Changing children’s chances: Exploring pathways to developmental inequities. This project aims to investigate the causes of health and developmental inequities between Australian children. Inequities are increasingly observed in Australian children’s physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and academic learning. Such inequities are unjust, unnecessary and potentially preventable. This project aims to understand the pathways leading to these inequities by examining the many contexts in w ....Changing children’s chances: Exploring pathways to developmental inequities. This project aims to investigate the causes of health and developmental inequities between Australian children. Inequities are increasingly observed in Australian children’s physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and academic learning. Such inequities are unjust, unnecessary and potentially preventable. This project aims to understand the pathways leading to these inequities by examining the many contexts in which children and their families live and grow. Through a series of innovative analyses using existing data, the project aims to identify potentially modifiable factors at the child, family, school, and community level that contribute to developmental inequities. Understanding of the most promising leverage points for interventions to reduce inequities for Australian children could be used to inform policy.Read moreRead less
Taking control: variations in forced psychiatric treatment in the community. This interdisciplinary project aims to produce a comprehensive understanding of the drivers underpinning variations in the use of legal orders to enforce psychiatric treatment in the community without consent. Australia’s rate of use of these controversial orders is very high and there are unexplained variations in rates of use within and between jurisdictions, with some minority groups disproportionately affected. Unco ....Taking control: variations in forced psychiatric treatment in the community. This interdisciplinary project aims to produce a comprehensive understanding of the drivers underpinning variations in the use of legal orders to enforce psychiatric treatment in the community without consent. Australia’s rate of use of these controversial orders is very high and there are unexplained variations in rates of use within and between jurisdictions, with some minority groups disproportionately affected. Uncovering this knowledge will act as a form of procedural justice for those who have had their human rights limited by compulsion. This knowledge is expected to lead to innovations in law and policy, with subsequent organisational and system improvements, generating profound benefits for those affected by forced treatment. Read moreRead less
Policy orientation of non-health sectors to social determinants of health. This project aims to advance understanding of how Australian government policies in four sectors (justice, environment, planning, and industry) are oriented to action on social determinants of health equity (SDHE), including Indigenous health. Evidence shows that government policy in all sectors affects health. The World Health Organization and the United Nations have called for whole-of-government approaches to SDHE. The ....Policy orientation of non-health sectors to social determinants of health. This project aims to advance understanding of how Australian government policies in four sectors (justice, environment, planning, and industry) are oriented to action on social determinants of health equity (SDHE), including Indigenous health. Evidence shows that government policy in all sectors affects health. The World Health Organization and the United Nations have called for whole-of-government approaches to SDHE. The project plans to apply theory to understand how policy values and strategies in the selected sectors provide for or present barriers to this approach. Expected project outcomes will produce evidence for policy-makers on how to strengthen policy coherence across sectors to address SDHE more effectively in order to promote Australian health and reduce health inequities.Read moreRead less
Weighing the impact: How do Australian families interpret and respond to population messaging about obesity, weight loss and physical activity? How do adults and adolescents - both fat and thin - respond to the range of obesity messages that they are exposed to in their everyday lives? This study investigates the attitudes and opinions of 150 families about current obesity campaigns, and will develop a practical template for improving current obesity messaging strategies.
Evaluating consumer product regulatory responses to improve child safety. This project aims to quantify the level of similarity between consumer product regulatory practices and child injuries, and compare national approaches. Consumer product safety regulation operates in a global and ‘virtual’ market. Online purchasing, limited border protection and distance between suppliers and consumers make monitoring and enforcing product safety more difficult for regulators, putting consumers at risk. A ....Evaluating consumer product regulatory responses to improve child safety. This project aims to quantify the level of similarity between consumer product regulatory practices and child injuries, and compare national approaches. Consumer product safety regulation operates in a global and ‘virtual’ market. Online purchasing, limited border protection and distance between suppliers and consumers make monitoring and enforcing product safety more difficult for regulators, putting consumers at risk. A rapid responsive product safety system that operates across sectors and borders is an international priority. This project expects to close gaps in consumer regulatory practice and safety policy.Read moreRead less
Road safety and Aboriginal people. This study will involve an in-depth examination of factors underlying the high involvement in road crashes by Aboriginal people in Australia. Using mixed methods in six communities across NSW and South Australia it will inform development of new programs aimed at closing the gap in this important area.
Identifying optimal daily levels of movement behaviours in early childhood. This project aims to discover how much physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep young children need each day to best support their development. Through the creation of an international database and the application of innovative analytics, the project seeks to determine the optimal daily balance of these behaviours that results in the best developmental outcomes for young children. The project is expected to infor ....Identifying optimal daily levels of movement behaviours in early childhood. This project aims to discover how much physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep young children need each day to best support their development. Through the creation of an international database and the application of innovative analytics, the project seeks to determine the optimal daily balance of these behaviours that results in the best developmental outcomes for young children. The project is expected to inform national movement behaviour guidelines. The expected benefit for parents and professionals is improved confidence in supporting children’s physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep. The expected benefit for children is positive development, given the broad impacts of these behaviours on health and well-being.Read moreRead less
Political Risk, Institutions and Regulatory Regimes: Business, Foreign Investment and Public Administration in Asia. Rating accurately the risk environment of emerging economies has always been problematic. Insufficiently developed methodological tools and the lack of institutional and regulatory data make the process imprecise. This project overcomes this problem, developing a new industry based risk assessment system for understanding political risk to commercial activities and foreign investo ....Political Risk, Institutions and Regulatory Regimes: Business, Foreign Investment and Public Administration in Asia. Rating accurately the risk environment of emerging economies has always been problematic. Insufficiently developed methodological tools and the lack of institutional and regulatory data make the process imprecise. This project overcomes this problem, developing a new industry based risk assessment system for understanding political risk to commercial activities and foreign investors in nine of Asia's most rapidly developing economies. The study, one of the first to correlate institutional and regulatory forms to the incidence, severity and recurrence of risk, will deepen our knowledge of political and regulatory institutions in Asia and provide investors with the ability to navigate those environments successfully. Read moreRead less
China’s changing internal migration: patterns, causes, policy implications. China’s massive internal migration is no longer simply rural–urban and circular but highly diversified. The project aims to unravel that transition: its patterns, causes, and effects. Using 2020 census data and major longitudinal datasets, a China variant of Zelinsky’s classic mobility transition theory will be developed and deployed to identify underlying mechanisms. Among expected outcomes are powerful methods for asse ....China’s changing internal migration: patterns, causes, policy implications. China’s massive internal migration is no longer simply rural–urban and circular but highly diversified. The project aims to unravel that transition: its patterns, causes, and effects. Using 2020 census data and major longitudinal datasets, a China variant of Zelinsky’s classic mobility transition theory will be developed and deployed to identify underlying mechanisms. Among expected outcomes are powerful methods for assessing spatio-temporal migration patterns and causes, applicable to many economies especially in the Asia–Pacific. Benefits should include a new evidence base for migration and related urban–rural policy in China; and for Australia, policy inputs to improve prosperity through better relations with our biggest trading partner.Read moreRead less
Intra-household resource allocations of older couples. This project aims to analyse processes and outcomes within older households using national, large-scale representative data and mixed methods research design. In an ageing population where households are becoming responsible for provisioning retirement needs, understanding what happens in older couple households is important. The project expects to influence policy by generating evidence relevant to the design of regulations governing the al ....Intra-household resource allocations of older couples. This project aims to analyse processes and outcomes within older households using national, large-scale representative data and mixed methods research design. In an ageing population where households are becoming responsible for provisioning retirement needs, understanding what happens in older couple households is important. The project expects to influence policy by generating evidence relevant to the design of regulations governing the allocation of superannuation assets, tax incentives for alternative forms of retirement savings, asset and income tests on the Age Pension, and initiatives targeting older Australians’ financial literacy.Read moreRead less