Taxation, family policy and pension reform in an uncertain economy. The policies with which this research is concerned are central in determining the well being of millions of Australians in both current and future generations. It is important that these policies be debated and formulated on the basis of the best possible conceptual framework and with the most reliable possible quantitative assessments of their effects. It is also important that the policies concerned be considered jointly rathe ....Taxation, family policy and pension reform in an uncertain economy. The policies with which this research is concerned are central in determining the well being of millions of Australians in both current and future generations. It is important that these policies be debated and formulated on the basis of the best possible conceptual framework and with the most reliable possible quantitative assessments of their effects. It is also important that the policies concerned be considered jointly rather than in isolation from each other. The work will therefore directly assist policy makers in this area. Since it will be at the leading edge of current research, it will also benefit Australia's standing in the international research community.Read moreRead less
Robust Empirical Analysis of Poverty and Inequality in Australia. The project aims to improve our understanding of economic poverty and inequality in Australia, and contribute new method to the field of distributional analysis. The empirical analysis of consumption poverty and inequality will highlight the critical methodological assumptions underlying our perceptions of poverty, and provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of a range of programs targeted to the poor. The analysis of economic ....Robust Empirical Analysis of Poverty and Inequality in Australia. The project aims to improve our understanding of economic poverty and inequality in Australia, and contribute new method to the field of distributional analysis. The empirical analysis of consumption poverty and inequality will highlight the critical methodological assumptions underlying our perceptions of poverty, and provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of a range of programs targeted to the poor. The analysis of economic inequality in Australia will determine if recent trends are due to increasing globalisation, and whether national programs were effective in ameliorating international influences. This research will ultimately contribute to more effective poverty alleviation and income support programs.Read moreRead less
Bayesian Inference for Welfare Comparisons of Income Inequality and Poverty. The major expected outcome of this research is an array of techniques for making welfare comparisons involving income inequality and poverty within a framework of Bayesian inference. Various applications of the techniques are expected to yield useful information on inequality comparisons over time and space and on changes in the level of poverty. Given that reduction in levels of inequality and poverty is a matter of ma ....Bayesian Inference for Welfare Comparisons of Income Inequality and Poverty. The major expected outcome of this research is an array of techniques for making welfare comparisons involving income inequality and poverty within a framework of Bayesian inference. Various applications of the techniques are expected to yield useful information on inequality comparisons over time and space and on changes in the level of poverty. Given that reduction in levels of inequality and poverty is a matter of major concern, the development of suitable measurement techniques has immense potential for national benefit. In addition, the project will serve as a vehicle for training two PhD students, and hence will contribute to the small pool of highly trained econometricians with expertise in measuring income inequality.Read moreRead less
Understanding the Saving Behaviour of Australian Households: Private Retirement Provision and the Policy of Forced Saving. The outcomes from the research on Australian retirement saving behaviour will generate a range of national benefits. First, the collaboration of researchers across institutions, and internationally, will enhance and promote Australian research skills. Second, Australian research will be will be placed at the forefront of an important, international field. Third, the research ....Understanding the Saving Behaviour of Australian Households: Private Retirement Provision and the Policy of Forced Saving. The outcomes from the research on Australian retirement saving behaviour will generate a range of national benefits. First, the collaboration of researchers across institutions, and internationally, will enhance and promote Australian research skills. Second, Australian research will be will be placed at the forefront of an important, international field. Third, the research will make fundamental contributions to the evidence base for the design of public policies to ensure Australians have access to adequate resources in retirement. This is an urgent public policy concern due to the rapid ageing of the Australian population: the fraction aged over 65 years is forecast to double from 10% to 20% over the next 40 years.Read moreRead less
The effects of the tax and social security system on labour supply and social welfare. This research will provide independent assessment of the work-incentive effects of government policies in the area of income tax, social security and childcare costs. Capacity constraints may threaten sustained economic growth in Australia. Understanding and supporting the drivers of work force participation is stated in the National Research Priorities as being vital. In addition to the empirical results, the ....The effects of the tax and social security system on labour supply and social welfare. This research will provide independent assessment of the work-incentive effects of government policies in the area of income tax, social security and childcare costs. Capacity constraints may threaten sustained economic growth in Australia. Understanding and supporting the drivers of work force participation is stated in the National Research Priorities as being vital. In addition to the empirical results, the project provides a set of tools that can be used to evaluate new policies with respect to the effects on labour supply, income distribution and social welfare. This will provide timely and independent evidence on which to evaluate new policies and therefore increase the quality of the debate on tax and social security policy.Read moreRead less
Modelling Decision Making Within the Household and Analysing its Welfare Implications:Methodological Advances with Policy Applications. The project examines the behavioural and welfare implications of alternative models of intra household decisions. A framework that integrates the household's earnings and expenditure decisions will be proposed and applied. The project introduces new measures of spousal power in making decisions and examines its impact on household outcomes. A satisfactory eco ....Modelling Decision Making Within the Household and Analysing its Welfare Implications:Methodological Advances with Policy Applications. The project examines the behavioural and welfare implications of alternative models of intra household decisions. A framework that integrates the household's earnings and expenditure decisions will be proposed and applied. The project introduces new measures of spousal power in making decisions and examines its impact on household outcomes. A satisfactory econometric methodology to test the conventional unitary model will be developed and applied. The usefulness of this research is underlined by examining the policy implications in areas that range from taxation in the developed country context to child health, child labour and gender bias in case of developing countries.Read moreRead less
Private Responses to Demographic Change and Pension Reform in Urban China. Social, economic, and political stability in China is important for Australia and its business community due to the sheer size of China and its market. The rapid aging and significant social welfare reform is a potential instability source. This project contributes to the improvement of policy making in this area, which will enhance China's long term stability. This study provides detailed information on Chinese household ....Private Responses to Demographic Change and Pension Reform in Urban China. Social, economic, and political stability in China is important for Australia and its business community due to the sheer size of China and its market. The rapid aging and significant social welfare reform is a potential instability source. This project contributes to the improvement of policy making in this area, which will enhance China's long term stability. This study provides detailed information on Chinese household behaviour in pension financing, which may be helpful to the Australian business sector in making judgments on important economic relationships in the Chinese insurance market. Australia is also facing a changing age structure and seeking financial solutions. Our study may feed into improved research in this area.Read moreRead less
Risk management and funding structures: an econometric panel data analysis of health insurance in Australia. This research analyses how subsidies to Australian health insurance, both public and private, vary by income, risk of loss, age and region. It will provide the necessary information to guide future health funding by analysing the equity and efficiency of existing subsidies and alternative subsidies related to individuals' risk of high health costs.
International Trade Policy and the Dynamics of Open Economies. The project is concerned with the relationship between an open economy's international trading conditions and the allocation of resources within the economy, particularly over time (dynamic effects). The trading conditions reflect international markets and governments' trade policies. The dynamic effects upon the economy include the rate of growth, saving and inter-generation welfare. The models developed to study these relationship ....International Trade Policy and the Dynamics of Open Economies. The project is concerned with the relationship between an open economy's international trading conditions and the allocation of resources within the economy, particularly over time (dynamic effects). The trading conditions reflect international markets and governments' trade policies. The dynamic effects upon the economy include the rate of growth, saving and inter-generation welfare. The models developed to study these relationships will link international markets with domestic and future markets in a unified and consistent manner. The outcomes include a better theoretical understanding of these relationships and empirical inter-temporal models for the Australian economy that permit measurement of these dynamic effects.Read moreRead less
Welfare Economic Issues in the New Classical Economic Framework of Inframarginal Analysis (renewal application). The CIs have developed a framework analysing the classical but largely ignored problems of division of labour. The 2001-2 project extends the framework to examine welfare issues and public policies, including government encouragement of infrastructure, organisational effects of externality-corrective taxes, work ethics and the optimal working week. The proposed extension to this res ....Welfare Economic Issues in the New Classical Economic Framework of Inframarginal Analysis (renewal application). The CIs have developed a framework analysing the classical but largely ignored problems of division of labour. The 2001-2 project extends the framework to examine welfare issues and public policies, including government encouragement of infrastructure, organisational effects of externality-corrective taxes, work ethics and the optimal working week. The proposed extension to this research will address the more fundamental issue of the Pareto optimality of general equilibrium in the new framework and extend the existing analyses to be of more practical relevance with more immediate policy implications.Read moreRead less