We study the relationship between financing constraints and the workforce composition of firms that employ both casual and non-casual workers. We use data on Australian firms from 2009-2014 and a more direct measure of firm financial constraint than previous studies. We show that the proportion...

We review the literature on financial constraints and the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). We consider the important role that SMEs play in the economies of Australia and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. We examine the role of financial constraints in...

The economic shock and government response to COVID-19 highlight weaknesses in Australia's tax system. COVID-19 puts pressure on a system under strain from long-term structural forces and the tax-free and tax-reduced status of certain sources of income. Returning to a sound structural budget...

This paper explores risk aversion among Australian households using panel data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Using households' share of risky assets, we test whether relative risk aversion is constant in wealth. After accounting for measurement error,...

This paper explores risk aversion among Australian households using panel data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Using households' share of risky assets, we test whether relative risk aversion is constant in wealth. After accounting for measurement error,...

We examine Australia's Mature Age Worker Tax offset (MAWTO), a targeted earned income tax credit of up to $500 to incentivize participation of older workers that existed from 2004-05 to 2014-15. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that MAWTO increased labor market participation...

We study the implications of vertical integration on innovation performance using firm-level data on Australian manufacturing. We use the data to distinguish between low-cost-oriented and innovation-oriented outsourcing. Outsourcing without innovation lowers costs at the expense of damaging the...

Using administrative data from firms in Australia that conduct research and development (R&D), we examine how R&D activity of other firms and public institutions affect a firm's own R&D expenditure. We distinguish between the impact of peers, suppliers and clients. We examine whether...

The case for policy intervention in social or economic problems should be based on incidence, severity and persistence of the problem. In this article, we show the usefulness of panel data in this regard by comparing preferred working hours to actual working hours, and examining the degree of...

It has been theorized that businesses are more likely to outsource when demand uncertainty is large in order to gain flexibility in production. We provide the first firm-level test of this hypothesis, making use of unique longitudinal data on Australian manufacturing. We find that new...