The New Politics of Trade: Complexity, Innovation and Policy Development in the Asia Pacific Region. In Australia and the Asia Pacific region the negotiation of bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements has become a central element of the foreign economic policies of many countries. The outcomes of the project will have particular relevance for Australia: understanding how our trade partners determine their trade agendas, and being able to identify potential allies and obstacles to ....The New Politics of Trade: Complexity, Innovation and Policy Development in the Asia Pacific Region. In Australia and the Asia Pacific region the negotiation of bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements has become a central element of the foreign economic policies of many countries. The outcomes of the project will have particular relevance for Australia: understanding how our trade partners determine their trade agendas, and being able to identify potential allies and obstacles to the securing of bilateral trade agreements, is crucial for the successful negotiation and conclusion of trade agreements. This project will contribute to our understanding of how the processes of globalization are reconfiguring interactions between government, business and civil society both within and across national boundaries. Read moreRead less
The World Trade Organisation and the future of the multilateral trade system. Using a qualitative methodology to investigate the views of trade policy communities in the major players in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), this project investigates how the WTO can be adapted and strengthened to meet 21st century trade policy challenges. A major outcome will be a deeper understanding of what ails the WTO and how it can be reformed.
International Trade, Income Distribution and Welfare. In an era of growing international integration, the measurement of aggregate gains from globalization and their distribution is a major policy concern. While it is natural to think of policy makers as designing policy in response to the distribution of income, the fact that firms may also want to exploit the same information has received less attention. This omission is important since firms routinely utilise such information when designing p ....International Trade, Income Distribution and Welfare. In an era of growing international integration, the measurement of aggregate gains from globalization and their distribution is a major policy concern. While it is natural to think of policy makers as designing policy in response to the distribution of income, the fact that firms may also want to exploit the same information has received less attention. This omission is important since firms routinely utilise such information when designing products and setting prices, resulting in very different welfare outcomes across income groups. This project develops a framework that incorporates this aspect of firm behaviour to re-evaluate the implications of globalization, especially how it affects the distribution of gains and losses. Read moreRead less
ASEAN+3 Free Trade Agreement and Its Impact on Australia-Vietnam Trade. The ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and Korea) free trade agreement endorsed by ASEAN Leaders in 2001 poses a serious trade diversion threat to Australia's goods and services trade to ASEAN and North Asia (reaching $33.9b and $85.0b respectively in 2001, see DFAT 2003). No research on this has been done or reported. The project, with Vietnam Institute for Trade collaboration, uses new analytical and empirical approaches to investigate ....ASEAN+3 Free Trade Agreement and Its Impact on Australia-Vietnam Trade. The ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and Korea) free trade agreement endorsed by ASEAN Leaders in 2001 poses a serious trade diversion threat to Australia's goods and services trade to ASEAN and North Asia (reaching $33.9b and $85.0b respectively in 2001, see DFAT 2003). No research on this has been done or reported. The project, with Vietnam Institute for Trade collaboration, uses new analytical and empirical approaches to investigate this FTA and its implications to Australia's trade to a major ASEAN country, namely Vietnam, where 2002 trade reached $2.8b and Australia's global companies (eg. ANZ, Telstra, RMIT) currently have large operation.Read moreRead less
A Neo-Heckscher-Ohlin Model of Trade with Endogenous Production Patterns. The ongoing debate regarding the expected benefits of the recent trade agreement with the United States exemplifies that few aspects of international trade are well understood. Using inframarginal analysis, an approach developed by co-investigator 1, we expect to be able to advance our understanding in this field by producing what is arguably the most generalised model of trade. This will constitute an important accomplish ....A Neo-Heckscher-Ohlin Model of Trade with Endogenous Production Patterns. The ongoing debate regarding the expected benefits of the recent trade agreement with the United States exemplifies that few aspects of international trade are well understood. Using inframarginal analysis, an approach developed by co-investigator 1, we expect to be able to advance our understanding in this field by producing what is arguably the most generalised model of trade. This will constitute an important accomplishment that is likely to attract both international academic interest and international research funds to Australian research. In addition, as our model will be calibrated on the basis of our domestic production characteristics, our work will shed light on the socially optimum trade policy directions for Australia.Read moreRead less
The growth of Chinese foreign direct investment and its impact on developed-country regulation and Chinese institutions. This project will study the growth of Chinese foreign direct investment globally, identifying its causes and drivers, and the link between foreign investment and the liberalisation of the Chinese economy. This project's findings will inform the elaboration of Australia's policy response to Chinese direct investment.
Growth, Trade, and Economic Development in Asia. Future growth in Asia has strong implications for growth, relative wages, skill levels, human capital accumulation and trade in Australia. This project seeks to gain insight into whether the high economic growth rates experienced in Asia will continue into the future and whether low income Asian countries will take off in the future. This information will be used to simulate future demand for skills, relative wages, trade and the incentives to inv ....Growth, Trade, and Economic Development in Asia. Future growth in Asia has strong implications for growth, relative wages, skill levels, human capital accumulation and trade in Australia. This project seeks to gain insight into whether the high economic growth rates experienced in Asia will continue into the future and whether low income Asian countries will take off in the future. This information will be used to simulate future demand for skills, relative wages, trade and the incentives to invest in Australia and give insight into the effects of various policies in Australia on educational decision, skill composition, relative wages, trade and growth.Read moreRead less
International student safety from crime. International education currently generates $15.5 billion per annum in exports and involves 520,000 students in Australia. Safety from crime is a fundamental requirement of international students and source governments are insisting Australia needs to improve student safety. These demands must be met if Australia is to sustain its level of involvement in the industry. The project will assist this effort by helping develop solutions to student crime proble ....International student safety from crime. International education currently generates $15.5 billion per annum in exports and involves 520,000 students in Australia. Safety from crime is a fundamental requirement of international students and source governments are insisting Australia needs to improve student safety. These demands must be met if Australia is to sustain its level of involvement in the industry. The project will assist this effort by helping develop solutions to student crime problems that are tailored to Australia's unique circumstances. The project will help enrich Australia's international reputation and improve the safety of international students and Australian communities.Read moreRead less
China's Exports and Growth and Major East Asia Summit Economies - Exploring Regional Impact and Policy Responses. The project benefits Australia's current long-term economic priorities and engagement with Asia in five ways. It provides: (1) collaborative research with East Asia Summit (EAS) networked experts on topics of mutual interest, (2) a new perspective on the effects of China on EAS4 trade and growth, (3) substantive improved findings on EAS4 economic and trade policy options, (4) signifi ....China's Exports and Growth and Major East Asia Summit Economies - Exploring Regional Impact and Policy Responses. The project benefits Australia's current long-term economic priorities and engagement with Asia in five ways. It provides: (1) collaborative research with East Asia Summit (EAS) networked experts on topics of mutual interest, (2) a new perspective on the effects of China on EAS4 trade and growth, (3) substantive improved findings on EAS4 economic and trade policy options, (4) significant inputs to analysis, debates and negotiations in the recently proposed EAS free trade agreement (FTA), and (5) useful applications to Australia's similar bilateral FTAs under negotiation (e.g., Australia-Korea and Japan FTAs).Read moreRead less
The fundamental importance of foreign direct investment to Australia in the 21st century: Reforming treaty and dispute resolution practice. This project will evaluate the economic and legal risks associated with the Australian Government’s current policy on investor-state dispute settlement through multidisciplinary research, namely econometric modeling, empirical research through stakeholder surveys and interviews, as well as critical analysis of case law, treaties and regulatory approaches. Th ....The fundamental importance of foreign direct investment to Australia in the 21st century: Reforming treaty and dispute resolution practice. This project will evaluate the economic and legal risks associated with the Australian Government’s current policy on investor-state dispute settlement through multidisciplinary research, namely econometric modeling, empirical research through stakeholder surveys and interviews, as well as critical analysis of case law, treaties and regulatory approaches. The aim of this project is to identify optimal methods of investor-state dispute prevention, avoidance and resolution that efficiently cater to inbound and outbound investors as well as Australia as a whole. The goal is to promote a positive climate for investment inflows and outflows, while maintaining Australia's ability to take sovereign decisions on matters of public policy.Read moreRead less