Publications

 

Family and domestic violence in Australia: is enough progress being made? Alan Duncan, Astghik Mavisakalyan, Chris Twomey Family and domestic violence (FDV) is one of the most pervasive and significant social, health and welfare challenges in the society we live in, not just in Australia but across the world. Reports of femicide or violence against women are... Read article 24 April 2025Policy Insights  |  Federal Election 2025 insights  |  Health and Wellbeing  |  Social Issues  |  Briefing Notes Read More
University student debts and the cost-of-living crisis: What are the major parties offering to young Australians? Michael Dockery There is a broad consensus that the cost-of-living ‘crisis’ is the foremost issue on voters’ minds as we head toward the May 3 Federal election. Declining housing affordability is one key area in which household budgets are being stretched, whether... Read article 24 April 2025Policy Insights  |  Federal Election 2025 insights  |  Social Issues  |  Briefing Notes  |  Workforce and Skills Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – March 2025 Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan A modest rebound in employment after February’s surprise fall in jobs. Unemployment remains low and stable. Global uncertainty adding to likelihood of a May interest rate cut. Labour market steady in pre-election jobs figures The key interest in the labour... Read article 18 April 2025Monthly Labour Market Update Read More
Trade and US Tariffs: Explainer and lessons for Australia Alan Duncan, Abebe Hailemariam, Daniel Kiely This BCEC Federal Election 2025 Briefing Note assesses trade and US tariffs, including an explanation and learnings for Australia. Through the imposition of trade tariffs, the US administration has fundamentally disrupted the global economic landscape, posing new challenges to economies... Read article 17 April 2025Federal Election 2025 insights  |  Economic Policy  |  Briefing Notes Read More
The impact of minimum wages on overall health and well-being: Global evidence from the Gallup World Poll Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos, Cahit Guven, Aydogan Ulker, Carol Graham Highlights We examine how minimum wage increases impact overall health and well-being. Our analysis uses Gallup World Poll data (2009–2020) from 87 countries worldwide. Higher minimum wages improve health and certain aspects of well-being. The effects likely arise from both... Read article 15 April 2025Journal Articles Read More
The costs and benefits of implementing a universal reproductive health leave entitlement in Australia Alan Duncan, Abebe Hailemariam, Silvia Salazar, Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos The Health Services Union (HSU), the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU), the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) and Aware Super have engaged the services of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) to assess the cost of implementing a universal... Read article 9 April 2025Research Reports Read More
Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre Annual Report 2024 Alan Duncan, Caroline Stewart, Joanna Holcombe In 2024, the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre made significant strides in building its national reputation while continuing to address key economic and social issues in Western Australia. Our research and policy advice gained greater visibility and influence at both state... Read article 7 April 2025Annual Report Read More
Greener horizons: Economic freedom as a catalyst for the global energy transition Abebe Hailemariam, Kris Ivanovski Major advanced and emerging economies are setting targets to achieve an ambitious net zero emission target plan by 2050 to address climate change and ensure sustainable development. However, achieving this transition requires significant structural changes not only in energy mixes... Read article 1 April 2025Journal Articles Read More
Crimes of the current: Natural disasters and crime in Kenya Jaslin Kalsi, Robert Mackay, Astghik Mavisakalyan, Yashar Tarverdi Highlights Exposure to natural disasters increases the risk of experiencing crime. Experiences of theft and physical attack increase, as does the fear of crime. Qualitative data suggests the role of cost-benefit considerations in crime. Abtract This paper studies the link... Read article 27 March 2025Journal Articles Read More
Mining and mistrust in government Astghik Mavisakalyan, Anna Minasyan Natural resource extraction can undermine institutions through its negative impact on corruption and public goods provision, potentially affecting individual trust in local government. We examine this conjecture by combining geo-referenced survey data with spatial data on mine locations across 28... Read article 26 March 2025Journal Articles Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – February 2025 Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan — Surprise 52,800 drop in the number of persons employed. — — Unemployment rate remains at 4.1 per cent thanks to big drop in participation. — — Direction of labour market difficult to read amidst volatility and revisions to previous... Read article 23 March 2025Monthly Labour Market Update Read More
Executive Summary: Youth in Focus: Navigating wellbeing in a changing world Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan, Astghik Mavisakalyan, Valentina Sanchez Arenas, Chris Twomey, Lili Loan Vu This Executive Summary is a printable summary of the key findings and recommendations from the BCEC report, Youth in Focus: Navigating wellbeing in a changing world, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the priorities and perspectives of young Australians, offering... Read article 13 March 2025Focus on The States Read More