A reassessment of energy and GDP relationship: A case of Australia

This paper investigates the long-run and short-run relationships between energy consumption and economic growth in Australia using the bound testing and the ARDL approach. For the first time in the literature we employ both production and demand side models and a unified model comprising both production and demand side variables for a single set of data. The relationships are investigated at aggregate as well as several disaggregated energy categories, such as coal, oil, gas and electricity. The possibilities of one or more structural break(s) in the data series are examined by applying the recent advances in techniques. We find that the results of the cointegration tests could be affected by the structural break(s) in the data. It is, therefore, crucial to incorporate the information on structural break(s) in the subsequent modelling and inferences. Moreover, neither the production side nor the demand side framework alone can provide sufficient information to draw an ultimate conclusion on the cointegration and causal direction between energy and output. When alternative frameworks and structural break(s) in time-series are explored properly, strong evidence of a bidirectional relationship between energy and output can be observed. The finding is true both at aggregate and disaggregate levels of energy consumption.Energy consumption; Economic growth; Cointegration; Causality

Changes in energy efficiency in Australia: A decomposition of aggregate energy intensity using Logarithmic Mean Divisia approach

This paper provides an empirical estimation of energy efficiency and other proximate factors that explain energy intensity in Australia for the period 1978-2009. The analysis is performed by decomposing the changes in energy intensity by means of energy efficiency, fuel mix and structural changes both at sectoral and sub-sectoral levels of the economy. Results show that the driving forces behind the decrease in energy intensity in Australia are efficiency effect and sectoral composition effect, where the former is found to be more prominent than the latter. Moreover, the favourable impact of the composition effect has been consistently slowed down in the recent past. A perfect positive association characterizes the relationship between energy intensity and carbon intensity in Australia. Given the trends in decomposition factors, it is necessary to boost energy efficiency further to reduce Australia’s overall contribution to energy intensity and carbon emissions in the future.Energy intensity; Energy efficiency; Index decomposition analysis

Emerging cancer incidence, mortality, hospitalisation and associated burden among Australian cancer patients, 1982 - 2014: an incidence-based approach in terms of trends, determinants and inequality

Objective Cancer is a leading killer worldwide, including Australia. Cancer diagnosis leads to a substantial burden on the individual, their family and society. The main aim of this study is to understand the trends, determinants and inequalities associated with cancer incidence, hospitalisation, mortality and its burden over the period 1982 to 2014 in Australia. Settings The study was conducted in Australia. Study design An incidence-based study design was used. Methods Data came from the publicly accessible Australian Institute of Health and Welfare database. This contained 2 784 148 registered cancer cases over the study period for all types of cancer. Erreygers' concentration index was used to examine the magnitude of socioeconomic inequality with regards to cancer outcomes. Furthermore, a generalised linear model was constructed to identify the influential factors on the overall burden of cancer. Results The results showed that cancer incidence (annual average percentage change, AAPC=1.33%), hospitalisation (AAPC=1.27%), cancer-related mortality (AAPC=0.76%) and burden of cancer (AAPC=0.84%) all increased significantly over the period. The same-day (AAPC=1.35%) and overnight (AAPC=1.19%) hospitalisation rates also showed an increasing trend. Further, the ratio (least-most advantaged economic resources ratio, LMR of mortality (M) and LMR of incidence (I)) was especially high for cervix (M/I=1.802), prostate (M/I=1.514), melanoma (M/I=1.325), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (M/I=1.325) and breast (M/I=1.318), suggesting that survival inequality was most pronounced for these cancers. Socioeconomically disadvantaged people were more likely to bear an increasing cancer burden in terms of incidence, mortality and death. Conclusions Significant differences in the burden of cancer persist across socioeconomic strata in Australia. Policymakers should therefore introduce appropriate cancer policies to provide universal cancer care, which could reduce this burden by ensuring curable and preventive cancer care services are made available to all people

Assessing regional digital competence: Digital futures and strategic planning implications

Understanding strategic decisions aimed at addressing regional economic issues is of increasing interest among scholars and policy makers today. Thus, studies that proffer effective strategies to address digital futures concerns from social and policy perspectives are timely. In light of this, this research uses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis tool to frame a regional strategy for digital futures to enhance place-specific digital connectivity and socio-economic progress. Focus group discussions and a structured questionnaire were conducted to examine a SWOT for a digital economy strategy in the Southern Downs Region in Queensland, Australia. The findings show that while the proposed regional strategies for digital futures are susceptible to internal and external forces, strategic planning makes them manageable. The study’s findings also reveal that adaptive strategic planning can help regulate the effects of internal and external factors that shape individual and organisational responses to digital transformation, and that these factors promote regional competitiveness

Measuring the concentration of information and communication technology infrastructure in Australia: do affordability and remoteness matter?

This study measures the concentration of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and expenditure inequality in the disaggregated spatial unit of various locations in Australia. Using survey data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia, a composite concentration index for ICT infrastructure is constructed for urban and rural households. In addition, the Gini coefficient of ICT expenditure is computed to measure the concentration of affordability of ICT services. Findings demonstrate that the concentrations of ICT infrastructure and affosrdability are profound in the Greater Sydney and Greater Melbourne areas. Nevertheless, results indicate that the remoteness of spatial units has a noteworthy impact on the concentration of ICT frastructure. In addition, canonical correlation analysis reveals that the association between the concentration of ICT infrastructure and inequality in the affordability of ICT services is statistically significant. These findings imply that policy makers should employ a holistic approach that will not only include technological and economic considerations but also examine place-based context in designing an all-inclusive ICT policy

Who Pays for our Clothing from Lidl and KiK?

A report on the impact of buying practices of retail discounters Lidl and KiK on wages and working conditions in six selected suppliers in Bangladesh, as well as in German retailing as a whole

Information and communications technology and Australia’s regional economic competitiveness

This study ascertained that there is a need for more research at the regional level to assess critically how local economies are faring with national and global digital business environments. Policy efforts in this direction will unveil the potential that regional towns and cities have for inducing growth and change. As regional towns and cities contribute significantly to industrial activities whose output has a great impact on the national economy, future research exploring how ICT can impact on innovation and productivity within local economies is needed urgently. Added to this, the roles that ICT are assigned in the knowledge economy at the national and regional levels have given rise to the need to assess critically the technological readiness of regions and how ICT can enhance their competitiveness in the national and international marketplaces. Such cutting-edge research can guide regional policy makers in developing policies and strategies that can help build local capacities towards the effective use of digital technologies – the next step towards regional competitiveness in the digital future

The environment and policy-making in Bangladesh

There are numerous environmental impacts, particularly non-market benefits, that are still considered to be non-quantifiable and excluded in the decision making process in many developing countries. The paper discusses the importance of incorporating such benefits in the policy-making dynamics. Using examples from Bangladesh, it demonstrates how a failure to properly account for the values of environmental resources has resulted in decisions that have had negative implications for the environment and society