bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparing Researchers for a Qualitative Investigation of a Particularly Sensitive Nature: Reflections from the Field
Authors: Oskowitz Beverley , Meulenberg-Buskens Ineke
Published: March 2013

This article discusses how researchers prepared themselves for a qualitative research project which focused on stakeholders' perceptions regarding the quality of care at a clinic for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). While any type of interactive qualitative research would benefit from the researchers' preparing themselves, a sensitive topic such as this poses particular challenges and made researcher preparation quite imperative. The preparation period is described and illustrated, and related to theoretical concepts used by qualitative researchers and methodologists. It is hoped that the article will provide guidelines and inspiration for researchers who want to prepare for a qualitative investigation into similar sensitive topics. In preparation for this investigation, the researchers examined their own frames of reference, looked critically at their attitudes and tried to master appropriate capacities and skills. The following areas of researcher development are expanded upon: Creating an environment for introspection and reflection within the research team; personal preparation through diaries and memos; developing empathy for respondents; and training in research techniques.
Social Constructionism, Discourse, and Psychology
Authors: Durrheim Kevin
Published: March 2013

This paper serves as an introduction to social constructionist approaches to psychology. It outlines the arguments which have prompted a shift away from empiricism in the social sciences. Harré's (1992) distinction between behaviourism and the first and second cognitive revolution is used to provide a broad historical framework to develop contrasts between mainstream empiricist psychology and constructionist approaches. The central claim is that theories of meaning are embodied in theories of science, and that we need a new (constructionist) theory of science to underpin a psychology which takes the meaningful nature of human activity as its object of study. Finally, the paper introduces discourse analysis as a methodology which can sustain a constructionist, post-empiricist analysis.
Regulating Professional Conduct Part I: Codes of Ethics of National Psychology Associations in South Africa
Authors: Louw Johann
Published: March 2013

This article provides a brief history of the development of codes of ethics in two South African psychological associations. It also examines the patterns of complaints and enquiries forwarded to the ethics committees of these associations. Concerns about advertising dominated in a relatively low total number of complaints and enquiries over the years. Most of the complaints were lodged by psychologists themselves. The development of a code of ethics is linked to one aspect of professionalization: the certification of psychologists.
Predictors of Satisfaction with Life: The Role of Racial Identity, Collective Self-Esteem and Gender-Role Attitudes
Authors: Mokgatlhe Bantobetse P. , Schoeman Johannes B.
Published: March 2013

This study investigated the relative contributions of four dimensions of racial identity, gender-role attitudes and collective self-esteem towards the prediction of satisfaction with life (as an index of psychological well-being). The findings indicated that collective self-esteem, followed by confrontation (i.e. strong identification with the Ingroup associated with rejection of the outgroup), and non-traditional gender-role attitudes, predicted satisfaction with life.
The Appropriateness of Super's Career Theory among Black South Africans
Authors: Stead Graham B. , Watson Mark B.
Published: March 2013

The appropriateness of Super's career theory among black South Africans is discussed in terms of developmental stages, the self-concept, career maturity, and career decision-making. Suggestions are provided as to how these constructs may need to be re-evaluated and thus become more meaningful to career counsellors and researchers.
A Characterisation of South African Psychology (1948–1988): The Impact of Exclusionary Ideology
Authors: Seedat Mohamed
Published: March 2013

The deliberate and sometimes unwitting complicity of psychology with apartheid social formations has received limited attention in the psycho-historical literature. This paper, in an attempt to break the silence, offers a descriptive characterisation of South African psychology. Details obtained from a content analysis of seven journals show South African psychology, between 1948–1988, to be characterised by five features. Firstly, white males affiliated to the historically white universities dominate knowledge-production in the discipline. Secondly, English is the majority language in publications. Thirdly, although the majority of analysed articles are empirical in nature there is an increase in the production of articles that scrutinise the ideological premises of the discipline. Fourthly, empirical studies tend to select both male and female research subjects who are mainly white. Fifthly, journal publications are dominated by conventional areas such as psychometrics, research methodology, industrial psychology and educational psychology. The more recently developed sub-areas such as community psychology and the psychology of oppression receive marginal attention. The findings of the content analysis are interpreted from within two perspectives, thus yielding a nuanced characterisation of South African psychology. When the findings are initially reviewed from within the respective journals' editorial objectives, research and theoretical enquiry within the discipline may be viewed as varied and diverse. However, at a more profound level, when the findings are contextualised within the argument that South African psychology is an extension of the colonial and western ethnoscientific enterprise, psychology is shown as neglecting the black psychosocial experience and alienating blacks and women from the processes of knowledge production.
Using Psychodynamic Formulations in South African Clinical Settings
Authors: Swartz Sally
Published: March 2013

This paper examines the role played by psychodynamic formulations in the training of South African clinical psychologists. It describes formulation practices commonly encountered in training arenas. Misconceptions about the nature and function of psychodynamic formulations are outlined, and the implications of exposing trainees to more than one psychodynamic theory are explored. The informal use of psychodynamic terms in psychiatric talk, and some effects of this on the way in which patients are perceived are described. The paper argues that trainees' difficulties in learning how to formulate psychodynamically are compounded by issues of authority and access to discursive space in wardround and case conference settings. The implications of living in a post-colonial context are described, and the importance of constructing culture-sensitive formulations is stressed. The paper concludes with some suggestions for a coherent and learner-friendly approach to teaching trainees how to formulate psychodynamically.
Curricular Choice and the Differential Prediction of the Tertiary-Academic Performance of Men and Women
Authors: Huysamen G. K. , Roozendaal L.A.
Published: March 2013

American research findings suggest that the tertiary-academic performance of men and women is predicted differentially in the sense that for the same high-school and aptitude-test performance, the actual grades achieved by women are higher than those predicted for them, and that for men, the situation is reversed. In the present study, three hierarchical regressions were performed to predict the extent of differential prediction for 329 men and 470 women who registered as first-year students at the University of the Orange Free State in 1992. With the two scales of the GSAT, matriculation symbol point total (MSPT), and a combination of these two predictors, gender (intercept) differences accounted for 4.55%, 2.36% and 2.18% of variance in accumulated mean curriculum percentage marks (MCPMs) over a three-year period. Next, hierarchical multiple regressions, in which the categorical variable of curricular choice was specified to enter the equation ahead of gender, were performed to predict the deviations of students' predicted MCPMs from their actual MCPMs (as indices of differential prediction). When cur-ricular choice was controlled through this semi-partial correlational approach, the percentage of these indices' variance that was explained by gender was reduced by between 53% and 78%. In the process the percentage of variance explained by gender was virtually wiped out: When the index of differential prediction was based on MSPT and a combination of the GSAT and MSPT, gender explained less than one per cent of the variance of these indices.
A Leadership Competence Utilization Questionnaire for South African Managers
Authors: Spangenberg Hermann H. , Schroder Harold M. , Duvenage Andre
Published: March 2013

Schroder has developed ten independent High Performance Leadership Competencies (HPLCs) that predict superior work unit performance in dynamic environments. Assessment centre technology was used for measuring HPLC's. On the basis of recent research, Schroder developed a 360° instrument, called the Competence Utilization Questionnaire (CUQ), to measure these competencies. The aim of this study was to adapt the CUQ for South African managers. Subjects were 128 middle and senior managers from three major business and utility organisations. Respondents ( n = 658), who were either peers or work unit members of subjects, completed CUQ's regarding them. The questionnaire consisted of the ten Schroder competencies, and Contextual Sensitivity, a hypothesised South African competency. A true assumption-free, data-driven exploratory factor analytic study revealed seven well-defined common factors. These are Organisational Learning, Inspiration Building, Strategic Decision-making, Proactivity, Recognition for Development, Performance Feedback, and Contextual Sensitivity. Alpha reliability coefficients were above the 0.80 level, except Factor seven (0.74).
Authorship Credit in Supervisor-Student Collaboration: Assessing the Dilemma in Psychology
Authors: Louw D.A. , Fouché J.B.
Published: March 2013

Clear guidelines for authorship credit are not only important to ensure that a researcher gets the academic recognition he or she deserves, but also to avoid personal conflict and even lawsuits. It is therefore regrettable that relatively little research has been done on this topic and that few academic and research institutions seem to have formal guidelines in this regard. To assess the situation in South Africa concerning authorship credit in supervisor-student collaborations, more than 1000 questionnaires were distributed to academic psychologists, non-academic psychologists and psychology students undergoing professional training. The questionnaire consisted of sketches of four hypothetical cases to which the respondent had to respond quantitatively and qualitatively. The results are presented and discussed, and guidelines for determining authorship credit are suggested.
Safety Bubble versus Risk Awareness
Authors: Vuga Janja
Published: March 2013

The acceptance of risk in a certain society is tested when de facto or merely potential military death casualties are raised. Several dimensions influencing the acceptability of risk have already been analyzed, although only three are examined in this article—namely, the historicopolitical, sociodemographic, and cultural. The Slovenian public opinion survey persistently shows strong risk aversion among Slovenians and the article’s purpose is therefore to (1) establish how can the strong risk aversion be explained by the selected dimensions; and (2) identify what part of the population is most risk-aversive. To that end, over twenty years of Slovenian public poll data are analyzed using a triangulation of statistical methods, revealing a cultural pattern of safety bubble versus risk awareness. As the risk aversion model reveals, Slovenian society represents a safety bubble, with strong risk aversion and a very narrow selection of activities worth making sacrifices for. Death casualties are rarely accepted, even if incurred in support of ideals society strongly appreciates, like humanitarian causes.
Correlation of Brain Ultrasonography Scans to the Neuromotor Outcome of Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants During the First Year of Life
Authors: Karagianni Paraskevi , Rallis Dimitrios , Kyriakidou Maria , Tsakalidis Christos , Pratsiou Paraskevi , Nikolaidis Nikolaos
Published: March 2013

To evaluate the consistency of the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination scores of very-low-birth-weight infants at 6 and 12 months of age and its correlation to cranial ultrasonography findings, we designed a prospective study between January 2005 and January 2008, in the tertiary Neonatal Unit of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. All infants enrolled had a cranial ultrasonography performed at term. Preterm infants born at <32 weeks gestation with a birth weight <1500 g were eligible for the study. One hundred seventy-four infants were finally enrolled; out of those, 46 (26%) had an optimal score at 6 and 76 (44%) at 12 months of age. Mean global scores were 61 and 69 at 6 and 12 months, respectively. The Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination score significantly increased between 6 and 12 months, equally in all ultrasonography groups. The presence of cystic periventricular leukomalacia was associated to lower scores and neurologic impairment.
Do Infants Really Expect Agents to Act Efficiently? A Critical Test of the Rationality Principle
Authors: Scott Rose M. , Baillargeon Renée
Published: March 2013

Recent experiments have suggested that infants’ expectations about the actions of agents are guided by a principle of rationality: In particular, infants expect agents to pursue their goals efficiently, expending as little effort as possible. However, these experiments have all presented infants with infrequent or odd actions, which leaves the results open to alternative interpretations and makes it difficult to determine whether infants possess a general expectation of efficiency. We devised a critical test of the rationality principle that did not involve infrequent or odd actions. In two experiments, 16-month-olds watched events in which an agent faced two identical goal objects; although both objects could be reached by typical, everyday actions, one object was physically (Experiment 1) or mentally (Experiment 2) more accessible than the other. In both experiments, infants expected the agent to select the more-accessible object. These results provide new evidence that infants possess a general and robust expectation of efficiency.
Baluchistan Nationalist Movement and Unrest in Pakistan
Authors: Akhtar Nasreen
Published: March 2013

Pakistan is one of the most complex multi-ethnic societies in the developing Islamic world. Each of the ethnic groups that now comprise Pakistan has very distinctive identity, folklore, history and political interests. However, Pakistan’s nation builders were not alive to the ethnic question and failed to integrate ethnic groups into a Pakistani nationhood through recognised principles of autonomy, representation and empowerment. Instead, a non-representative, military-led authoritarian system suppressed legitimate regional and ethnic aspirations, relying too heavily on Islam and Pakistan ideology (two nation theory) to forge a sense of common nationhood. It didn’t work: since the 1950s there have been four major insurrections against the central government by Baluch nationalists. Although the Baluch national question has its roots in the colonial era, it emerged as a significant political and security issue because an over-centralised and non-representative power system couldn’t address the issue of ethnic diversity. Baluchistan is now a hub of interests for regional and major powers.
Investigating the Economic Cost of Injury in the Workplace: A Case Study Approach
Authors: Kiel Geoffrey , Kolsen H. Ted , Smith Carmel
Published: March 2013

Historically, the costs of work-related injury have been reported in macro-economic terms. Macro-economic cost alone, however, does not accurately portray the totality of costs that are incurred as a result of a work-related injury. This paper reviews the literature in the area of workplace injury cost estimation and highlights the complexities involved in the area. Using a case study analysis of six workplace injuries, this paper reports on the overall cost of work-related injury, and identifies the key determinants of cost. The research indicates that the actual costs of workplace injury can vary significantly to the “typical” costs as used in some macro-economic studies.
Working but Poor? Low Pay and Poverty in Australia
Authors: Eardley Tony
Published: March 2013

The decentralisation of wage bargaining in Australia has led to a widening of the earnings gap. There has been talk of a new phenomenon of ‘working poverty’, where incomes in a significant number of households fall below the poverty line even when family members are in paid employment. This paper examines the growth of working poverty in Australia from the beginning of the 1980s to the mid-1990s. The analysis suggests that the phenomenon of working poverty is real and has been growing. Low pay on an hourly basis does not in itself equal poverty, and the biggest increase in family poverty has been among employees not in low pay. Yet the proportion of low-paid workers who are also in poor families has grown considerably. In the light of these findings the paper discusses the possible impact of policy approaches such as tax credits and higher minimum wages.
Third Way Economic Management in New Zealand
Authors: Dalziel Paul
Published: March 2013

The article explains why a ‘Third Way’ for economic management has become important in New Zealand. Economic growth fell sharply compared to Australia after 1984, due to a slow-down in New Zealand’s labour productivity growth after 1991. The paper argues this was partially the result of a neglected aspect of economic management during the 1984–94 decade of economic reform: fostering domestic physical capital formation. The third way differs from both the approach adopted prior to 1984 and the approach adopted during New Zealand’s reforms, based on government involvement, but not direct intervention, in industry and regional development.
Labour Market Flexibility and the Output-Employment Ratio in Australia
Authors: Stegman A. , Stegman T.
Published: March 2013

This paper addresses two questions with regard to Australia’s unemployment policies over the last decade: namely, the extent to which labour market reform has led to increased labour market flexibility; and the extent to which increased output per worker has meant that strong GDP growth has been translated into correspondingly large reductions in unemployment. With regard to the first question, we use shifts in the Beveridge Curve as a measure of changes in flexibility (following Solow). Shifts in the Beveridge Curve suggest that changes in the efficiency of labour market matching reflect the cyclical effects of hysteresis rather than the effects of labour market reform. With regard to the second question, we decompose changes in the output-employment ratio into structural effects, average hours effects, and residual factor intensity effects. We identify those sectors of the economy in which output per worker has increased significantly.
Core Labour Standards and the WTO
Authors: Turnell Sean
Published: March 2013

The purpose of this paper is to suggest ways in which core labour standards can be incorporated into the WTO. Though regarded by some as simply a vehicle for protectionism, the campaign for core labour standards is based on sound economics that extends the logic of trade regulation to the international dimension of labour. Getting agreement on core labour standards and enforcing them will be a difficult task, but one best conducted through the WTO using a joint ILO/WTO enforcement mechanism. It is argued that such a task will bring much-needed legitimacy to the WTO, and increase the chances that it can deliver a world of prosperous, open and fair trade.
Job Sharing in Australia: Possibilities, Problems and Strategies
Authors: Lafferty George , Bohle Philip , Giudice Catherine
Published: March 2013

This paper defines job sharing and explores its potential benefits. An overview of its origins and growth in Australia and overseas is followed by discussion of management issues. Organisational issues concern aspects of planning, implementation and operation. Issues for job sharers include finding an appropriate job share partner, maintenance of the job sharing relationship, protection of voluntary participation and preservation of pro rata benefits and other working conditions. A process for facilitating effective liaison between management, job sharers and trade unions is proposed. Job sharing is uncommon in Australia but may assist workers to balance work and family responsibilities or pursue interests outside work while avoiding many disadvantages of precarious work. For employers, it may facilitate retention of valued staff, reduce turnover, enhance recruiting or reduce staff costs. These propositions have not been rigorously tested, however, and avenues for future research are therefore explored.
Integrating Environmental and Economic Data: Reporting to Create a National Accounting Framework for the Environment
Authors: Johnson Michael
Published: March 2013

Organizations and governments have improved their environmental data collection and reporting performance since 1992, but it is still limited and focussed on specific problem solving rather than providing a national accounting framework for addressing environmental problems. In Australia evidence of the consideration of ‘sustainability’ goals in data collection and disclosure is growing through the development of ‘state of the environment’ reporting. The development of integrated environmental, economic and social information to support the application of more radical environmental modernisation ideas by organizations and governments is weak. Private and public sector organization reporting has improved, but there are still insufficient incentives to enhance it. This paper suggests more systematic reporting at the aggregate level by governments is essential if the environment is to be managed in a regular, balanced, sustainable and responsible way.
The Prospects of Employee Participation in State-Owned Enterprises: Lessons from the Case of Chunghwa Telecom Company in Taiwan
Authors: Ku Chen-Yen
Published: March 2013

One of the major factors in building a successful system of employee participation is the involvement of unions and government. In this article, the limitations of system of employee participation in Taiwan are examined. The article begins with a brief overview of Taiwanese industrial relations. It then focuses on the development of Employee Participation in Taiwan, before exploring the impacts of privatisation on the state-owned enterprises in Taiwan, with reference to Chunghwa Telecom Company.
Substitute Trade Union or Novel Form of Labour Movement Organisation? Understanding Indonesia’s Labour NGOs
Authors: Ford Michele
Published: March 2013

Labour non-governmental organisations’ (NGOs) role in the reconstruction of Indonesia’s organised labour movement has been widely acknowledged. They are not, however, generally recognised as a legitimate part of that movement. This paper uses the Indonesian case to demonstrate how the existing scholarly literature has failed to consider labour NGOs as a form of labour organisation in their own right because they do not fit within practitioners’ and scholars’ definitions of what is, and is not, a legitimate industrial relations actor.
Employment Outcomes of Work for the Dole: An Analysis of the DEWRSB Net Impact Report
Authors: Nevile J.W.
Published: March 2013

Since the data necessary to make a formal quantitative analysis of Work for the Dole employment outcomes is not available to researchers who are independent of Commonwealth Government Departments, this article examines the (then) Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB) net impact report, finding in it a number of weaknesses. The combined effect of these is to inflate the estimated value for net impact but a corrected estimate is still higher than many consider likely. Any figure for the net impact estimate of an Australian labour market program can only be a broad indicator. This article argues that in the case of Work for the Dole the net impact is definitely positive and by more than a trivial amount.
Health Care Spending, Family Structure and Family Health
Authors: Barrett Garry F. , Conlon Robert
Published: March 2013

We use data from the ABS National Health Surveys for 1989/95 and 1995 to examine differences in health care expenditures and health outcomes by family structure. We find that, on average, female single parents tend to experience poorer health outcomes, and exhibit more ‘risky’ health behaviours (particularly smoking), compared to adults in ‘two-parent’ families. Children in female single parent families tend to have more chronic health conditions than children in two-parent families. We also find that single parent families tend to spend a lower proportion of their income on health care, while receiving fewer indirect health care resources through government. Policies that may help reduce the economic and health disadvantages facing single parent families are considered.
Location and Unemployment
Authors: Bradbury Bruce , Chalmers Jenny
Published: March 2013

Are people receiving unemployment-related income support more likely to exit from income support if they live in a stronger labour market? This paper examines this question using data from the Australian Department of Family and Community Services Longitudinal Data Set (LDS). We find that, controlling for other observed characteristics, living in an area with a one percentage point lower unemployment rate is associated with a 5 per cent increase in the probability of exit. This implies a 9 per cent decrease in the mean duration of benefit receipt. This should be considered an upper bound for the impact of regional labour market characteristics as it partly reflects the fact that people with low skill levels can only afford to live in high unemployment regions. To control for unobserved characteristics (such as skill levels) that are constant over time we look at changes in income support among people who move location. This suggests a much lower, but still significant, impact of local labour market conditions on unemployment benefit receipt.
Social Capital at Work
Authors: Stone Wendy , Gray Matthew , Hughes Jody
Published: March 2013

A great deal of the research into the determinants of labour market outcomes has focussed on the role of human capital and the structure of the labour market. Relatively little attention has been paid to the role of social capital. This paper investigates the extent to which an individual’s social capital relates to their labour market outcomes. The relationships between social capital and labour force status and social capital and job search method are explored using data collected from a national random sample of Australians. Both a network and typology approach to measuring social capital are used.
Real Estate Speculation as a Source of Banking and Currency Instability: Some Different Lessons from the Asian Crisis
Authors: Bentick Brian L. , Lewis Mervyn K.
Published: March 2013

A central feature of the Asian currency crisis of 1997/1998 was the vast prior capital inflow into the region, and the later rapid reversal of that movement. In seeking to explain why this outflow of capital took place and was so devastating for the countries concerned, various writers have laid blame upon a combination of connected lending, poor bank supervision, moral hazard and “crony capitalism”.

Our emphasis is different. Much of the capital inflow financed a vast over-expansion of commercial real estate development. Plunging real estate values accompanied by severe difficulties in the banking and financial sector were common occurrences across the region. The argument we advance is that property plays a special role in banks’ portfolios and that large international portfolio capital flows mediated by banks will usually lead to rapidly appreciating asset prices which will result in banking/currency crises.
Examining Recent Changes in Income Distribution in Australia
Authors: Saunders Peter
Published: March 2013

This paper analyses recently released ABS data on the distribution of income and examines how inequality has changed since 1994–95 and since the election of the Howard Government in 1995–96. While real disposable incomes increased across the distribution, income inequality has also increased since 1994–95, particularly between 1996–97 and 1999–2000. Over the entire period from 1994–95 to 2000–01, mean income in the top quintile increased by $111 a week, more than eight times the increase of $13 a week in the lowest quintile. Since the Howard government came to office, the estimates indicate that almost half (47.3 per cent) of the total increase in disposable income was received by those in the top quintile — implying that half of the income generated by economic growth has been of no benefit to the bottom four-fifths (in income terms) of the population. Comparison with earlier research also shows that income inequality has, in some respects, increased more rapidly since the mid-1990s than during the 1980s.
Industrial Capabilities in Victoria
Authors: Leahy Anne , Loundes Joanne , Webster Elizabeth , Yong Jongsay
Published: March 2013

This paper presents the key findings from a small qualitative survey of the main factors associated with the creation and usage of five industrial capabilities in leading Victorian sectors. The capabilities included advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT), design, information and communications technology (ICT), biotechnology and environment technologies. Eighty-eight companies and organisations were interviewed for the study. It was found that the main requirements for the successful creation of a capability was the ability of the company to recruit and retain the best graduates from universities and technical schools, the ability to offer training to these graduates and the ability to financially support high and consistent levels of R&D over time. The main requirement for the successful use of a capability was effective company networking, work cultures conducive to excellence, supportive government regulations and the provision of complementary specialised training.
The ICT Sector, Growth and Productivity: Ireland and Australia Compared
Authors: Green Roy , Burgess John , Turner Grant
Published: March 2013

This article compares the productivity and employment performance of the Australian and Irish economies over the 1990s, with particular emphasis on the different approaches to the role of information and communications technologies (ICT). Whereas Australia’s performance is characterised by the application and diffusion of ICT across a number of sectors, with indirect productivity and employment effects, Ireland has become a major producer of ICT products and services in its own right. The article traces the implications of these approaches for the pattern of growth and employment in both economies and also indicates their limitations. Ireland’s approach is limited by dependence on foreign investment, embodying externally generated technologies, though this is now being addressed by a policy interest in R&D support and the development of industry clusters and networks. On the other hand, Australia faces growing and possibly unsustainable deficits in its current account, driven by imports of knowledge-intensive goods and services, notwithstanding recent improvements in the terms of trade associated with higher prices for primary commodity exports.
Retirement Incomes in New Zealand
Authors: St John Susan
Published: March 2013

New Zealand has a unique approach to retirement income provision. The state pension arrangements have the advantage of being very simple and easy to understand and administer. While there are numerous issues associated with the ageing of the population that may require modification to the parameters of state provision in the future, there is little political disagreement about the basic design of the state pension. In ensuring universal coverage with a flat rate taxable pension for everyone without the need for a contributions record, New Zealand has prevented elderly poverty to date. Supplementary private provision has been unsubsidised and recent debate has focused on the need to encourage more private saving particularly through work-based schemes. Nevertheless there are numerous advantages to New Zealand's tax neutral approach, which may offer lessons to reformers in other countries. With some caveats, New Zealand appears well placed to weather the increased expenditures associated with the retirement of the baby boomers.
Retirement Incomes for an Ageing Australia
Authors: Bateman Hazel
Published: March 2013

Over the past 100 years, retirement income provision in Australia has evolved into a multi-pillar arrangement comprising the Age Pension, the Superannuation Guarantee and voluntary retirement saving. With fully funded superannuation and a public pension that is both less generous than many other countries and means tested, Australia's retirement income arrangements are well placed to cope with population ageing. However concerns remain in relation to adequacy, efficiency and the vulnerability of private provision to trends in labour, economic and financial markets.
The Role and Effectiveness of Fiscal Policy
Authors: Hart Neil
Published: March 2013

A meaningful discussion of the role and effectiveness of fiscal policy is not possible within the context of the antiquated textbook models, which in their current and likely future form (the ‘New Neo-Classical Synthesis) have been used to endorse the deflationary bias in macroeconomic policy formulation during recent decades. This paper present a critique of the ‘mainstream’ textbook modelling of fiscal policy, and suggests a more meaningful framework in which to consider the role of fiscal policy; a framework which in particular recognises the realities of endogenous money and interest rate targeting by central banks.
The Constitution and Workplace Relations Act 1996
Authors: Williams John M.
Published: March 2013

The Howard Government’s industrial relations reforms represent a significant step towards a uniform system of workplace regulations. To achieve this, the Commonwealth Parliament has expressly attempted to place much of the new regime within the scope of the Commonwealth's corporations power. This article will trace the High Court’s development of the jurisprudence related to that power and argue that the central tenets of the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005 (Cth) accords with the contemporary direction of the power.
Australian Workplace Agreements underWork Choices
Authors: van Barneveld Kristin
Published: March 2013

This paper details how AWAs are made under the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005. The Work Choices amendments introduce significant changes to agreement-making. The most significant of these changes are the abolition of the no-disadvantage test, the effect of termination of agreements, and the new ‘safety net’ provided by the Fair Pay and Conditions Standard. Employers have welcomed these changes as a step closer to a system of common law regulation of the employment relationship. However, for employees, the simplification of the approval process and the removal of the vetting of Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs), may expose them to AWAs which contain low wages and very limited conditions of employment. How far down this path some employers will attempt to go is yet unknown but it is clear that for some AWA employees, there will be considerable detriment to their working conditions and entitlements.
From ‘Uncharted Seas’ to ‘Stormy Waters’: How Will Trade Unions Fare under the Work Choices Legislation?
Authors: Forsyth Anthony , Sutherland Carolyn
Published: March 2013

The 2005 ‘Work Choices’ legislation builds on earlier legislative and policy measures of the Howard Coalition Government that have restricted the activities and undermined the traditional legal rights of unions. This article highlights the key aspects of the 2005 legislation affecting trade unions. The constitutional basis of the new framework for regulating registered organisations is considered, as it presents unions with the challenge to revisit the validity of their registration under Federal law or to ‘opt out’ of registration altogether. The new union ‘right of entry’ provisions provide employers with far greater scope to resist or limit unwanted union influence at the workplace. Amendments to the freedom of association ‘provisions will restrict unions’ capacity to engage in a range of tactics to support the collective representation of workers’ interests, and limit their ability to block de-unionisation or individualisation strategies by employers. We conclude that the 2005 Act constitutes the most serious threat to Australian unions yet, but that the high-profile debate generated by the reforms, and the erosion of conditions which will inevitably follow for some workers, provide opportunities for unions to re-establish their relevance and reverse declining membership levels.
The Welfare Expenditure Debate: ‘Economic Myths of the Left and the Right’ Revisited
Authors: Whiteford Peter
Published: March 2013

Just over 20 years ago, Fred Gruen (1982) reviewed debates about the level of welfare expenditure in Australia, noting them as being motivated on the one hand by the view that ‘more is better’, and on the other hand by the view that ‘too much’ is dangerous. Despite Gruen's debunking of many assertions about the Australian welfare state, the debate continues, with arguments on the one hand, that Australian welfare state spending is ‘mean’ compared to other countries, and on the other hand, that Australia has a significant problem of welfare dependency and increasing welfare spending. This paper presents the results of recent OECD studies that provide the most-up-to-date comparative information on the relative performance of Australian welfare arrangements. The paper looks at: (i) the trends in the level of social expenditure in Australia compared to other OECD countries, and explanations for differences across countries; (ii) the level of benefit receipt among people of working age; (iii) the impact of social expenditure on income distribution; and (iv) the relative generosity of benefits and implications for incentives. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy conclusions that might be drawn from these comparisons.
The Association between Health and Education in Australia: Indigenous/non-Indigenous Comparisons
Authors: Biddle Nicholas
Published: March 2013

Relative to the rest of the population, Indigenous Australians are disadvantaged across a number of outcomes. Not only is income lower, but so is life expectancy. Furthermore, the incidence of a number of chronic conditions is much higher (especially after controlling for the younger age profile). There are a number of interrelated historic, social and economic reasons for these poorer outcomes, but one important factor is likely to be substantially lower education levels. That is, Indigenous Australians are much less likely to finish high school, and for those that do, less likely go on to university or other studies. This paper looks in an empirical way at the relationship between education and health for Indigenous Australians, comparing it to similar associations for the non-Indigenous population. Using probit model estimates on data from the 2001 National Health Survey, two traditional health outcomes (self-assessed health and chronic conditions) as well as a set of health risk-factors are examined. For all health measures used, those with lower education levels have significantly worse health outcomes. Interestingly, education is found to have a significantly different magnitude of association for some measures across Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Job Insecurity and Mental Health Outcomes: An Analysis Using Waves 1 and 2 of HILDA
Authors: Adam Marc L. , Flatau Paul
Published: March 2013

The issue of job insecurity and its impact on employee's sense of well-being remains an under-researched topic. The objective of this paper is to utilise the HILDA dataset to show how job insecurity impacts on mental health outcomes. An important feature of the HILDA survey is that it enables an examination of the relationship between the level of job insecurity and mental health outcomes at a given point in time as well as how changes over time in job insecurity impact on mental health outcomes for the employed. The results suggest that a strong and significant relationship exists between job insecurity and employee mental health outcomes.
Child Labour and Employment Relations Legislation in India
Authors: Kazi Ashraf U.
Published: March 2013

The global trend towards the removal of child labour began in the nineteenth century and continues into the twenty-first century, yet estimates of children working in India range up to 100 million. Though the Indian government prohibits employment of children in factories, there is no law to prohibit employment of children in family households, cottage industries and family owned agricultural fields or family businesses, and large numbers of children miss school to look after cattle, collect firewood or work infields, restaurants or quarries. The framers of the Constitution of India were aware of their responsibility towards children and a number of provisions were made to protect children. This article focuses on legislation since 1938, prohibiting the labour of children aged below fifteen years. Defects in the legislation and weak enforcement machinery have meant that children working in family-owned industries and agricultural fields continue to escape attention. The small earning of a child have been seen as a means of survival for a large number of families in India. The article is primarily a historical piece, tracing this regulatory failure through five decades of independence and freedom in which lives of children, born free but bonded for life in the largest democracy in the world. This paper will provide the basis for assessing the degree of change for children, as India becomes one of the world's fastest growing economies.
If Corporate Governance is the Answer, What is the Question? The Illusory Relation between Structural Solutions and Japanese Deflation
Authors: Freedman Craig , Blair Alex
Published: March 2013

Policy by assertion is an all too common temptation amongst economic analysts. Plausible stories substitute for closely developed economic theory backed by convincing empirical evidence. In the case of Japan, an extended period of deflation attracted numerous proposed policy responses. Structural explanations, typified by those relating to corporate governance, appear to be uncontroversial. On closer examination however, the causative mechanisms and actual evidence turn out to be seriously lacking. Instead, a collection of individually desirable objectives are bundled together to present an appearance, rather than a reality, of cause and effect. The result is a set of obvious solutions, but the associated policies remain largely dependent on assertion for their authority.
Researching Workplace Learning and Class
Authors: Boughton Bob
Published: March 2013

Much more is learned in the workplace than efficient skills. We have rather few concepts with which to theorise the ‘counter-cultural’ nature of much workplace learning. In leading off four articles that address this gap, this introduction dips into Australian labour history to open a discussion aimed at making visible some of the other learning that occurs at work. It asks why most workplace learning researchers have not acknowledged or extended such learning, and suggests that changing working conditions within universities may change this.
Organisational Learning: How Organising Changes Education in Trade Unions
Authors: Brown Tony
Published: March 2013

Australian trade unions in the 1980s and 1990s sought to influence and guide the restructuring of vocational and workplace education policy, to widen participation in education and training, and establish partnership arrangements with government and business in order to promote international competitiveness. Since the mid 1990s, however, the changed contours of the labour market, and a steady decline in both the numbers of union members and density rates, accompanied by legislative attacks on the right to organise, led many unions to shift their emphasis to organising new members. Education was identified as a critical factor in preparing unions to undertake this new effort and as a means of changing union culture. This article studies the changes in union education that flowed from one union’s new concentration on developing capacity for organising for growth, and examines the new ways of knowing that resulted among officers and activists.
The Impact of Children on Australian Women’s and Men’s Superannuation
Authors: Parr Nick , Ferris Shauna , Mahuteau Stéphane
Published: March 2013

Using data from Wave 2 of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, this article examines how superannuation savings by women and men vary according to the numbers of children they have. The results show that for women there is a clear inverse relationship between the value of superannuation and the number of their children. Moreover, this inverse relationship persists after controlling for an extensive range of variables which may affect both number of children and superannuation. The analysis also shows that level of education, migrant status, being an employer or self-employed, marital status, age and sex are significantly related to an individual’s level of superannuation. The implications of the results for Australia’s public debate and possible policy responses are discussed.
Trade Union Responses to White Collar Off-Shoring
Authors: Penfold Carolyn
Published: March 2013

For some time, the trade union movement has been facing the challenge of repositioning itself to attract and retain members, and to remain relevant, useful, and powerful. These difficulties have been exacerbated during the recent period of intense ‘globalisation’. The political embrace of neo-liberalism, de-regulation of labour and other markets, increased capital flows, interaction between national and regional economies, and innovation and growth of information and communications technology, have created a very different, and constantly changing environment for labour. Services work in particular is increasingly mobile as a result of huge developments in information and communications technology. The white collar service sector is thus creating a particular challenge for trade unions, as the developed world increasingly buys its services off-shore. This article examines the features, extent, and effects of white collar services off-shoring, before going on to examine the responses of trade unions to this phenomenon. It looks at action taken by a number of unions in the USA, Australia, Europe and India, as well as internationally, before drawing conclusions regarding appropriate directions for unions to follow.