Edited by the Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology

New Research

The effectiveness of the traineeship model

12 March 2010The traineeship model is currently targeted at a broader group of people compared with the original target group of young unemployed persons as envisaged by the Kirby Enquiry.

From the margins to the mainstream: the challenges for microfinance in Australia

09 March 2010This report on research undertaken by the Brotherhood and Community Foresters Finance draws on the literature and stakeholder consultation to explore microfinance in Australia, highlighting the need to achieve sustainability, scale up successful pilot programs and measure impact on financial exclusion.

Australian workforce futures: a national workforce development strategy

08 March 2010This report recommends a fundamental overhaul in the way the nation approaches and supports workforce development at a national, industry and enterprise level.

The "medicine in Australia: balancing employment and life (MABEL)" longitudinal survey

05 March 2010This study investigates workforce participation patterns and their determinants using a longitudinal survey of Australian doctors.

Do employers discriminate by gender? A field experiment in female-dominated occupations

05 March 2010This paper tests for gender discrimination by sending fake CVs to apply for entry-level jobs.
Demography as destiny: Schooling, work and Aboriginal population change at Wadeye

Demography as destiny: Schooling, work and Aboriginal population change at Wadeye

05 March 2010Recent Commonwealth Treasury intergenerational reports have failed to consider the very different challenges that arise for the Indigenous population as a consequence of demographic ageing.
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Business & finance

Issues consultation paper: Food Labelling Law and Policy Review

08 March 2010Various reviews of the food regulation system suggest that food labelling has been an ongoing issue of concern for the food industry, consumers and government. This paper summarises issues raised in the current review of labelling.

Targeting scams

08 March 2010More than 20,000 scam reports were made to the ACCC in 2009, an approximate increase of 16 per cent compared with 2008. This report explains key trends in scam activity and highlights the impact of scams on the community.

Income & wealth

Do output contractions trigger democratic change?

05 March 2010Using data for 154 countries for the period 1963-2007, this paper examines the short-run relationship between economic growth and moves toward and away from greater democracy.

Commentary

A changing pattern of childlessness

23 February 2010Do the demands of high-status professions explain childlessness among some women? Robert Tanton describes new research findings

Central banks could learn more from experience

17 February 2010While the lessons of the 1970s and 1980s had been learned well, it seems that little or nothing has been learned from the failures of the past decade, writes John Quiggin

Is retirement history?

12 February 2010Australia needs a comprehensive strategy for our ageing society, write Philip Taylor, Elizabeth Brooke, Erin Watson and Tia di Biase
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Audio

The great crash of 2008

Listen to audio
19 October 2009This public forum discusses the book The Great Crash of 2008 by Ross Garnaut, with David Llewellyn-Smith and the events that impacted on financial market regulation, security and the Asia-Pacific region.

Temporary migration: a permanent policy change?

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31 August 2009Peter Mares discusses the implications for this fundamental shift in Australian immigration policy.

Employment

Video

Flight of the Kiwi: Perspectives on migration from Aotearoa/New Zealand

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15 January 2010Why are so many New Zealanders flocking to Australian shores, and what can be done to stop the so-called Kiwi ‘brain drain’?

Modern monetary theory interviews

Listen to audio
04 December 2009In this 4-part series of interviews leading modern monetary theory developers Professors Bill Mitchell and Randy Wray talk about their work and how it applies to the operation of fiscal policy.

Economic policy

The economic impact of digital exclusion

12 March 2010This report develops a taxonomy of negative economic impacts associated with digital exclusion in the US.

Accounting for the cost of carbon: Price for small and medium business not sky high

09 March 2010The Rudd Government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) would not significantly impact most Australian businesses, according to this research report. 

Websites

Mature workers mean business

19 February 2010This website showcases stories from the workplace featuring older workers and their employers. It also debunks common myths about older workers and offers strategies to attract and retain mature workers.

Ethics Advisory Service

11 September 2009The Ethics Advisory Service is designed for Australian Public Service (APS) employees who want advice on ethical issues in the workplace and on how to make sound decisions around these issues.

Diversity@Work

24 August 2009Diversity@Work is a consultancy service, with resources and training for organisations engaged in strategic diversity management, workforce planning and cultural transformation.

Most viewed: This week

1
Framework for measuring wellbeing: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 2010
2
Australian workforce futures: a national workforce development strategy
3
Do employers discriminate by gender? A field experiment in female-dominated occupations
4
Accounting for the cost of carbon: Price for small and medium business not sky high
5
Demography as destiny: Schooling, work and Aboriginal population change at Wadeye

Books

Introducing China: the world's oldest great power charts its next comeback

Introducing China: the world's oldest great power charts its next comeback

  • Ron Huisken
  • ANU E Press
China's transformation has been patiently, methodically and very deliberately constructed by a leadership group that has equally carefully protected its monopoly on power.
Best Australian political cartoons 2009

Best Australian political cartoons 2009

  • Edited by Russ Radcliffe
  • Scribe Publications
The year in politics as seen by Australia’s funniest and most perceptive political cartoonists.

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