Inequality of health, wealth and education in China. This project aims to examine whether China’s recent increase in income inequality is associated with increased inequalities in other well-being related outcomes: health, education and wealth. It also aims to identify the factors associated with increases in inequalities. Significant increases in income and wealth inequality could have detrimental effects on economic and political stability. The expected outcomes from this project will help to ....Inequality of health, wealth and education in China. This project aims to examine whether China’s recent increase in income inequality is associated with increased inequalities in other well-being related outcomes: health, education and wealth. It also aims to identify the factors associated with increases in inequalities. Significant increases in income and wealth inequality could have detrimental effects on economic and political stability. The expected outcomes from this project will help to identify policies useful in addressing inequalities and enhancing stability within Australia's important trading partner.Read moreRead less
A New Phase and New Issues of Rural-Urban Migration in China. China’s urbanisation has come to a turning point. The large pool of rural young workers (16-25 years of age), which fed the industrialisation needs of the 1990s and 2000s, has exhausted. Future growth needs to rely on the increase in the length of stay of the existing migrants and the increase in older new migrants. Due to this shift, the institutional restrictions, which deter family migration, become the key challenge. This project ....A New Phase and New Issues of Rural-Urban Migration in China. China’s urbanisation has come to a turning point. The large pool of rural young workers (16-25 years of age), which fed the industrialisation needs of the 1990s and 2000s, has exhausted. Future growth needs to rely on the increase in the length of stay of the existing migrants and the increase in older new migrants. Due to this shift, the institutional restrictions, which deter family migration, become the key challenge. This project examines the cost of the migration restrictions (shortened labour supply and reduced human capital accumulation for the current and next generation migrants: their education, health and pro-social behaviour); and the best way to reform the restrictions on family migration and the priority for the reform.Read moreRead less
The Allocation of Risk and Economic Slumps. The aim of this project is to construct and analyse models that identify a novel feedback mechanism in which the distribution of investment risk interacts with aggregate employment variations. It will provide a useable framework for economic policy analysis in which the distribution of wealth affects the demand for investment risk while the distribution of production risk affects the supply of labour income risk.
Origins, evolution, and economic cost of gender norms. Gender norms are slow to change, and key drivers of economic development. This proposal leverages natural experiments to test their causal implications on two major channels of economic growth: the trust shared by individuals and the productivity of firms. It will use cutting-edge empirical techniques to generate novel measures of diversity and inclusion for Australian firms, and will conduct original fieldwork, matching experimental measure ....Origins, evolution, and economic cost of gender norms. Gender norms are slow to change, and key drivers of economic development. This proposal leverages natural experiments to test their causal implications on two major channels of economic growth: the trust shared by individuals and the productivity of firms. It will use cutting-edge empirical techniques to generate novel measures of diversity and inclusion for Australian firms, and will conduct original fieldwork, matching experimental measures of trust and cooperation with variation in traditional male versus female roles. This research aims at improving fundamental knowledge about how cultural norms shape economic outcomes and anticipates delivering practical policy recommendations for more efficient and inclusive economic growth. Read moreRead less
Competition in medical labour markets. A sharp increase in the supply of medical practitioners has occurred in Australia. This is expensive and has uncertain effects on population health, earnings, and the distribution of medical practitioners. The aim of this project is to examine the impact of competition and increased supply on the prices charged, the quality of care provided, and the health status of patients. The research also aims to examine the location choices of medical practitioners an ....Competition in medical labour markets. A sharp increase in the supply of medical practitioners has occurred in Australia. This is expensive and has uncertain effects on population health, earnings, and the distribution of medical practitioners. The aim of this project is to examine the impact of competition and increased supply on the prices charged, the quality of care provided, and the health status of patients. The research also aims to examine the location choices of medical practitioners and is expected to generate new and important evidence using unique longitudinal data.Read moreRead less
International exchanges of knowledge, temporary skilled labour movements, and Australia's economic growth. It is known that skilled labour is a significant source of economic growth as it creates new knowledge and innovation, and that Australia, like other countries, uses policies to attract skilled migrants. It is less known however that thousands of skilled workers also migrate temporarily, often to exchange knowledge. Whilst the effect of permanent migration is widely researched, this project ....International exchanges of knowledge, temporary skilled labour movements, and Australia's economic growth. It is known that skilled labour is a significant source of economic growth as it creates new knowledge and innovation, and that Australia, like other countries, uses policies to attract skilled migrants. It is less known however that thousands of skilled workers also migrate temporarily, often to exchange knowledge. Whilst the effect of permanent migration is widely researched, this project will examine the economic impact of short-term labour movements. Using data from DIMIA and surveying temporary migrants, this project will analyse the consequences of temporary labour movements on Australia's innovation ability, productivity and economic growth, contributing to develop migration policy.Read moreRead less
FINANCIAL (IN)SECURITY IN LATER LIFE: WOMEN, WORK , SUPERANNUATION AND AUSTRALIA'S RETIREMENT INCOME SYSTEM. An ageing population is expected to contribute to significant demographic, social and labour market shifts, which, together with fiscal stresses, will affect the future mix of state and private retirement income provisions. However, gender-based issues associated with these changes remain under-researched. Using a life-course approach qualitative methodologies will be used to explore inte ....FINANCIAL (IN)SECURITY IN LATER LIFE: WOMEN, WORK , SUPERANNUATION AND AUSTRALIA'S RETIREMENT INCOME SYSTEM. An ageing population is expected to contribute to significant demographic, social and labour market shifts, which, together with fiscal stresses, will affect the future mix of state and private retirement income provisions. However, gender-based issues associated with these changes remain under-researched. Using a life-course approach qualitative methodologies will be used to explore inter-relationships between: women's workforce participation, education, marital status, fertility, financial literacy; retirement incomes;concessions, benefits; and women's economic security in later years. The research will make a significant contribution to the development and implementation of retirement income policy and the debate on gender equity in the labour market. Read moreRead less
Determinants, Motives and Channels of Pacific Island Workers' Remittances from Australia. This research will inform current policy debate on the benefits to migrant-sending communities of expanding migration opportunities for migrants from the Pacific islands through targeted worker schemes. Australian industry and agricultural employers are experiencing acute labour shortages while Pacific island governments are urging Australia and New Zealand to open their labour markets to low-skilled worker ....Determinants, Motives and Channels of Pacific Island Workers' Remittances from Australia. This research will inform current policy debate on the benefits to migrant-sending communities of expanding migration opportunities for migrants from the Pacific islands through targeted worker schemes. Australian industry and agricultural employers are experiencing acute labour shortages while Pacific island governments are urging Australia and New Zealand to open their labour markets to low-skilled workers in the face of growing unemployment and political instability. The findings will also provide Australian foreign aid organisations with a better understanding of the way in which migrants' remittances are determined and migrant's interaction with money transfer agencies.Read moreRead less
Testing for Age Discrimination in Hiring in the Australian Labour Market. This project will raise awareness in the community of the extent, or lack thereof, of age discrimination in the Australian labour market. This is particularly important as no other investigations of this nature have been made. The findings will provide a valuable and important complement to the surveys of employer's attitudes towards older workers. There will be policy implications for the structure and operation of anti-d ....Testing for Age Discrimination in Hiring in the Australian Labour Market. This project will raise awareness in the community of the extent, or lack thereof, of age discrimination in the Australian labour market. This is particularly important as no other investigations of this nature have been made. The findings will provide a valuable and important complement to the surveys of employer's attitudes towards older workers. There will be policy implications for the structure and operation of anti-discrimination legislation in Australia. The technique of using written applications to apply for jobs can highlight deficiencies in the current legislation and ways in which the legislation can be modified to make it more effective. Read moreRead less
Health and Intergenerational Poverty in a Developing Country. The alleviation of poverty is a major policy objective of the Indonesian government. As one of Indonesia's closest neighbours and allies, Australia has a special interest in the economic and social wellbeing of Indonesia. This interest is often expressed through financial aid and through the sharing of expertise. This research aims to contribute to this expertise by investigating whether health is a mechanism that transmits poverty ....Health and Intergenerational Poverty in a Developing Country. The alleviation of poverty is a major policy objective of the Indonesian government. As one of Indonesia's closest neighbours and allies, Australia has a special interest in the economic and social wellbeing of Indonesia. This interest is often expressed through financial aid and through the sharing of expertise. This research aims to contribute to this expertise by investigating whether health is a mechanism that transmits poverty across generations of Indonesians. Thus, this research contributes to a body of knowledge that informs development policy, leading to more effective use of aid funds and to a more prosperous and safe region.Read moreRead less