Commodity booms and busts: Implications for the Australian economy. In 2007-08 the share of mining in Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was the highest for at least four decades and mining investment had more than doubled over the previous four years, now accounting for one-quarter of all private investment. This, and accompanying surges in employment and economic growth, came courtesy of a spectacular surge in global mineral, energy and agricultural commodity prices. Controversy still ....Commodity booms and busts: Implications for the Australian economy. In 2007-08 the share of mining in Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was the highest for at least four decades and mining investment had more than doubled over the previous four years, now accounting for one-quarter of all private investment. This, and accompanying surges in employment and economic growth, came courtesy of a spectacular surge in global mineral, energy and agricultural commodity prices. Controversy still surrounds the causes of the most recent and previous commodity booms and busts. The results from this proposed project would aid policy making and business decisions in commodity sectors, particularly with respect to the roles of supply-side constraints and the approval processes for new Australian resource development projects.Read moreRead less
Youth in Australia: Education and Work. This project examines, in an integrated way, the education decisions, transition from school to work, and the early labour market experience of youth from 1975 to the present time. The recent emphasis on Australia as a Knowledge Nation and a New Economy indicates that study of education decisions is a high priority. Similarly, pathways from school to work and the cumulative disadvantage that many youth experience in the labour market are leading contempo ....Youth in Australia: Education and Work. This project examines, in an integrated way, the education decisions, transition from school to work, and the early labour market experience of youth from 1975 to the present time. The recent emphasis on Australia as a Knowledge Nation and a New Economy indicates that study of education decisions is a high priority. Similarly, pathways from school to work and the cumulative disadvantage that many youth experience in the labour market are leading contemporary economic and social issues. The project is expected to yield insights into the determinants of educational attainment, best pathways and the channels of influence on labour market success and failure that will be policy relevant and publishable in refereed journals.Read moreRead less
Wage Determination and the New Household Economics. By linking wage outcomes and occupational attainment to home time activities and the human capital and other characteristics of partners, this project should help establish the basis for the payoffs to schooling, the gender pay gap and the marriage wage premium in Australia. A focus on the household allocation of time, with a possible emphasis on child care, may emerge as an important consideration in discussion of the gender wage gap, and of ....Wage Determination and the New Household Economics. By linking wage outcomes and occupational attainment to home time activities and the human capital and other characteristics of partners, this project should help establish the basis for the payoffs to schooling, the gender pay gap and the marriage wage premium in Australia. A focus on the household allocation of time, with a possible emphasis on child care, may emerge as an important consideration in discussion of the gender wage gap, and of the glass ceiling effects shown in recent research and in the media to be an important feature of the Australian labour market.Read moreRead less
Examining Overeducation and Undereducation in the Immigrant Labour Market: An International Case Study Approach. Overseas research has shown that wages and job satisfaction are affected by the degree to which workers' skills are matched to the requirements of their jobs. Examination of this issue for Australia within an international case study approach will identify avenues through which the matching function of the labour market can be improved, and hence economic efficiency enhanced. This wil ....Examining Overeducation and Undereducation in the Immigrant Labour Market: An International Case Study Approach. Overseas research has shown that wages and job satisfaction are affected by the degree to which workers' skills are matched to the requirements of their jobs. Examination of this issue for Australia within an international case study approach will identify avenues through which the matching function of the labour market can be improved, and hence economic efficiency enhanced. This will benefit Australia in that it will provide a basis through which worker satisfaction, lifetime outcomes and aggregate output can be enhanced through a more effective use of our skill-base, and hence permit a strengthening of our social and economic fabric. Read moreRead less
Higher Education: Access and Equity. This project will study the determinants of the mix of higher education participants within a comprehensive framework that will provide empirical evidence on the fundamental issues of access and equity in the higher education system. It will examine the consequences of the current funding arrangements for higher education in Australia, and explore potential modifications to these funding arrangements. This project should help strengthen the higher educatio ....Higher Education: Access and Equity. This project will study the determinants of the mix of higher education participants within a comprehensive framework that will provide empirical evidence on the fundamental issues of access and equity in the higher education system. It will examine the consequences of the current funding arrangements for higher education in Australia, and explore potential modifications to these funding arrangements. This project should help strengthen the higher education sector, and so help Australia to compete in an increasingly technology-driven marketplace. The outcomes of the project will include discussion papers, workshops and a number of papers in international, refereed journals, and in this way it will increase, and render more informed, debate on higher education issues in Australia. As the Industry Partner is the Department of Education, Science and Training, the research will be conducted within a dynamic policy setting.Read moreRead less
High-skilled immigrants: Improved methods for enhancing absorption and addressing negative assimilation. This project will help Australia to design better migration and immigrant settlement policies. It will provide policy-makers with information on the economic and social adjustment of high-skilled immigrants in a global economy, and hasten the contribution of these immigrants to the development of Australia's technological capabilities. This, in turn, will increase Australia's production oppor ....High-skilled immigrants: Improved methods for enhancing absorption and addressing negative assimilation. This project will help Australia to design better migration and immigrant settlement policies. It will provide policy-makers with information on the economic and social adjustment of high-skilled immigrants in a global economy, and hasten the contribution of these immigrants to the development of Australia's technological capabilities. This, in turn, will increase Australia's production opportunities. The research will also help ensure that highly trained researchers are available for acquiring the knowledge that is important in a multicultural society such as Australia, and will further enhance our understanding of our region and the world.Read moreRead less
Modelling non-linear price dynamics of primary commodities that are affected by seasonality, significant storage costs, and slow adjustment. Australia's economy relies substantially on exports of commodities. However, recent volatility of commodity prices has created tremendous uncertainties for traders, producers and consumers of those commodities. This adversely affects our national economy through the disruption of agricultural and mining production, and also more broadly impacts on investmen ....Modelling non-linear price dynamics of primary commodities that are affected by seasonality, significant storage costs, and slow adjustment. Australia's economy relies substantially on exports of commodities. However, recent volatility of commodity prices has created tremendous uncertainties for traders, producers and consumers of those commodities. This adversely affects our national economy through the disruption of agricultural and mining production, and also more broadly impacts on investment, employment and gross domestic income. This research will model more accurately the complex dynamics of primary commodity prices and their inter-market linkages, which will allow traders, producers and consumers to better forecast commodity price movements and protect themselves through inventory management, hedging and long-run production planning.Read moreRead less
Forecasting Risk Thresholds for Portfolio Management and Regulation. The project will develop new models and methods for dynamic risk modelling, assessment of portfolio risk, and forecasting of portfolio risk thresholds. These novel methods will have extensive applications across investment portfolios for banks and financial institutions globally. The techniques will feature a dynamic updating of risk estimates, and more accurate forecasting of portfolio risk, the correlations of portfolio asset ....Forecasting Risk Thresholds for Portfolio Management and Regulation. The project will develop new models and methods for dynamic risk modelling, assessment of portfolio risk, and forecasting of portfolio risk thresholds. These novel methods will have extensive applications across investment portfolios for banks and financial institutions globally. The techniques will feature a dynamic updating of risk estimates, and more accurate forecasting of portfolio risk, the correlations of portfolio asset classes, and Value at Risk (VaR) thresholds. The innovative methods and models will permit both financial institutions and regulatory authorities to model VaR thresholds more accurately, and enable investment managers to regulate and benchmark their portfolios more effectively against international best practice.
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Exchange Rates and Commodity Prices in a Volatile Business Environment. In recent years, many Australian companies have been hurt by the large movements in the value of the Australian dollar, by their inability to forecast these movements, and by deficiencies of their hedging strategies to deal with foreign-exchange risk. This project will develop an alternative way of forecasting the $A in real time using a new methodology, based on purchasing power parity, that shows much promise. Additional ....Exchange Rates and Commodity Prices in a Volatile Business Environment. In recent years, many Australian companies have been hurt by the large movements in the value of the Australian dollar, by their inability to forecast these movements, and by deficiencies of their hedging strategies to deal with foreign-exchange risk. This project will develop an alternative way of forecasting the $A in real time using a new methodology, based on purchasing power parity, that shows much promise. Additionally, an innovative way to analyse gold prices will be further developed, which when combined with the $A forecasts, offers a potentially valuable method of hedging foreign exchange and commodity price risk faced by Australian gold producers.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102593
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
New household economics and the earnings and labour supply of Indigenous Australians. By linking individuals' labour market outcomes with those of their family members and studying career progress, the project provides new insights on the factors that determine labour supply and earnings for Indigenous Australians. It will also offer a foundation for recommendations for overcoming Indigenous Australian's labour market disadvantages.