Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101260
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,821.00
Summary
Tackling obesity: What role for behavioural and standard economics? The international community is grappling with the obesity epidemic. Behavioural economics has gained international attention by offering insights into individual decision making that can potentially be used in policy to nudge individuals to change their behaviour to improve their health. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding its likely success in this endeavour. This project uses discrete choice and economic laborato ....Tackling obesity: What role for behavioural and standard economics? The international community is grappling with the obesity epidemic. Behavioural economics has gained international attention by offering insights into individual decision making that can potentially be used in policy to nudge individuals to change their behaviour to improve their health. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding its likely success in this endeavour. This project uses discrete choice and economic laboratory experiments to investigate social acceptability of, and predicted behaviour change in response to, a range of behavioural and standard economic inspired policies. Results will inform optimal investment and targeting of policy to prevent and reduce obesity.Read moreRead less
Flexible methods for latent variable models applied to Health Economics. This project aims to develop flexible and powerful methods for estimating models containing variables that are unobserved, that is, latent. Such models are often used to capture individual heterogeneity and time dependence in data collected on individuals, with each individual observed for several time periods. Latent variables can also infer group membership, where such membership is unavailable from the data. The intended ....Flexible methods for latent variable models applied to Health Economics. This project aims to develop flexible and powerful methods for estimating models containing variables that are unobserved, that is, latent. Such models are often used to capture individual heterogeneity and time dependence in data collected on individuals, with each individual observed for several time periods. Latent variables can also infer group membership, where such membership is unavailable from the data. The intended methodology is Bayesian and based on new particle methods that allow users to select between models and predict future observations even in complex situations. The research aims to inform decision making through improved use of data in health economics and related fields.Read moreRead less
Econometric studies of the dynamics of loneliness and social isolation. This project aims to provide new insights into the socioeconomic dynamics of loneliness and social isolation using advanced econometric modelling techniques applied to longitudinal data from Australia and the UK. This project will apply advanced econometric modelling techniques to data from four nationally-representative longitudinal surveys to substantively help address these knowledge gaps, giving policy-makers new informa ....Econometric studies of the dynamics of loneliness and social isolation. This project aims to provide new insights into the socioeconomic dynamics of loneliness and social isolation using advanced econometric modelling techniques applied to longitudinal data from Australia and the UK. This project will apply advanced econometric modelling techniques to data from four nationally-representative longitudinal surveys to substantively help address these knowledge gaps, giving policy-makers new information about how to address these growing societal concerns. The expected outcomes will provide policy-makers with a better understanding of the socioeconomic triggers for loneliness and social isolation; quantify the costs of loneliness and social isolation on health and wellbeing; and identify policy interventions aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100141
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,000.00
Summary
Creating food environments that encourage healthy eating. The aim of this project is to trial scalable and sustainable interventions that encourage healthy purchasing and eating behaviours in supermarket settings. Most food in Australia is purchased in supermarkets and unhealthy eating is the greatest contributor to Australian life years lost. The project will assess the effect of a range of interventions on purchases of healthy and unhealthy foods and the financial impact on the retailer in eig ....Creating food environments that encourage healthy eating. The aim of this project is to trial scalable and sustainable interventions that encourage healthy purchasing and eating behaviours in supermarket settings. Most food in Australia is purchased in supermarkets and unhealthy eating is the greatest contributor to Australian life years lost. The project will assess the effect of a range of interventions on purchases of healthy and unhealthy foods and the financial impact on the retailer in eight supermarkets and a novel virtual supermarket. The economic analysis aims to ensure that successful public policy interventions are translatable to other retailers.Read moreRead less
Alcohol, tobacco and gambling expenditure and socioeconomic inequalities. Drinking, smoking and gambling are common lifestyle risk behaviors, which constitute critical social and health challenges for Australia. This project is the first study to examine trends in household expenditure on alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and other goods and services over the past 30 years. More importantly, this project pioneers analysis of the associations between alcohol, tobacco and gambling expenditure and housin ....Alcohol, tobacco and gambling expenditure and socioeconomic inequalities. Drinking, smoking and gambling are common lifestyle risk behaviors, which constitute critical social and health challenges for Australia. This project is the first study to examine trends in household expenditure on alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and other goods and services over the past 30 years. More importantly, this project pioneers analysis of the associations between alcohol, tobacco and gambling expenditure and housing and socioeconomic inequalities over time. The research findings will provide key insights into the changing place of these three risk behaviors in Australian society and inform future public policies to reduce problem drinking, smoking and gambling and related harms. Read moreRead less
Equitable funding for health care: integrating social outcomes. This project will develop an innovative method for decision makers to achieve more equitable allocation of scarce health care resources. Health programs and treatments affect not just health (survival & health related quality of life) but also broader aspects of well-being (e.g. dignity, autonomy, safety). Our current methods for evaluating value for money in health do not capture these aspects. The project will provide benefit by a ....Equitable funding for health care: integrating social outcomes. This project will develop an innovative method for decision makers to achieve more equitable allocation of scarce health care resources. Health programs and treatments affect not just health (survival & health related quality of life) but also broader aspects of well-being (e.g. dignity, autonomy, safety). Our current methods for evaluating value for money in health do not capture these aspects. The project will provide benefit by allowing health system decision makers to achieve fairer allocation of resources across diverse health conditions, interventions and patient populations. Expected outcomes include a new tool for assessing interventions and measuring population health incorporating both health and social outcomes. Read moreRead less
How to make other people happy. The contribution individuals can make to the happiness of others. The field of wellbeing has burgeoned in the last two decades. Economists have joined psychologists, health professionals and other social scientists to address the question of how society can be made happier. The literature to date has largely focused on how individuals can attain happiness by addressing personal psychological and health issues. This project offers a different perspective by asking ....How to make other people happy. The contribution individuals can make to the happiness of others. The field of wellbeing has burgeoned in the last two decades. Economists have joined psychologists, health professionals and other social scientists to address the question of how society can be made happier. The literature to date has largely focused on how individuals can attain happiness by addressing personal psychological and health issues. This project offers a different perspective by asking the question: What can be done to make others happy? In particular, this project focuses on: the effect we have on the happiness of our partners and children; how we optimally handle information as individuals and as a society, to make other people happy; how we can make our neighbourhoods happy; and how we can make other countries happy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100647
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,996.00
Summary
What do Australians really care about? New survey and experimental evidence. This project aims to provide detailed investigations into the relative importance of key life domains, for example health and relationships, at different life stages and their links with the subjective wellbeing of Australians. It will use nationally representative survey data and innovative choice experiments to generate new knowledge to the rapidly expanding economics literature on subjective wellbeing measures and in ....What do Australians really care about? New survey and experimental evidence. This project aims to provide detailed investigations into the relative importance of key life domains, for example health and relationships, at different life stages and their links with the subjective wellbeing of Australians. It will use nationally representative survey data and innovative choice experiments to generate new knowledge to the rapidly expanding economics literature on subjective wellbeing measures and individual and societal welfare. This evidence will help prioritise those policies which maximise the wellbeing of Australians.Read moreRead less
Modelling community preferences for health policy: how choice experiments can inform the organisation of acute health services for older Australians. This work will provide vital information on community preferences to inform health policy regarding how we should best organise acute healthcare for older Australians. It addresses one of the most pressing health policy issues in Australia: how to maintain a sustainable, equitable and responsive health care system, in the face of an ageing populati ....Modelling community preferences for health policy: how choice experiments can inform the organisation of acute health services for older Australians. This work will provide vital information on community preferences to inform health policy regarding how we should best organise acute healthcare for older Australians. It addresses one of the most pressing health policy issues in Australia: how to maintain a sustainable, equitable and responsive health care system, in the face of an ageing population.Read moreRead less
A health economic model for the development and evaluation of innovations in aged care: an application to consumer directed care. This project will investigate the preferences, quality of life outcomes and cost effectiveness of a new consumer directed care approach to community aged care service delivery for older people. The applicability of a health economic model in the development and economic evaluation of innovations in aged care service delivery will be demonstrated.