Health, Wellbeing and Disadvantage
While standards of living are at a historical high, significant diversity exists within the population, as individuals are exposed to different opportunities and experiences over the life course. This research theme is broadly divided into three strands. The first aims to develop and refine measures of wellbeing and economic opportunity in Australia. The second strand focuses on barriers to economic participation by disadvantaged subgroups and how their access to economic opportunities might be improved. Subgroups of interest include people living in poverty, sole parents, long-term older renters, the unemployed, and people with disabilities. The third strand looks more broadly at the links between health and wellbeing and economic or social participation. For instance, how do health conditions affect future economic and social outcomes? What role do working conditions (e.g. flexible working practices) play in driving life satisfaction? What are the employment outcomes of people with caring responsibilities?
Related Projects
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and the superannuation system
Can bribing keep the doctor away? Health Consequences of bribery
WA Women’s Report Card 2019
Housing impacts for Australian children and adolescents; including Indigenous children in remote Australia
Missing girls: Understanding the causes
Maximising the potential of employees with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Related Publications
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The aim of this study is to explore the links between female autonomy in household decision-making and intimate partner violence in a highly relevant yet under-studied context: Pakistan. Using a nationally representative dataset, and employing matching and partial identification estimation... Read article
Living in crowded housing has been associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes, with a greater emphasis on the psychological effects when the underlying quality of housing is high. Hence ‘overcrowding’ features as a housing condition extensively studied in... Read article
This latest report in the Centre’s Focus on Western Australia series, the thirteenth in this series, looks at the importance of the early years for young children in influencing outcomes in later life. It also highlights the disparity between advantage and... Read article
This latest report in the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre’s Focus on Western Australia series, the thirteenth in this series, looks to add to our understanding of the lives of young children in Australia, the environment within which they live and... Read article
It is remarkable how little existing literature there is on outcomes for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in retirement and old age. This is even more remarkable given that Indigenous Australians often face different challenges and life trajectories,... Read article
There is significant concern about rising mental distress as a result of the pandemic and its economic consequences; with rates of anxiety, loneliness and stress increasing. Increased stress and anxiety may have been driven primarily by isolation and health concerns... Read article
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre team acknowledges the Wadjuk Nyungar people as the traditional owners of the land on which the Centre is situated.