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The SPEAR Centre commenced in 2000 as a joint initiative between the Australian Government Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS) and the Economics Group in the Research School of Social Sciences at the ANU. The Centre is now in the last year of the second Social Policy Research Services Agreement with FaHCSIA.
During the terms of the two Agreements to date, SPEAR Centre contract, staff and affiliates have been active in introducing and promulgating modern program evaluation techniques into the broader Australian research community. Their commitment to the development and expansion of Australia’s capacity to undertake program evaluation has resulted in an active training program that promoted a firm understanding of current methods of program evaluation among interested policy makers and academics.
Research Projects:
2009/01 |
Who are the key groups with significant debts (particularly mortgage debts) approaching Age Pension age? |
2009/02 |
Persistence on income support and mobility in income - how do we reconcile alternative pictures? |
2009/03 |
The capacity of families to support young Australians: financial transfers from parents, co-residence, and youth outcomes |
2009/04 |
The relationship between income support history and the characteristics and outcomes of Australian youth - part 2 |
2009/05 |
Longitudinal study of receipt of the Disability Support Pension using administrative data. |
2009/06 |
A study of people entering, working while receiving and leaving Disability Support Pension to work using the HILDA survey. |
2009/07 |
Community environment and family engagement in out-of-home activities |
2009/08 |
Housing mobility over the longer term: the role of SES and survey attrition on our estimates |
2009/09 |
Training course for FaHCSIA staff: Economics for social policy analysis |
Research Program 2008
2008/01 |
Estimating future wealth of cohorts approaching retirement |
2008/02 |
Asset portfolios of Australian retirees |
2008/03 |
Young Australians and Social Inclusion |
2008/04 |
Childhood family circumstances and young adult people’s receipt of income support |
2008/05 |
Disabled children’s wellbeing and parental workforce participation |
2008/06 |
Mobility Patterns and Characteristics |
2008/07 |
Training Course: Economics for Social Policy Analysis |
2008/08 |
Training Course: Empirical Analysis by Economists |
2008/09 |
Literature Review: economic incentives, social norms and behaviour |
2008/09 |
Literature Review: economic incentives, social norms and behaviour |
For more detailed information see FAHCSIA Research Program
The SPEAR Centre is part of a consortium with the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) that won a major contract to administer the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) Analytical Program from 2007. The SPEAR Centre’s contribution to this program includes the production of two research papers per year. The contract covers three financial years: 2007-08 to 2009-10.
For more information about LSAY see http://www.lsay.edu.au/index.html
Project Title - Management and Research Services for Certain Aspects of the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth Program
Project Workplan:
For more detailed information see, LSAY Research Program
In 2007, the SPEAR Centre received funding directly from NCVER for another program of work focused on the position of older workers in the Australian labour market and their experiences as they approach retirement. The contract covers a work program over three calendar years: 2007 to 2010.
For further information see, http://www.ncver.edu.au/workinprogress/projects/10407.html
Project Title - Securing their future: Older workers and the role of VET
Project workplan:
Stage 3: Who works beyond the 'standard' retirement age and why?
This project investigates which types of workers continue in employment beyond age 65 years.
Stage 4: Skill (mis)matches and over education of younger workers
This research project will provide empirical evidence on occupational changes and changes in skill use measures induced by over-education.
Stage 5: Differing skill requirements across countries and over time.
This project investigates how literacy and numeracy use at work differs across English-speaking countries and how it has changed over time.
For more detailed information see NCVER Research Program
ARC
2009-2011
“The Role of the Family in Facilitating the Human Capital and Labour Market Investments of Young Australians”.
Researchers: Dr Deborah Cobb-Clark, Dr Chris Ryan, Dr Tue Gorgens, Dr Yuji Tamura
This project will study the role of the family, interfamily financial transfers, and co-residence for young Australians’ investments in human capital and labour market skills. This is the first comprehensive such study in Australia. The empirical analysis will be based on data from Youth in Focus, a major research project involving a longitudinal survey of 4,000 Australian youths. The findings will inform public policy on several important issues including for example support to students, support to disadvantaged families, welfare dependency, housing costs, and housing planning. The project will also advance the literature by devising appropriate methods for analysing panel data and by extending the economic theory of the family.
2009
What are the determinants and effects of school choice? An international comparison between Australia and the UK
Researchers: Dr Deborah Cobb-Clark, Dr Chris Ryan, Dr Tue Gorgens, Professor Richard Blundell, Professor Lorraine Dearden, Professor Stephen Machin
This project will look at changes in household demand for private school education over the last 30 years in Australia and the UK and at the economic and demographic determinants of school choice in contemporary, comparable data. Innovative methodological approaches in two separate projects will focus on key potential drivers of private school choice, paying careful attention to what is similar and what is different about the underlying factors driving changes in school sector choice in the two countries. This analysis will provide a better evidence base for future policy development in this area.
Senior Fellow and Director
Chris Ryan. MEc (ANU), BCom, PhD ( Melbourne)
Research Staff
J.Z. (Elliott) Fan, BA ( National Taiwan University), MA, PhD ( University of Toronto)
Tue Gørgens, Cand. Oecon (Aarhus) PhD ( Iowa)
Astghik Mavisakalyan, MA (University of Tsukuba), PhD (University of Sydney)
Ha Nguyen MEc (University of Hanoi) (Institute of Social Science, Netherlands), PhD (ANU)
Anastasia Sartbayeva, MEc (ANU), PhD (ANU)
Mathias Sinning, BA, MA (University of Heidelberg) PhD (University of Bochum)
Chikako Yamauchi, BA, MA ( University of Tsukuba) CPhil, PhD (UCLA)
Research Assistants
Jacqueline Homel, BA (Hons) (University of Queensland)
Peta Nicholson
Students
Michelle Tan, B.Bus (RMIT), GradDipIntDevEc, MintDevEc (ANU)
Topic: The Economic Consequences of Marital Breakdown
Project Manager
Nicole Alexander
Other contributors to the 2009 Research Program
Deborah Cobb-Clark, BA MA (Mich.State) PhD ( Mich)
Vincent Hildebrand, Maîtrise (Paris-Dauphine), MA, PhD (York)
Stephen Whelan, BCom/LLB (NSW), MAgEc (Sydney), PhD (UBC)
Buly Cardak, BEc (Hons) (Adelaide), MA (University of Rochester), PhD (Melbourne)
