Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research - Research Publications

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    What impact did the creation of Local Health Care Co-operatives have on indicators of practice resources and activity?
    McLean, G ; Sutton, M (BMC, 2008-05-16)
    BACKGROUND: The creation of Local Health Care Cooperatives (LHCCs) in Scotland in 1999 was typical of attempts to encourage voluntary integration and co-operation between health care providers. One of the three stated objectives of their introduction was to tackle inequalities and improve access to care. METHODS: We used administrative data on all general practices in 1999 and 2003 to examine whether LHCCs had any measurable impact on six indicators of practice resources and activity. We compare three groups (participant, non-participant, and ineligible practices) through regression analysis of changes over time in group means and within-group inequality (measured using Gini coefficients). In addition, for participants we measure changes in the variation between and within LHCCs. RESULTS: Despite having similar registered populations to participants, non-participants had lower levels of resources at the start of the period and this differential widened over time. The changes over time in the activity indicators were similar across the three groups. There was little evidence that inequality between LHCC practices narrowed more than in the other two groups. Practices within LHCCs appear to be become more homogenous while variation increased between LHCCs. CONCLUSION: The mixed messages from our examination of resources and activity indicators demonstrates that there are likely to be important lessons to be learned from the brief experiment with LHCCs. Clear objectives that are evaluated using a battery of simple performance indicators may help to ensure demonstrable change in future initiatives to foster integration and co-operation.
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    The Effect of Financial Incentives on Labour Supply: Evidence for Lone Parents from Microsimulation and Quasi-Experimental Evaluation
    CAI, L ; KALB, G ; TSENG, Y ; VU, THH (Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2008-06)
    The aim of this paper is to analyse the work incentive effects of a change in the Australian tax and transfer system on lone parents in July 2000. To evaluate the effect of the total change only, microsimulation can be used; but for a subgroup of lone parents, a few components of this policy change can be analysed through two alternative approaches - microsimulation and quasi-experimental evaluation. Both approaches examine the effects on the probability of employment and on average working hours. The results from microsimulation show that the combined changes introduced in July 2000 - involving reduced withdrawal rates, changed family payments and lower income tax rates - have increased labour supply for lone parents to a moderate extent. The estimated effect on average working hours when using microsimulation is very close to the effect estimated in a quasi-experimental approach using matching techniques to control for alternative influences.
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    The Social Multiplier and Labor Market Participation of Mothers
    Maurin, E ; MOSCHION, J (American Economic Association, 2009)
    In France, as in the US, a mother's labor market participation is influenced by the sex composition of her two eldest siblings. This paper shows that it is also affected by the sex composition of the eldest siblings of the other mothers living in the same close neighborhood. Using the sex composition of neighbors' eldest siblings as an instrumental variable, we identify a significant elasticity of own labor market participation to neighbors' participation. We present supportive evidence by comparing the estimates under two regimes for family benefits (pre-and post-1994 reform) and using quarter of birth as an alternative instrument.
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    Offre de travail des mères en France: L'effet causal du passage de deux à trois enfants
    Moschion, J (Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE), 2009)
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    Optimal design of means tested retirement benefits
    Sefton, James ; VAN DE VEN, JUSTIN ( 2009)
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    Pet dogs benefit owners' health: A 'natural experiment' in China
    Headey, B ; Na, F ; Zheng, R (SPRINGER, 2008-07)
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    The Retirement Expectations of Middle‐aged Australians*
    COBB‐CLARK, DA ; STILLMAN, S (Wiley, 2009-06)
    We use HILDA data to examine the retirement plans of middle‐aged Australians. We find that approximately two‐thirds of men and more than half of women report a numeric expected retirement age which we refer to as having a standard retirement plan. Still, one in five individuals seem to have delayed their retirement planning and approximately 1 in 11 either does not know when he or she expects to retire or expects to never retire. Retirement plans are closely related to current labour market position, with workers in jobs with well‐defined superannuation benefits more likely to report numeric expected retirement ages.
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    The Asset Portfolios of Native-born and Foreign-born Australian Households
    Cobb-Clark, DA ; Hildebrand, VA (WILEY-BLACKWELL, 2009-03)
    This paper analyses the net worth and asset portfolios of native‐ and foreign‐born Australian families. Specifically, we estimate a system of asset equations with an adding‐up constraint imposed to control for diversity in household wealth. We find that the wealth of mixed and native‐born couples is not significantly different; however, immigrant‐only couples have approximately $162 000 less wealth than native‐born couples. Relative to equally wealthy native‐born couples, immigrant‐only couples hold substantially more wealth in their homes and less in the form of vehicles. Mixed couples and single individuals allocate their wealth across assets in the same way their native‐born counterparts.
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    Improving the Modelling of Couples' Labour Supply
    Breunig, R ; Cobb-Clark, D ; Gong, X ( 2008)