The evolution of Australian enterprises, 1990 to 2007 : An empirical analysis of the relationship between turbulence among firms, productivity, growth and exports. This project will examine determinants and effects of enterprise entry and exit on growth, export and productivity in Australian industry using innovative panel enterprise data sets which have been collated and linked from existing ABS surveys, administrative data and accounting data. Currently, there is only one short longitudinal en ....The evolution of Australian enterprises, 1990 to 2007 : An empirical analysis of the relationship between turbulence among firms, productivity, growth and exports. This project will examine determinants and effects of enterprise entry and exit on growth, export and productivity in Australian industry using innovative panel enterprise data sets which have been collated and linked from existing ABS surveys, administrative data and accounting data. Currently, there is only one short longitudinal enterprise data set in Australia. Further data sets are required if policy makers are to understand patterns and causes of growth and business survival in Australia. Understanding provided from these studies should significantly improve our undertanding of how businesses perform.Read moreRead less
Measuring Hospital Performance: Outputs, Quality of Care, Competition and Efficiency. Hospitals are a critical component of the health infrastructure. An understanding of the performance of hospitals is important in shaping an overall health care strategy. Unfortunately, assessing hospital performance has been fraught with difficulties. A major obstacle is in defining and measuring the outputs and quality of hospitals. Collaborating with the Victorian Department of Human Services, and using t ....Measuring Hospital Performance: Outputs, Quality of Care, Competition and Efficiency. Hospitals are a critical component of the health infrastructure. An understanding of the performance of hospitals is important in shaping an overall health care strategy. Unfortunately, assessing hospital performance has been fraught with difficulties. A major obstacle is in defining and measuring the outputs and quality of hospitals. Collaborating with the Victorian Department of Human Services, and using the Department's VAED datasets, we aim to develop a framework within which unobservable quality dimensions can be estimated, so that hospital output and quality can be accounted for. The framework will be useful for addressing pertinent health policy issues, including hospital funding, specialisation, and competition issues.Read moreRead less
Transport and productivity, a study on Australia's largest trading partner. This project aims to study how transport infrastructure supports innovations, productivity gains, and industrial development. This project will study the effects of this development on productivity and resource allocation in the manufacturing sector, output and efficiency growth, and the spatial allocation of capital and labour inputs. The project expects to build a geospatial database covering China's full transportatio ....Transport and productivity, a study on Australia's largest trading partner. This project aims to study how transport infrastructure supports innovations, productivity gains, and industrial development. This project will study the effects of this development on productivity and resource allocation in the manufacturing sector, output and efficiency growth, and the spatial allocation of capital and labour inputs. The project expects to build a geospatial database covering China's full transportation network from 1993-2014, merge this database with manufacturing plants’ longitudinal data, and apply (quasi)-natural experiments for analyses. Knowledge derived from this project will be significant for Australia because China’s productivity, resource allocation, and competitive advantage directly impact Australia’s industrial development, employment and sustainable economic growth.Read moreRead less
Small firms' finances: effects on employment, wages and growth. The project aims to estimate how difficulties in accessing financial and credit markets affect small and medium enterprise (SME) decisions about employment, wages, entry and exit. Although the SME sector is Australia’s largest employer, the extent to which financial constraints affect these firms' market performance and their ability to create and sustain employment is unknown. The project plans to use an econometric analysis of fir ....Small firms' finances: effects on employment, wages and growth. The project aims to estimate how difficulties in accessing financial and credit markets affect small and medium enterprise (SME) decisions about employment, wages, entry and exit. Although the SME sector is Australia’s largest employer, the extent to which financial constraints affect these firms' market performance and their ability to create and sustain employment is unknown. The project plans to use an econometric analysis of firm level panel data to fill this gap. The intended outcome is micro-econometric findings tailored to improve targeted labour and financial policy. The expected benefit is to provide input to policy responses that support employment, productivity and wages in volatile market conditions.Read moreRead less
Uncertainty and the success of innovation. This proposal outlines an empirically-oriented project, with strong conceptual foundations, that will add significantly to our understanding of the barriers to successful commercial exploitation of innovations in Australia. There is currently no other applied work in this area in Australia of this scope and empirical content. Our approach adopts a rigorous approach to the measurement of innovation and performance, and looks at the effect of uncertainty ....Uncertainty and the success of innovation. This proposal outlines an empirically-oriented project, with strong conceptual foundations, that will add significantly to our understanding of the barriers to successful commercial exploitation of innovations in Australia. There is currently no other applied work in this area in Australia of this scope and empirical content. Our approach adopts a rigorous approach to the measurement of innovation and performance, and looks at the effect of uncertainty on the relationship between the two. The results of this exercise will translate into both government and corporate policy.Read moreRead less
The Market for Technology in Australia. Over the last 5 years, formalised markets for technology have accelerated in the US. However, there is no recognised formal market in Australia. Results from our primary data collection and analysis will highlight whether deficiencies in the market for technology are creating obstacles for the commercialisation of Australian technology. This is a particularly important issue for Australia given our relative isolation arising from geographical distance and ....The Market for Technology in Australia. Over the last 5 years, formalised markets for technology have accelerated in the US. However, there is no recognised formal market in Australia. Results from our primary data collection and analysis will highlight whether deficiencies in the market for technology are creating obstacles for the commercialisation of Australian technology. This is a particularly important issue for Australia given our relative isolation arising from geographical distance and lack of attachment to a major trading bloc such as the EU or NAFTA.Read moreRead less
The efficiency of the global patent system. This project will be the first study in the world to combine a new international patent database with more in-depth local information from Australia, Japan, US, Europe and Chinese Asia (China, Taiwan). The patent system should be globally consistent; simple and cost effective to use; parsimonious in the grant of monopoly rights; and provide a level playing field for all inventors. Existing empirical evidence indicates that the patent system is current ....The efficiency of the global patent system. This project will be the first study in the world to combine a new international patent database with more in-depth local information from Australia, Japan, US, Europe and Chinese Asia (China, Taiwan). The patent system should be globally consistent; simple and cost effective to use; parsimonious in the grant of monopoly rights; and provide a level playing field for all inventors. Existing empirical evidence indicates that the patent system is currently inefficient and this has negative effects on our Research and Development sector.Read moreRead less
The impact of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) on economic growth and productivity, and the role of Government Policy. While it is widely agreed that the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has many national benefits, the role of law and policy on the extent of ICT uptake and related productivity effects have not been directly researched. A stronger research base on the role of law and policy on the use and economic effects of ICT can potentially create a numb ....The impact of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) on economic growth and productivity, and the role of Government Policy. While it is widely agreed that the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has many national benefits, the role of law and policy on the extent of ICT uptake and related productivity effects have not been directly researched. A stronger research base on the role of law and policy on the use and economic effects of ICT can potentially create a number of national and community benefits. It can assist Governments and firms to isolate the drivers of the information economy and economic growth; it can facilitate the development of appropriate policy and legislation, and inform better administration of existing policies.Read moreRead less
Identifying technological trajectories using machine learning algorithms. This project aims to improve our understanding of why scientific knowledge progresses in certain directions and what causes it to grow faster or slower across fields. The project will create new neural-network machine-learning algorithms to scan patent and scientific article texts (specifications and claims) for natural language concepts. The results will potentially be used by patent offices to improve their own database ....Identifying technological trajectories using machine learning algorithms. This project aims to improve our understanding of why scientific knowledge progresses in certain directions and what causes it to grow faster or slower across fields. The project will create new neural-network machine-learning algorithms to scan patent and scientific article texts (specifications and claims) for natural language concepts. The results will potentially be used by patent offices to improve their own database search, by business analytics companies to reveal new technologies and potential collaborators, and by academic economists to understand how knowledge travels and accumulates.
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Tackling the Tough Problems in Productivity Measurement: Infrastructure, Services and R&D. Productivity is seen as a main driver of economic growth and welfare improvements. Productivity indexes are used in a variety of policy contexts, in particular in determining the effectiveness (or otherwise) of government policies. Most industrialized countries have productivity accounts, but measurement problems persist and may even be more problematic in the future given an expansion in new goods and ser ....Tackling the Tough Problems in Productivity Measurement: Infrastructure, Services and R&D. Productivity is seen as a main driver of economic growth and welfare improvements. Productivity indexes are used in a variety of policy contexts, in particular in determining the effectiveness (or otherwise) of government policies. Most industrialized countries have productivity accounts, but measurement problems persist and may even be more problematic in the future given an expansion in new goods and services. Improved productivity measurement and an improved understanding of its sources can inform aggregate and regional policy. The project includes collaboration with the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Productivity Commission, with the participation of the Reserve Bank of Australia.Read moreRead less