Using data from all elections to the Australian House of Representatives between 1903 and 2004, we examine the relationship between candidates’ gender and their share of the vote. We find that the vote share of female candidates is 0.6 percentage points smaller than that of male candidates...

Are beautiful politicians more likely to be elected? To test this, we use evidence from Australia, a country in which voting is compulsory, and in which voters are given ‘How to Vote’ cards depicting photos of the major party candidates as they arrive to vote. Using raters chosen to be...

Using data from 191 Australian state elections, we test how voters respond to economic conditions. We find that unemployment has a strong impact on election outcomes, with each additional percentage point of unemployment reducing the incumbent’s re-election probability by 3-5 per cent....

This paper reports results form a microeconomic analysis of unemployment durations. The results indicate a significant difference between the short duration and the long duration unemployed which can be related to a number of labour market and demographic characteristics.

Achieving well in school, and completing Year 12, have significant employment and earnings outcomes for young people a decade or more after leaving school. Early school leavers have less chance of securing full-time employment, and a problematic early start in the labor market can be difficult...

Which electorates receive targeted funding, and does targeted funding swing votes? To answer these questions, I analyze four discretionary programs funded by the Australian federal government during the 2001-2004 election cycle. Controlling for relevant demographic characteristics of the...

In 1986, Congress attempted to reduce the incentives for unauthorized migration by eliminating U.S. employment opportunities for unauthorized workers. To recognize the commitment that many unauthorized workers had already made to the U.S. labor market, amnesty was granted to approximately 1.7...

This paper assesses the role of selection criteria in the immigrant settlement process by analysing the labour force status of immigrants entering Australia under different immigration programs. In particular, do immigrants selected on the basis of labour market skills rather than family...

Implementation of microeconomic reform is likely to disturb the existing allocation of labour between production activities, and hence to initiate a process of adjustment in the labour market. An important aspect of this adjustment process which occurs due to microeconomic reform will involve...