Does economic growth positively affect income inequality in China?

This report focuses on the relationship between the economic growth and income inequality in China. The hypothesis is that economic growth led to an increase in income inequality in China. The alternative hypothesis is that economic growth led to a decrease in income inequality in China. After analysing GDP per capita and the GINI index from World Bank, the results show a positive relationship between economic growth and income inequality. Additionally, this report also would measure the influence of monopoly power and the disposable income of urban/rural households to further support the hypothesis.

The Income Elasticity of Gambling in Australia and New Zealand

This paper analyses disposable income as it relates to consumer demand for gambling products in Australia and New Zealand from Financial years (FY) 1998 to 2008. The hypothesis is that income elasticity of demand for gambling products is greater than one i.e. gambling products are a luxury good. The alternate hypothesis is that the income elasticity of demand for gambling products are less than one and are classed as either necessity or inferior goods. Data compiled by the Queensland Treasury and Trade department, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Statistics New Zealand and the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs was used to calculate income elasticities for all gambling products. The results indicate that income elasticity for gambling products varies over time and is greater than one pre FY2003 and less than one post FY2003. However, once the change in market share of different gambling products and the large increase in supply in the gaming industry sector (pre FY2003) was accounted for, income elasticities were estimated to be less than one in support of the alternate hypothesis.

Does a Recession have an Impact on Alcohol Consumption?

The hypothesis of this paper is alcohol consumption will decrease when a country experiences a recession. We have used data covering the yearly consumption (in litres per capita) of alcohol from the World Health Organization (2015), combined with yearly & quarterly GDP data from the OECD website (2015) to firstly identify years where there have been more than 2 periods of negative growth (recession), and to compare these data sets to see if any relationship exists.We have used correlation analysis between the financial data and the consumption data, as well as scatter graphs to see if there is a high correlation (0.7) or a trend, for 3 countries that have experienced a recession over the last 15 years (US, Finland & Greece). What we found is that some types of alcohol did appear to show both positive and negative relationships to GDP or recession but this relationship differed between countries. There are other factors that must be considered including cultural relationship to alcohol in different locations, as well as any government or social programs.

The elasticity of tobacco demand in Australia

This paper examines the elasticity of demand of tobacco products in Australia from 2000 to 2011. The hypothesis is that the demand for cigarettes is inelastic. The alternate hypothesis is that the demand for cigarettes is elastic. The hypothesis implies that increasing tobacco tax decreases government tax revenue, while the opposite is true for a decrease in tobacco tax. This paper obtains data mainly from Australian Bureau of Statistics and Cancer Council Victoria. We find an increase in the excise rate and government revenue from tobacco products, therefore implying that the demand of tobacco products in Australia is inelastic. We find further support of this finding by examining factors such as the age and income structure of the population.

Do child care subsidies increase the labour force participation of women in Australia?

We hypothesise that child care subsidies increase the labour force participation of women within Australia. Our alternative hypothesis is that child care subsidies do not increase the labour force participation of women in Australia. This research pulls data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Organisation for Economic Co-operations, Development and the Productivity Commission and Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). Based on the regression analysis performed, we found that there was a notable positive relationship between the labour force participation rates of Australian females and child care subsidies by the Australian government. Nevertheless, it’s relevant to highlight that our data could be impacted by other considerations such as taxation changes coming out of the government and the apparent positive relationship between female employment and education over time.

Power to the people: what’s driving the supply of green microfinance?

This paper explores some of the possible drivers of the supply of a relatively new form of microfinance: microloans for distributed clean energy systems. The number of microfinance institutions offering this ‘green microfinance’ varies considerably across developing economies. Drawing from a sample of countries in Latin America, we consider whether the green microfinance market is attractive for firms to enter without the need for market interventions. That is, we test the hypothesis that entry will occur provided there is high demand for green microfinance and an absence of barriers to entry. We also test an alternative hypothesis that these conditions are insufficient and that direct support from governments or development organisations is required to promote market entry. Regression analysis using data sourced from development organisations, government databases and industry publications confirms our hypothesis and leads us to reject our alternative hypothesis.

Mining and developing nations: does mining contribute to socioeconomic development?

The hypothesis that an active mining industry results in decreased economic benefits to developing countries has often been supported by the theory commonly referred to as the Resource Curse. Data from the World Bank provides some support to the argument that there is a negative relationship between natural resource exploitation and economic development, but more recently it appears this relationship does not hold true. With the advent of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development there is increasing evidence that affirms an alternate hypothesis; that an active mining industry results in increased socioeconomic benefits to developing countries. In order to test this hypothesis this study relies on analysis of macroeconomic data primarily obtained from the World Bank, and in order to analyse measures relating to social development and welfare, examination of alternative measures using the United Nations’ Human Development Index and Millennium Development Goals. Investigation, using a sub-group of sub-Saharan developing countries as the sample selection, supports the alternative hypothesis.

The elasticity of tobacco demand in Australia

<p>This paper examines the elasticity of demand of tobacco products in Australia from 2000 to 2011. The hypothesis is that the demand for cigarettes is inelastic. The alternate hypothesis is that the demand for cigarettes is elastic. The hypothesis implies that increasing tobacco tax decreases government tax revenue, while the opposite is true for a decrease in tobacco tax. This paper obtains data mainly from Australian Bureau of Statistics and Cancer Council Victoria. We find an increase in the excise rate and government revenue from tobacco products, therefore implying that the demand of tobacco products in Australia is inelastic. We find further support of this finding by examining factors such as the age and income structure of the population.<strong></strong></p>

Marriage and Mortgages

Using annualised data, this paper uses a regression model to help explain the relationship between home ownership, marriage, and key economic variables. By investigating the current body of knowledge this paper highlights support for two main theories that explain a fall in home ownership among those aged less than 35. Social trends, particularly delays in relationship formation (marriages), are cited by many academics as being the main reason for the decline in ownership among the young. However, there is more recent support for economic factors, suggesting affordability is much more of an issue for those who wish to achieve home ownership. The regression model, which uses home finance as a proxy for entry to home ownership, suggests that there is a statistically significant relationship between marriages and homeownership from 1979 - 2010 but not between median house prices and home ownership.

Trade Policies and Economic Growth

This paper aims to examine the relationship between trade policies and economic growth. In order to test whether restrictive trade policies have a positive impact on economic growth, we investigate America, Australia and China, and, analyse how their economic performance varies between a free trade environment and a relatively protective trade environment. In this paper, we focus on comparative advantage and use various data such as tariff rate, GDP growth rate, unemployment rate, etc. to test the influence of trade policies on economic growth.We find some support that less restrictive trade policy leads to better economic growth; however overall tariff rates do not seem to have a strong effect on economic growth rates