Research Focus and Projects

Research Focus

Members of CRAE focus their research on the application of economic analysis to empirical phenomena in market economies. Further, they seek to use theory and the results of their empirical analyses to inform and evaluate the development of business strategies and public policy to improve performance of individual organisations and the overall economy. Each of the members of the group have their own area of specialisation, but members collaborate on projects that overlap areas of expertise. They also draw on each other's specialist research skills as is indicated in the joint publications and research grants identified in the profiles for individual members.

Research conducted by members of CRAE contributes to the University’s areas of research focus in

• Resources and Energy  via Oil and Gas Management AoRE

  The importance of energy economics to the University’s research focus has been recognised by the designation of a Targeted Research Fellowship, Hiroaki Suenaga from the University of California at Davis, who will be working with Tony Owen

• Health and Well-being  via the Centre for Labour Market Research and CRAE Research Projects
• Communities and Changing Environments through  WISER
• Growth and Prosperity research units within CRAE

The members of CRAE in their individual and subgroup efforts have been very productive in terms of publications, attracting competitive research grants, supervising completed HDR theses and building regional, national and international collaborations.  Even more substantial growth in industry and community funding of research is expected given the greater profile associated with the collective efforts, and with financial support being provided by CBS and ORD.

Australian Research Council College of Experts 

Harry Bloch, the Director of CRAE, has been appointed to the Australian Research Council College of Experts for a three year term commencing in 2008. To support the advancement of knowledge and contribute to national innovation, the ARC engages a College of Experts to provide strategic advice and to play a key role in the identification of research excellence.

Its members are experts of international standing drawn from the Australian research community: from higher education, industry and public sector research organisations. College of Experts members are approved by the Minister for appointment of periods of between one and three years. The College of Experts members assess and rank ARC grant applications submitted under the National Competitive Grants Program, make funding recommendations to the ARC, provide strategic advice to the ARC on emerging disciplines and cross-disciplinary developments and contribute in formulating the federal government's ERA initiative.

Pending Research Publications

Book chapters:

• Harry Bloch, ‘A Tale of Two Cities: Cyclical Movements in Price and Productivity in mining and Manufacturing’, in Greg Dow, Andrew Eckert, and Doug West, editors, Essays in Honour of B. Curtis Eaton, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, forthcoming
  
  

Journal articles

• Harry Bloch and John Finch, ‘Firms and Industries in Evolutionary Economics: Lessons from Marshall, Young, Steindl and Penrose’, Journal of Evolutionary Economics, forthcoming.
   
• Harry Bloch, Shuddsattwa Rafiq and Ruhul Salim, ‘Impact of crude-oil price volatility on economic activities: an empirical investigation in the Thai economy’, Resources Policy, forthcoming.

Research Projects

CRAE is active in conducting research in all fields of applied economics, often in collaboration with industry partners. Research projects include:

• ARC Competition and Innovation Project
• CRAE Rail Research Project
• AHURI Research Projects -
1. Redesigning AHURI's Housing Market Microsimulation Model Using the HILDA Survey
2. Modelling for the Policy Research Working Group (PRWG) Using AHURI-3M - completed 2007
3. Movements In and Out of Housing Affordability Stress 
• Curtin Linkage Grant in Natural Gas

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARC Competition and Innovation: "Innovation, competition and economic performance: Understanding the dynamics of industry development"

Researchers: Harry Bloch, Maria Mangano

Collaborators:
Curtis B. Eaton – University of Calgary, Visiting Fellow 2008 
Bob Rothschild – University of Lancaster, Visiting Fellow 2008
Lifen Wu – University of Queensland
Jerry Courvisanos – University of Ballarat, Visiting Fellow 2007

This project will develop the theory of innovation and dynamic competition and will conduct empirical analysis aimed at verification and quantification of the theory.

The impact of the growth of innovating firms on the intensity of competition will be examined and implications for the speed of adjustment in the industry to technical change in terms of productivity growth, production costs, prices and profitability will be analysed.

An improved understanding of the impact of innovation on competition and economic performance will inform the design of public policy in terms of industry assistance, research and development support, competition policy and regulatory activity. This will help ensure that the billions of dollars of private and public expenditure devoted to innovative activities and industry development has the greatest possible impact in terms of improved products, lower prices and the enhanced competitiveness of Australian businesses.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CRAE Rail Research Project

Researchers: Nick Wills-Johnson and Harry Bloch

This research examines the economics and economic regulation of Australian railways. 

One major part of the research focuses on the economic regulation of railways, its effects and its appropriateness from both a principled and practical perspective.  It also examines modes of economic governance of railways, exploring different ways of looking at the problem of how we can obtain maximum efficiency from our railways as a crucial part of Australia's logistics chains.  A second major part of the research looks at developing a much better empirical picture of what the railways look like and how they operate.  To this end, a railways database covering a century of Australian railways operations is being compiled to further the ability of Australian researchers to conduct empirical research in the industry.  The database will become publicly available on CRAE's website.
 
The research is being funded by Rio Tinto, the Department of Industry and Resources, Westnet Rail and QR.

Media Release: The Australian 16.8.08

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AHURI Research Projects:

CRAE is currently conducting one research project, has recently completed research, and will commence a new project in 2008, funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI).

1. Redesigning AHURI's Australian Housing Market Microsimulation Model

Researchers: Rachel Ong and Gavin Wood (RMIT)

The AHURI-3M model brings together the supply and demand components of the Australian housing system by estimating the prices and constraints faced by housing investors and housing consumers, given their income support payments and tax liabilities, and the resulting impacts on tenure outcomes.

The proposed model will be constructed using wave 2 of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) Survey, which contains comprehensive data on both housing investors and consumers. The proposed model is expected to be an important policy tool that can inform policy development by helping policy-makers anticipate the national impacts of changes to policy parameters on tenure outcomes, estimating the budgetary costs or savings of proposed policy changes and facilitating a dynamic analysis of housing assistance.

2. Modelling for Policy Research Working Group (PRWG) Using AHURI-3M - completed September 2007

The project employed the AHURI-3M housing market model to undertake modelling on initiatives to improve the supply of affordable housing.

The project had a two-fold aim. Firstly, to estimate internal rates of return for landlords. Secondly, it measured the housing affordability consequences of supply-side policy levers, taking into account the rent assistance entitlements of private rental tenants.

3. Movements In and Out of Housing Affordability Stress and the Dynamic Modelling of Initiatives to Improve the Supply of Affordable Housing - commencing April 2008

Researchers: Rachel Ong, Gavin Wood (RMIT) and Richard Seymour

Curtin Linkage Grant - "Price Impacts of the Domestic Reservation Policy for Natural Gas In WA"

Researchers: Harry Bloch, Tony Owen, Hiro Suenaga and Noelle Leonard

The proposed research will examine the impact of the domestic gas reservation policy on the market.

We will utilise expertise among researchers in the Oil and Gas Management Area of Research Excellence in the Curtin Business School. The key focus will be on the supply availability and prices paid by domestic users of natural gas in WA. The proposed research will model the supply and demand of natural gas in the domestic WA market, together with the linkages between this market and the global market for LNG.