Who You Know or Where You Go? The Role of Formal and Informal Networks in Finding Employment and Maintaining Wellbeing. Recent empirical studies have demonstrated that informal social networks improve well-being and labour market outcomes for the unemployed in Europe. However, no comparable Australian study has been conducted and there is little research on the role of the 'formal' networks represented by employment services programs in Australia or overseas. This project aims to explore unemplo ....Who You Know or Where You Go? The Role of Formal and Informal Networks in Finding Employment and Maintaining Wellbeing. Recent empirical studies have demonstrated that informal social networks improve well-being and labour market outcomes for the unemployed in Europe. However, no comparable Australian study has been conducted and there is little research on the role of the 'formal' networks represented by employment services programs in Australia or overseas. This project aims to explore unemployed people's formal and informal networks and the impact of those networks on employment status and wellbeing. This project aims to inform unemployment policy design and service delivery by providing a greater understanding of the role that social networks play in finding jobs and surviving unemployment.Read moreRead less
Ethnographies of housing: exploring the role of housing officers in public housing service provision. This research examines the everyday practice of public housing officers working in the Victorian Office of Housing. It aims to analyse the ways that workers exercise discretion, and the patterns of meanings that they construct, through their interactions with clients, departmental managers and other human service providers. It is the first ethnographic study of front-line work in housing servi ....Ethnographies of housing: exploring the role of housing officers in public housing service provision. This research examines the everyday practice of public housing officers working in the Victorian Office of Housing. It aims to analyse the ways that workers exercise discretion, and the patterns of meanings that they construct, through their interactions with clients, departmental managers and other human service providers. It is the first ethnographic study of front-line work in housing services in Australia and builds on comparable work done in the United Kingdom and America. The knowledge generated will inform innovation in public housing services, housing policy debates and emerging programs designed to integrate housing with other human services.Read moreRead less
Improving employment outcomes for Australians with disability. This project aims to provide evidence about how to improve employment outcomes for people with disability. Nearly one in five adult Australians have a disability and just over half of these are in the labour force; a modest increase in employment rates will have significant social and economic benefits for people with disability and society. By collecting longitudinal quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interview) data at three ti ....Improving employment outcomes for Australians with disability. This project aims to provide evidence about how to improve employment outcomes for people with disability. Nearly one in five adult Australians have a disability and just over half of these are in the labour force; a modest increase in employment rates will have significant social and economic benefits for people with disability and society. By collecting longitudinal quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interview) data at three time points from over 1500 jobseekers with disability, critical information should be gained about how the characteristics of employment services, workplaces and jobseekers contribute to sustainable, meaningful employment for people with disability.Read moreRead less
Determining the Impact of Social Protection Policy on Work Disability. . This project will develop new knowledge on the impact of social protection policy and process on work disability. The mixed methods project uses data linkage, epidemiological and qualitative methods to study the impact of policy change on access to the Disability Support Pension (DSP), the experiences of DSP applicants and recipients, and to examine the transition of people with long-term work disability between workers’ co ....Determining the Impact of Social Protection Policy on Work Disability. . This project will develop new knowledge on the impact of social protection policy and process on work disability. The mixed methods project uses data linkage, epidemiological and qualitative methods to study the impact of policy change on access to the Disability Support Pension (DSP), the experiences of DSP applicants and recipients, and to examine the transition of people with long-term work disability between workers’ compensation and social security systems. Through multi-disciplinary and cross-sector collaborations established, it is anticipated that the Fellowship will inform future social policy development and service delivery, and develop capacity to evaluate social protection programs and policy shifts as they occur. Read moreRead less
Addressing childcare flexibility. This project aims to identify how best to achieve flexible childcare for the large number of Australian shift-work, professional or casual employees who work outside or beyond standard work hours. Consecutive governments have attempted to intervene in what is now regarded as a childcare flexibility crisis, but their attempts have failed due to fundamental misunderstandings of family needs for affordable, quality care and service providers' business requirements. ....Addressing childcare flexibility. This project aims to identify how best to achieve flexible childcare for the large number of Australian shift-work, professional or casual employees who work outside or beyond standard work hours. Consecutive governments have attempted to intervene in what is now regarded as a childcare flexibility crisis, but their attempts have failed due to fundamental misunderstandings of family needs for affordable, quality care and service providers' business requirements. This project seeks to reconcile family and provider experiences with government cost and quality concerns. It aims to deliver new knowledge on the alignments between stakeholders’ interests so as to offer a way forward in the creation of an affordable, flexible, quality care system.Read moreRead less
Conditional welfare: A comparative case study of income management policies. Using an innovative methodology that incorporates a cross-national comparison of policy design and practice, this project aims to explore the effects of income management policies. The research will provide new insights into compulsory income management in Australia, and its more recent introduction in New Zealand. The expected outcomes will provide benefits, such as a richer understanding of human agency, autonomy and ....Conditional welfare: A comparative case study of income management policies. Using an innovative methodology that incorporates a cross-national comparison of policy design and practice, this project aims to explore the effects of income management policies. The research will provide new insights into compulsory income management in Australia, and its more recent introduction in New Zealand. The expected outcomes will provide benefits, such as a richer understanding of human agency, autonomy and social identity in the context of social policy.Read moreRead less
Negotiating Transitions to Retirement. This project will track diverse pathways in work/retirement transitions, by analysing how the present policy mix accommodates shifts in labour markets, demographic shifts and shifts in households and income distributions. Focused on cohorts aged 45 to 64, it firstly analyses national data sets to track the impact of the current policy mix in terms of income security, industrial relations, housing, health, education and training and work/life. Secondly, i ....Negotiating Transitions to Retirement. This project will track diverse pathways in work/retirement transitions, by analysing how the present policy mix accommodates shifts in labour markets, demographic shifts and shifts in households and income distributions. Focused on cohorts aged 45 to 64, it firstly analyses national data sets to track the impact of the current policy mix in terms of income security, industrial relations, housing, health, education and training and work/life. Secondly, it draws on qualitative data to further examine how these transitions are played out. The research will develop a new policy matrix for older workers that addresses risk, social exclusion and social protection.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100028
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$369,720.00
Summary
Promoting work-life balance: do flexible work arrangements really work for employees in Australia? The research investigates the impact of flexible work arrangements available in the workplace on the time use and work-life balance of employees. It establishes which arrangements most effectively support employees to balance work and non-work time, with significant implications for social and organisational policy.
Work/Life Balance, Well-Being and Health: Theory, Practice and Policy. This project links to the national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health in two ways. It establishes a new annual national measure of work/life balance, a critical element of good health and well-being, assisting understanding about work/life conflict and informing workplace and government policy responses to it, strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. Deep study of work/life issues in the h ....Work/Life Balance, Well-Being and Health: Theory, Practice and Policy. This project links to the national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health in two ways. It establishes a new annual national measure of work/life balance, a critical element of good health and well-being, assisting understanding about work/life conflict and informing workplace and government policy responses to it, strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. Deep study of work/life issues in the health sector will also inform recruitment, retention and well-being in the health workforce, with flow-on to the health system more broadly. The project includes analysis of 'pre-retirement' work/life issues, also linking to the 'ageing well, ageing productively' priority. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100456
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,288.00
Summary
The interaction between injury compensation and social security systems. With the ultimate goal of reducing the road traffic crash burden in Australia, on individuals, their families, and on the nation's social support systems, the project will determine the impact of pre-claim social factors on compensation system outcomes including claim duration, benefits and costs, and the impact of compensation system design on claim and social outcomes of road traffic crash survivors. Addressing an unmet n ....The interaction between injury compensation and social security systems. With the ultimate goal of reducing the road traffic crash burden in Australia, on individuals, their families, and on the nation's social support systems, the project will determine the impact of pre-claim social factors on compensation system outcomes including claim duration, benefits and costs, and the impact of compensation system design on claim and social outcomes of road traffic crash survivors. Addressing an unmet need, this project will determine the impact of macro-level compensation system design on social and claim outcomes and allows identification of groups at higher risk for poor post-crash outcomes, in whom earlier identification and intervention can improve these, and potentially save the Australian economy $300m annually.Read moreRead less