Productivity and Innovation

The National Innovation and Science Agenda has committed significant amounts of funding to twenty eight action areas, which include de-risking start-ups; investing in STEM; attracting and keeping overseas entrepreneurs; and improving university-industry connectedness, amongst others. These measures signal that promoting a culture of innovation is essential to Australia’s economic growth and future prosperity.

Projects under this theme explore the opportunity and challenges for businesses, individuals and government to drive prosperity through improved productivity and innovation. Research under this theme investigates issues such as barriers and enablers to productivity, and the impacts of infrastructure development and investment, public services, as well as tax and regulatory burdens on economic growth in WA, and opportunities and barriers to innovation for micro-businesses and SMEs, which make up a significant proportion of all businesses in the Australian economy.

Related Publications

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BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – August 2023 Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan — Strong growth in part-time jobs keeps unemployment rate steady at 3.7 per cent as participation rises. — — Female employment rebounds from July slide. — — Australia’s labour force participation rate hits all time high of 67.0 per cent.... Read article 19 September 2023Monthly Labour Market Update Read More
Trading Up: International trade futures and the Western Australian economy Alex Buckland, Alan Duncan, Mohammad Farhad, Abebe Hailemariam, Daniel Kiely, Valentina Sanchez Arenas, Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos The eighth report in the BCEC Focus on Industry report series, Trading Up: International trade futures and the Western Australian economy, examines the benefits, opportunities and challenges that exist for the WA economy in relation to trade and investment. The... Read article 21 July 2023Economic Policy  |  BCEC Reports  |  Focus on Industry Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – May 2023 Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan — Eastern seaboard jobs surge defies monetary policy tightening. — — Unemployment rate drops 0.1ppt to 3.6 per cent. — — Labour force participation rate and rate of growth of working-age population hit new highs. — — Odds have shortened... Read article 21 June 2023Monthly Labour Market Update Read More
Does democracy protect the environment? The role of the Arctic Council Astghik Mavisakalyan, Vladimir Otrachshenko, Olga Popova This paper examines the influence of democratic institutions on environmental policy stringency and the degree to which it is affected by membership in the Arctic Council. We hypothesize that, relative to countries with no Arctic presence, countries present in the... Read article 19 April 2023Journal Articles Read More
A tale of two life stages: The imprinting effect of macroeconomic contractions on later life entrepreneurship Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos, Matthew P. Mount, Cahit Guven, Aydogan Ulker, Carol Graham — Drawing on lifespan psychology, our study addresses when and how macroeconomic contractions influence entrepreneurship. — — We develop competing arguments highlighting two distinct life stages: childhood and early adulthood. — — Contractions experienced during early adulthood increase one’s likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur by... Read article 15 April 2023Journal Articles Read More
Forecasting the stock-cryptocurrency relationship: Evidence from a dynamic GAS model Kris Ivanovski, Abebe Hailemariam The impact of cryptocurrency on other assets has become a subject of intense research, given the rise of digital currency over the last decade. However, unlike traditional assets, cryptocurrency has been subject to extreme movements in price and volatility. As... Read article 15 March 2023Journal Articles Read More