Economics Department

Seeking to assess the impact of a program on a set of outcomes, impact evaluations carry great weight in the improvement of policies and programs across government and industry.

This project provides an overview of the spectrum of technical approaches that could be deployed to evaluate the impact of direct cash transfers that are used to improve the well-being of vulnerable populations in Australia. 

Private hospitals are an important aspect of our healthcare system: but are the financial incentives and penalties associated with private health insurance effective or equitable? This research explores the impact government incentives have on the demand for private health insurance in Australia. 

What do the increasing temperatures caused by climate change mean for businesses? This research explores the economic cost of heat stress and its impact on labour capacity – aiming to contribute to the design of the best working restriction schedules under heat stress.

Imagine if your chances of unemployment increased with your level of education. Those years of studying and the financial investment resulting in months to years of employment uncertainty and instability. In low-income countries, this is the reality faced by most high-school and university graduates – but what is the root cause and impact of this underemployment? 

In improving real-life outcomes, such as human capital accumulation and better financial decision making, it is important to understand the impact of time preferences (e.g. patience) on an individual’s decision making. This research aims to support new policy suggestions by developing an understanding of how outside factors influence the stability of time preferences.