Australian Economic Review最新文献

Many countries have initiated structural reforms in corporate income tax (CIT) to attract investment and promote growth. There has been a continuous decline in CIT rates worldwide. It is expected that cuts in CIT rates may increase after-tax profits and encourage investment. A change in the CIT rate may also be shifted backward (by changing salaries and wages) and/or forward (by changing product prices). These are theoretical possibilities and may not have support from empirical evidence. In this paper we review empirical studies to assess the impact of CIT rate changes on the economy.

We review a body of literature that addresses the incomes of visual artists and their participation in the labour market. It is clear that the level and composition of visual artists’ incomes varies widely, as does their engagement in different forms of employment. The lack of a consistent definition of an artist and a lack of consistency in income sources included in current data collection presents challenges for researchers. The focus of our research is on the economic status of visual artists in Australia, and we identify a number of considerations that might inform policy responses to their financial position.

We construct a provincial financial stability index, and use panel vector autoregression to construct a model for empirical testing. We find that local governments' reliance on land grant premiums amplifies the impact on financial stability. In addition, the relationship between the real estate market and the financial system allows real estate price fluctuations to significantly affect market participants, further impacting financial system stability. Finally, in the eastern region, land price fluctuations have a less adverse impact on financial stability, while in other regions, rising commodity real estate prices are the biggest threat to financial stability.

The relationship between housing quality and energy disadvantage over the long run is a complex interaction of growing interest. This work navigates through conceptual definitions and datasets to highlight gaps in monitoring and evaluating energy disadvantage, particularly the role of housing in perpetuating or mitigating energy disadvantage. We find that in Australia there is no agreed-upon definition or metrics for energy poverty or energy hardship, nor a panel or longitudinal housing stock energy efficiency dataset and discuss options for remediating this.

The Ukraine war has increased coal and gas prices during 2022. Consequently, spot prices in Australia's National Electricity Market rose from $75 to $225/MWh, year-on-year. Households are shielded from spot prices, but as energy retailer hedge contracts mature, they are replaced by higher cost contracts, and end-use retail tariffs will then rise. In this article, fuel poverty levels in Queensland are analysed. Model results forecast that fuel poverty rises from 6.8 per cent to 10.5 per cent of households. However, changes to energy concessions policy in 2016‒2017 materially enhanced horizontal and vertical efficiency, with successful targeting rising from 51 per cent to 69 per cent of vulnerable households.

In Australia there is limited understanding of the scale and nature of energy hardship or poverty. Energy poverty remains a concept with no clear definition and therefore no clear objectives, targets, metrics for data collection nor institutions to monitor and report on. Europe, in the last decade, has gone from limited public recognition of, and policy action on, energy poverty, to now having sophisticated quantitative measurement and monitoring tools, and institutional governance arrangements that promote transparency and accountability. In this paper, drawing on the European experience, we focus attention upon the measures and indicators of energy poverty and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. We propose institutional options for understanding and tackling these problems in the context of Australia's energy transition.

Energy poverty is a temporary condition, yet a non-negligible share of the Australian population suffers persistent energy disadvantage. Using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, we observe that single individuals, single-parent households and those with a disabled household member are at high risk of persistent energy poverty. This is also true for non-working individuals and immigrants from non-English-speaking countries. Nevertheless, highly educated individuals, those living in metropolitan areas and homeowners are less likely to persistently experience energy poverty. Government investment in energy efficiency is crucial to reduce electricity bills and have healthier homes.

The Australian Taxation Office Longitudinal Information Files: Individuals (ALife: Individuals), is one of the most comprehensive tax administrative datasets in the world. The ALife: Individuals dataset, which currently covers the period 1990‒1991 to 2017‒2018, is based on a 10 per cent longitudinal sample of administrative unit-record personal income tax data. This new, high quality, longitudinal, de-identified, research-ready dataset is available to approved researchers through secure environments that safeguard taxpayers' information. The availability of ALife: Individuals opens exciting new possibilities for public policy research and evaluation that will improve understanding of taxpayer behaviour and support policy development and its administration.

Macroeconomic forecasts and program evaluations of health service interventions are pessimistic about ageing populations, given their low work participation and high demand for social services. We estimate the impact of heart disease on paid work and the value of unpaid non-market activities of the Australian elderly, using Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) data, finding significant losses in the value of their contributions to adult care and voluntary work. Impacts on non-market contributions of older women were more significant than for older men. A broader perspective on the value of the contributions made by the elderly is needed to enhance efficiency and (gender) equality.

Economic dynamism is fundamental to productivity and living standards. Several important metrics suggest that the Australian economy has become less dynamic over recent decades. The share of workers starting a new job has fallen. Among employing businesses, the start-up rate has declined. On average, markets have become more concentrated. Mark-ups have increased. Reinvigorating competition policy may be an important means of boosting dynamism and raising the rate of productivity growth.