Canada's restrictions on the role of private health insurance for publicly insured physician and hospital services are unique among countries with universal, publicly funded health care systems. Pressure is mounting in Canada, however, to loosen these restrictions and create a parallel system of...

It is a widely held view that imperfect capital markets mean that individuals from poor backgrounds cannot borrow in order to finance educational investments. This view pervades policy formation, and is reflected in the fact that post-compulsory education processes in all countries involve...

In this study we try to evaluate some of the redistributive aspects of public drug plan for seniors by examining the effects on out-of-pocket expenditures of such drug plan in Canada.

The use of self assessed health status as a measure of health is common in empirical research. We analyse a unique Australian survey in which a random sub-sample of respondents answer a standard self assessed health question twice – before and after an additional set of health related...

Welfare reform in Australia centres on both economic and social participation. The policy concern is that people who fail to participate in economic and social life may become entrenched in disadvantage. In 2000-2001, a randomised trial was conducted by the Department of Family and Community...

We use HILDA data to examine the retirement plans of middle-aged Australians. We find that approximately two-thirds of men and more than half of women report a numeric expected retirement age which we refer to as having a standard retirement plan. Still, one in five individuals seem to have...

This paper analyses the net worth and asset portfolios of native- and foreign-born Australian families. Specifically, we estimate a system of asset equations with an adding-up constraint imposed to control for diversity in household wealth. We find that the wealth of mixed and native-born...

We analyze the effect of mothers’ and youths’ reports of family financial stress and conflict on youths’ transitions into adult roles. We find that mothers’ reports of financial stresses and borrowing constraints are associated with earlier transitions to inactivity and public...

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the overall unemployment rate in the ACT was virtually indistinguishable from that in the country as a whole. However, for the past twenty-five years, unemployment in the ACT has been lower – often substantially lower – than in the nation as a whole. The...

Like their counterparts elsewhere, more young Australians than ever are delaying the move to establish residential independence from their parents. This paper reviews the developing economics literature surrounding young people’s decisions to continue living in their parents’ homes in order...