An International Comparison of Corporate Financial Policy. Our research contributes to the finance discipline, corporate decision making and public policy. Existing empirical literature provides managers with insights on the impact of firm characteristics on corporate financial decisions. However, beyond suggesting that well-functioning banks, equity and bond markets are an integral part of corporate financing, no insight is provided as to the role played by the public policy, legal structures a ....An International Comparison of Corporate Financial Policy. Our research contributes to the finance discipline, corporate decision making and public policy. Existing empirical literature provides managers with insights on the impact of firm characteristics on corporate financial decisions. However, beyond suggesting that well-functioning banks, equity and bond markets are an integral part of corporate financing, no insight is provided as to the role played by the public policy, legal structures and the suppliers of capital. In a market such as Australia, where superannuation is a large and increasing part of corporate funding, this is a glaring omission. This study seeks to examine the impact of public policy, legal and institutional structures on these financial choices.Read moreRead less
An economic analysis of multi-period reform programs. This project aims to use a mechanism design approach to study multi-period reform programs and their use in the transition from status quo institutions. The project intends to shed light on the difficulties of introducing efficiency enhancing long-term policies. Expected outcomes include theoretical models that incorporate adjustment costs, common values, and complicated status quo institutions into models of economic reform from a mechanism ....An economic analysis of multi-period reform programs. This project aims to use a mechanism design approach to study multi-period reform programs and their use in the transition from status quo institutions. The project intends to shed light on the difficulties of introducing efficiency enhancing long-term policies. Expected outcomes include theoretical models that incorporate adjustment costs, common values, and complicated status quo institutions into models of economic reform from a mechanism design perspective as well as optimal dynamic reform policies in the presence of these frictions, focusing attention in the trade-off between static efficiency and dynamic welfare gains. Intended benefits include insights that are wildly applicable to the provision of public infrastructure and management of public resources.Read moreRead less
Chief executive officer pay, incentives, talent and risk-taking: Excessive pay, regulation and the global financial crisis. The Prime Minister has requested the regulators, APRA and Treasury, to come up with rules that would prevent a repeat of the trillion dollar bailouts and guarantees to the financial sector and banks at risk of failure. Excessive pay and risk-taking by bank executives shoulder made the blame for the global crisis that has already cost Australian investors and taxpayers a siz ....Chief executive officer pay, incentives, talent and risk-taking: Excessive pay, regulation and the global financial crisis. The Prime Minister has requested the regulators, APRA and Treasury, to come up with rules that would prevent a repeat of the trillion dollar bailouts and guarantees to the financial sector and banks at risk of failure. Excessive pay and risk-taking by bank executives shoulder made the blame for the global crisis that has already cost Australian investors and taxpayers a sizeable portion of the nation's wealth. The project will greatly assist the regulators in this task. It will also identify compensation practices that reward good long-term performance without excessive pay. This could dramatically raise the performance of Australian companies and ameliorate the problem of dissatisfied investors and taxpayers.Read moreRead less
Evaluating the Performance of Active Australian Equity Managers Utilising their Daily Portfolio Holdings and Trades. The aim is to evaluate the performance of active institutional Australian equity fund managers by statistical and mathematical modelling of their trades. Using a unique dataset of daily portfolio holdings and trades, we compare the trading styles of those who have persistently outperformed the market with those that have not so as to reveal drivers of superior performance. Such a ....Evaluating the Performance of Active Australian Equity Managers Utilising their Daily Portfolio Holdings and Trades. The aim is to evaluate the performance of active institutional Australian equity fund managers by statistical and mathematical modelling of their trades. Using a unique dataset of daily portfolio holdings and trades, we compare the trading styles of those who have persistently outperformed the market with those that have not so as to reveal drivers of superior performance. Such a study has been impossible until now due to non-disclosure of trades. Understanding the fundamental origins of fund performance enhances the overall returns to investors, provides a new ratings system yielding superior information, and redirects the nest-eggs of "mums and dads" towards better-performing managers.Read moreRead less
Measurement and Sources of Productivity Growth under Imperfect Competition. The relative growth performance of countries using net output will free comparisons from the contentious and differing adjustments made by many statistical agencies in an attempt to take account of quality change in capital goods. Thus, Australia will have a better understanding of its relative performance in terms of growth, and thus be better positioned to make informed policy decisions. In addition, whether producti ....Measurement and Sources of Productivity Growth under Imperfect Competition. The relative growth performance of countries using net output will free comparisons from the contentious and differing adjustments made by many statistical agencies in an attempt to take account of quality change in capital goods. Thus, Australia will have a better understanding of its relative performance in terms of growth, and thus be better positioned to make informed policy decisions. In addition, whether productivity growth is mainly driven by technical progress or returns to scale, and the size of monopolistic markups, has a large bearing on how we view the performance of an economy and its potential for future growth.Read moreRead less
Business Profitability and Long Term Industrial Change in Twentieth-Century Australia. This project will establish Australia as a pioneer in longitudinal research into business profitability in terms of assembling new data and its use to analyse the relationship of profitability with capital formation and structural change in the economy. It will extend our knowledge of long-term returns to equity investment, a category of savings and pension funding now common to most Australians, and contribut ....Business Profitability and Long Term Industrial Change in Twentieth-Century Australia. This project will establish Australia as a pioneer in longitudinal research into business profitability in terms of assembling new data and its use to analyse the relationship of profitability with capital formation and structural change in the economy. It will extend our knowledge of long-term returns to equity investment, a category of savings and pension funding now common to most Australians, and contribute to our understanding of Australia's comparative business performance in light of current debates regarding the alleged limited global competitiveness and corporate governance shortcomings of leading Australian corporations.Read moreRead less
Risk management and funding structures: an econometric panel data analysis of health insurance in Australia. This research analyses how subsidies to Australian health insurance, both public and private, vary by income, risk of loss, age and region. It will provide the necessary information to guide future health funding by analysing the equity and efficiency of existing subsidies and alternative subsidies related to individuals' risk of high health costs.
Indian agriculture in the 21st century: The political economy of market reforms. India has emerged to be a key player in the 21st century global economy, with the fortunes of its agricultural sector central to its economic and social transformations. These issues have great relevance beyond India itself, and are of vital interest to Australia. India's prominent role in WTO agricultural negotiations means that its stance on market agriculture will shape the future global politics of food. Using c ....Indian agriculture in the 21st century: The political economy of market reforms. India has emerged to be a key player in the 21st century global economy, with the fortunes of its agricultural sector central to its economic and social transformations. These issues have great relevance beyond India itself, and are of vital interest to Australia. India's prominent role in WTO agricultural negotiations means that its stance on market agriculture will shape the future global politics of food. Using case studies of strategic sites of market reforms, this project will analyse their social and economic outcomes, with the aim to generate an internationally significant assessment of the political economy of Indian agrarian reform.Read moreRead less
Real economy and financial networks. This project aims to analyse the Australian economy from the network perspective. The network approach’s emphasis on the structure of interactions between firms, banks and consumers is important for understanding the economy. The project intends to develop a model of a production network using the input-output links between sectors, including imports and exports, and focusing on credit-lending relations that may cause economic distortions. It also aims to adv ....Real economy and financial networks. This project aims to analyse the Australian economy from the network perspective. The network approach’s emphasis on the structure of interactions between firms, banks and consumers is important for understanding the economy. The project intends to develop a model of a production network using the input-output links between sectors, including imports and exports, and focusing on credit-lending relations that may cause economic distortions. It also aims to advance a theory and estimation methodology for the network formation models useful for prediction and policy analysis. Anticipated benefits include mitigation of economic risks and improved policies.Read moreRead less
Gaze Tracking Haptic User Interface for the Blind. It is estimated over 40 million people suffer from sever visual impairment in the modern world. Although blind people are able to use the computer with the aid of a screen reader and output devices like Braille displays, it remains difficult for the blind to use many applications with Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) due to the need for hand-eye coordination when manipulating screen objects with the mouse. This project intends to overcome this d ....Gaze Tracking Haptic User Interface for the Blind. It is estimated over 40 million people suffer from sever visual impairment in the modern world. Although blind people are able to use the computer with the aid of a screen reader and output devices like Braille displays, it remains difficult for the blind to use many applications with Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) due to the need for hand-eye coordination when manipulating screen objects with the mouse. This project intends to overcome this difficulty by providing a means for the blind to perceive and control the GUI of typical computer applications. This potentially could provide increased computer access, job opportunities and education for the blind.Read moreRead less