intensity of chronic and transitory poverty in Australia that is generated by this project will enable government and charitable institutions to better allocate the substantial resources that they invest annually in programs to assist economically disadvantaged people. The project also has a training function: to develop the research capacity of a postgraduate student who will write a thesis on chronic poverty among children. Read moreRead less
Intergenerational Transmission of Dependence on Income Support: Patterns, Causation and Implications for Australian Social Policy. This project examines the consequences of growing up in an income-support family. The first stage describes the relationship between parents' and children's income-support receipt to determine whether these children are more likely to access income-support programs themselves. Stage 2 identifies the causal mechanisms through which parental income-support receipt in ....Intergenerational Transmission of Dependence on Income Support: Patterns, Causation and Implications for Australian Social Policy. This project examines the consequences of growing up in an income-support family. The first stage describes the relationship between parents' and children's income-support receipt to determine whether these children are more likely to access income-support programs themselves. Stage 2 identifies the causal mechanisms through which parental income-support receipt influences children's outcomes. Identification of these transmission mechanisms is a necessary first step in formulating policies targeted towards breaking any cycle of welfare dependence. This project is innovative in its use of survey data merged to unique administrative data that link the income-support records of some 53,000 young Australians and their parents.
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The impact of income support design on the outcomes of children and youth. This project aims to assess how children from low-income families are affected by welfare policy design in Australia – specifically, by policy intended to influence welfare payment receipt and workforce participation of their parent(s). Causal impacts of policy design on children will be identified and evaluated using unique administrative and survey data, and treating recent welfare reforms in Australia as natural experi ....The impact of income support design on the outcomes of children and youth. This project aims to assess how children from low-income families are affected by welfare policy design in Australia – specifically, by policy intended to influence welfare payment receipt and workforce participation of their parent(s). Causal impacts of policy design on children will be identified and evaluated using unique administrative and survey data, and treating recent welfare reforms in Australia as natural experiments.. This will be the first comprehensive Australian analysis of intergenerational impacts of welfare policy design.Read moreRead less