Problem gambling: development and application of a new conceptual framework for aetiology and treatment. Around 470,000 Australians (3.3% of the adult population) are estimated to have 'significant' or 'severe' gambling problems. This project responds to the call for a new framework for theorising and researching problem gambling (Productivity Commission, 1999). Currently, the research literature is characterised by disagreement about definition, causes, and treatment. At the community level, di ....Problem gambling: development and application of a new conceptual framework for aetiology and treatment. Around 470,000 Australians (3.3% of the adult population) are estimated to have 'significant' or 'severe' gambling problems. This project responds to the call for a new framework for theorising and researching problem gambling (Productivity Commission, 1999). Currently, the research literature is characterised by disagreement about definition, causes, and treatment. At the community level, different stakeholder constructions of problem gambling have deadlocked debate. There is a clear need to re-think existing approaches. This project applies an innovative, social-scientific methodology specifically designed to analyse complex, real-world social problems in order to develop a new conceptual framework for understanding and treating problem gambling.Read moreRead less
SOCIAL CAPITAL AND PUBLIC POLICY: HOW SOCIAL CAPITAL CAN INFORM PUBLIC POLICY INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND REDUCE INEQUITIES. This project examines the ways in which social capital affects policy outcomes in Australia. The research aims to examine the processes underpinning the development and implementation of public sector initiatives designed to promote social capital and to identify the role that social capital may play in implementing policy designed to reduce economic and health in ....SOCIAL CAPITAL AND PUBLIC POLICY: HOW SOCIAL CAPITAL CAN INFORM PUBLIC POLICY INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND REDUCE INEQUITIES. This project examines the ways in which social capital affects policy outcomes in Australia. The research aims to examine the processes underpinning the development and implementation of public sector initiatives designed to promote social capital and to identify the role that social capital may play in implementing policy designed to reduce economic and health inequities between different groups in the population. The research will lead to a number of outcomes, including an increased understanding of the value of social capital to policy makers and evidence based recommendations for policies and interventions designed to improve health and reduce inequities.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
Improving the health and wellbeing of poorly housed Australians: understanding and responding to multiple housing deficit. Australia is currently in a housing crisis, with many escalating problems, including poor affordability, chronic undersupply, homelessness, insecurity in the private rental market and a shrinking public housing sector. While some Australians are unaffected, increasing numbers of already vulnerable people experience multiple housing problems. This project aims to develop a ne ....Improving the health and wellbeing of poorly housed Australians: understanding and responding to multiple housing deficit. Australia is currently in a housing crisis, with many escalating problems, including poor affordability, chronic undersupply, homelessness, insecurity in the private rental market and a shrinking public housing sector. While some Australians are unaffected, increasing numbers of already vulnerable people experience multiple housing problems. This project aims to develop a new theoretical framework for focusing on Australians who experience multiple housing problems. It aims to identify who will be affected, how this will play out on individual health and wellbeing, and how governments can best respond. It will provide essential evidence and intervention tools for understanding and improving the lives of the most vulnerable.Read moreRead less
Missing workers: retaining mature age women workers to ensure future labour security. This project will generate new data and analyses of the factors affecting the retention of mature age women in paid work. It will produce an evidence base on mature age women's employment for the development of policy frameworks aimed at strengthening labour security in the aged care and other sectors.
Towards an understanding of the relationship between creative capital and regional economic and employment development. The project aims to investigate the role of creative capital and creative industries in regional economic and employment development. It will critically examine strategies designed to foster innovation and creativity: developing and attracting the ?creative classes?, and fostering the connection of creative capacity across industry, business and cultural realms.
Intra-household resource allocations of older couples. This project aims to analyse processes and outcomes within older households using national, large-scale representative data and mixed methods research design. In an ageing population where households are becoming responsible for provisioning retirement needs, understanding what happens in older couple households is important. The project expects to influence policy by generating evidence relevant to the design of regulations governing the al ....Intra-household resource allocations of older couples. This project aims to analyse processes and outcomes within older households using national, large-scale representative data and mixed methods research design. In an ageing population where households are becoming responsible for provisioning retirement needs, understanding what happens in older couple households is important. The project expects to influence policy by generating evidence relevant to the design of regulations governing the allocation of superannuation assets, tax incentives for alternative forms of retirement savings, asset and income tests on the Age Pension, and initiatives targeting older Australians’ financial literacy.Read moreRead less
Changing children’s chances: Exploring pathways to developmental inequities. This project aims to investigate the causes of health and developmental inequities between Australian children. Inequities are increasingly observed in Australian children’s physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and academic learning. Such inequities are unjust, unnecessary and potentially preventable. This project aims to understand the pathways leading to these inequities by examining the many contexts in w ....Changing children’s chances: Exploring pathways to developmental inequities. This project aims to investigate the causes of health and developmental inequities between Australian children. Inequities are increasingly observed in Australian children’s physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and academic learning. Such inequities are unjust, unnecessary and potentially preventable. This project aims to understand the pathways leading to these inequities by examining the many contexts in which children and their families live and grow. Through a series of innovative analyses using existing data, the project aims to identify potentially modifiable factors at the child, family, school, and community level that contribute to developmental inequities. Understanding of the most promising leverage points for interventions to reduce inequities for Australian children could be used to inform policy.Read moreRead less
Regulatory Federalism and Public Policy: The Transformation of Australian Intergovernmental Relations. Intergovernmental relations impinge upon most aspects of Australia's public sector, from public finance to policy development, from economic investment to public service delivery. They shape the capacity of government to produce good policies and services- from childcare to aged care, from schools to power stations, from business regulation to environmental management, from workplace safety to ....Regulatory Federalism and Public Policy: The Transformation of Australian Intergovernmental Relations. Intergovernmental relations impinge upon most aspects of Australia's public sector, from public finance to policy development, from economic investment to public service delivery. They shape the capacity of government to produce good policies and services- from childcare to aged care, from schools to power stations, from business regulation to environmental management, from workplace safety to highway maintenance. A better understanding of the changing federal system is essential for improving the benefits - better policies, more efficient programs and more responsive decisions - that Australians expect from their governments.Read moreRead less