The high cost of financial insecurity: exploring the role of the 'fringe economy' in the lives of low-income Australians. The national benefit from this research has a number of dimensions. The first is to draw the community's attention to the high costs and charges associated with fringe lenders in Australia and the economic and social consequences of accessing these services. The second benefit relates to establishing what sorts of financial products and regulatory measures would offer low-inc ....The high cost of financial insecurity: exploring the role of the 'fringe economy' in the lives of low-income Australians. The national benefit from this research has a number of dimensions. The first is to draw the community's attention to the high costs and charges associated with fringe lenders in Australia and the economic and social consequences of accessing these services. The second benefit relates to establishing what sorts of financial products and regulatory measures would offer low-income Australians a better outcome. A number of states in Australia have recently introduced legislation to limit the interest rates charged by pay-day lenders. The study is very timely in that it offers an opportunity to monitor the impact of these new regulatory measures and consider opportunities for further reform.Read moreRead less
Capturing value on the margins of the global knowledge economy. This project will explain the basis of competitiveness in knowledge economy industries. It is widely understood that high levels of participation in knowledge intensive activities contribute to economic growth and higher wages. There is a need to develop policies to promote Australia's performance in knowledge intensive industries. As such this project addresses a policy problem by analysing the basis of competitiveness in the medic ....Capturing value on the margins of the global knowledge economy. This project will explain the basis of competitiveness in knowledge economy industries. It is widely understood that high levels of participation in knowledge intensive activities contribute to economic growth and higher wages. There is a need to develop policies to promote Australia's performance in knowledge intensive industries. As such this project addresses a policy problem by analysing the basis of competitiveness in the medical instruments and video production industries as exemplar knowledge intensive industries. The findings will provide a basis for formulating new policy support for the knowledge economy which draws on the most recent theoretical insights derived from global production network research.Read moreRead less
Investigating the Impact of Work Design on Productive Wellbeing in Mercy Health: The Modernising Third Sector. Around the world the Third Sector (TS) of the economy is coming under pressure to modernise their management. The typical approaches to modern management being imposed overseas may not be appropriate for TS organisations and therefore they need to be critically examined, especially for their impact on employees. In Australia the TS is a large (approx. $15billion), yet low-profile set of ....Investigating the Impact of Work Design on Productive Wellbeing in Mercy Health: The Modernising Third Sector. Around the world the Third Sector (TS) of the economy is coming under pressure to modernise their management. The typical approaches to modern management being imposed overseas may not be appropriate for TS organisations and therefore they need to be critically examined, especially for their impact on employees. In Australia the TS is a large (approx. $15billion), yet low-profile set of organisations, of which the health industry is central. This project will investigate the issues that make workplaces in a TS health organisation a healthier and more productive place to work. The results could directly help improve workplaces covering more than 150,000 employees.Read moreRead less
Neoliberalism, Inequality and Politics: Public Policy and the Transformation of Australian Society. In 20 years since 1983 there has been a fundamental transformation of Australian public policy based on economic deregulation, an increasing emphasis on market processes and the privatisation and corporatisation of government businesses and services. This project examines the impact of these changes on social mobility and inequality, gender relations and politics and culture. The project uses high ....Neoliberalism, Inequality and Politics: Public Policy and the Transformation of Australian Society. In 20 years since 1983 there has been a fundamental transformation of Australian public policy based on economic deregulation, an increasing emphasis on market processes and the privatisation and corporatisation of government businesses and services. This project examines the impact of these changes on social mobility and inequality, gender relations and politics and culture. The project uses high-quality national sample surveys and leading-edge statistical methods to adjudicate on whether neoliberalism produces positive or negative social outcomes in these three areas of social life.Read moreRead less
Industrial relations, gender equity and work/family balance: assessing the impact of changing law and practice in Queensland. The project has potential to contribute to improvements in the economic and social well-being of Australian families and communities by identifying effective strategies to enhance gender equity in employment and work/family balance. It seeks to extend understanding of how these outcomes vary across regions and sectors of the Queensland economy in the context of a changing ....Industrial relations, gender equity and work/family balance: assessing the impact of changing law and practice in Queensland. The project has potential to contribute to improvements in the economic and social well-being of Australian families and communities by identifying effective strategies to enhance gender equity in employment and work/family balance. It seeks to extend understanding of how these outcomes vary across regions and sectors of the Queensland economy in the context of a changing industrial relations framework, and to provide an evidence-base to inform the best ways to secure high quality employment and labour force attachment over the life course.Read moreRead less
Parental leave: access, utilisation and efficacy in Australia. This project addresses significant gaps in knowledge about the use of parental leave and the work/family preferences of men and women in Australia. It aims to advance current theoretical debates on how preferences are shaped in workplaces and households, and provide detailed data to inform policy processes. These are highly significant goals as Australian governments prioritise work/family issues in the context of changing household ....Parental leave: access, utilisation and efficacy in Australia. This project addresses significant gaps in knowledge about the use of parental leave and the work/family preferences of men and women in Australia. It aims to advance current theoretical debates on how preferences are shaped in workplaces and households, and provide detailed data to inform policy processes. These are highly significant goals as Australian governments prioritise work/family issues in the context of changing household structures, falling fertility rates, ageing populations and working time pressures. Expected outcomes include benchmarks for policy evaluation, improved understanding of preferences and enhanced policy frameworks to facilitate a gender egalitarian work/family balance.Read moreRead less
Enhancing services to Australian children and families: linking workforce characteristics, job quality, and quality and outcomes in social services. This project aims to promote best practice in child and family welfare services, and to improve the industrial and social recognition of child and family welfare work in Australia. The CIs will construct an analytical framework for explaining the links between the nature and deployment of the child and family services workforce, service delivery sys ....Enhancing services to Australian children and families: linking workforce characteristics, job quality, and quality and outcomes in social services. This project aims to promote best practice in child and family welfare services, and to improve the industrial and social recognition of child and family welfare work in Australia. The CIs will construct an analytical framework for explaining the links between the nature and deployment of the child and family services workforce, service delivery systems and outcomes, and social policy regimes, with wider application to other personal social services. Judicious use of international comparison will assist identification of best practice. The project will inform policy and research in social service provision to vulnerable families, and the aged and disabled.Read moreRead less