Ownership of Australian Equities and Corporate Bonds

Australian financial and non-financial companies tap capital markets – particularly equity and bond markets – to source funds from households, foreign investors and domestic institutional investors. Foreign investors supply around half of these funds, with institutional investors providing most of the remainder; households’ direct holdings are comparatively modest. During the financial crisis, foreign investors’ appetite for Australian assets remained strong, underpinned by the strength of the Australian financial system and economy.Australia; equities; corporate bonds

Durable Goods and the Business Cycle

Spending on durable goods tends to be more cyclical than spending on non-durable goods and services as it can be more readily postponed in times of economic weakness. During the recent global economic slowdown, the decline in durable goods spending was a key transmission mechanism of the uncertainty associated with the global financial crisis to the broader economy, as households and businesses delayed purchases of durable goods.Australia; durable goods; machinery & equipment investment; business cycle

Price stability and the Swedish monetary experiment

An examination of the feasibility and appropriateness of establishing a direct, price-index target as the primary objective of U.S. monetary policy, with particular emphasis on the Swedish Riksbank's experiment with such an approach during the 1930s.Sweden ; Monetary policy - Sweden

The Impact of the Financial Crisis on the Bond Market

The Australian bond market functioned well during the financial crisis. Changes in investor sentiment and issuer behaviour led to a slowing in issuance and an increase in the average credit quality of new issuance. While the average bond term shortened and spreads widened, these trends have since reversed somewhat as market conditions have improved.bond issuance; financial crisis; bond spreads

Geographical dimensions of imagined futures: post school participation in education and work in peri-urban and regional Australia

This paper discusses preliminary findings from a sub-set of empirical data collected for a recent NCVER study that explored the geographic dimensions of social exclusion in four locations in Victoria and South Australia with lower than average post school education participation. Set against the policy context of the Bradley Review (2008) and the drive to increase the post-school participation of young people from low socio-economic status neighbourhoods, this qualitative research study, responding to identified gaps in the literature, sought a nuanced understanding of how young people make decisions about their post-school pathways. Drawing on Appadurai’s (2004) concept ‘horizons of aspiration’ the paper explores the aspirations of two young people formed from, and within, their particular rural ‘neighborhoods’. The paper reveals how their post-school education and work choices, imagined futures and conceptions of a ‘good life’, have topographic and gendered influences that are important considerations for policy makers

Metacognition in Teaching: Using A “Rapid Responses to Learning” Process to Reflect on and Improve Pedagogy

In this paper, we critically evaluate the use of a weekly “rapid responses (RR) to learning” process in the context of teaching a graduate course on research methods over a three-year period. The RR process involves use of a short set of open-ended questions about key moments in learning that students complete, in writing, during the last five minutes of each class. The questions ask students to identify salient take-away messages, note when they felt the most and least engaged, name actions taken by anyone that were affirming or confusing, and consider specific “aha” moments. Our specific aim was to assess the following questions: What was the pedagogic value of the RR process? How did it inform our teaching and to what extent were there direct benefits of the process for students as well as for us as teachers? We found that the systematic feedback we obtained in this way supports weekly monitoring of student learning, facilitates response to trouble spots, and assists in assessment of student engagement and classroom climate. It also provides insight into the efficacy of pedagogic strategies, invites students to engage in metacognitive learning about their own learning, and models a process of instructors receiving feedback and being flexible to change. For instructors, the process enhances motivation and professional development and can be used to document instructor leadership and development. Finally, it facilitates deeper appreciation of the need to better integrate student self-assessment and the development of metacognitive skills as core components of the course

New academics’ experiences of induction to teaching: an Activity Theory approach

In this article we present findings of a research project investigating the experiences of new academics in the process of becoming effective teachers, using an Activity Theory framework (Engestrom, 2001 ). The research was undertaken in a post-92 university that has shifted from teaching and professional development to prioritise a new emphasis on research. However, all academics have a dual responsibility for teaching and research. The project brought us together as education developers who were involved in the induction of academics into teaching across six departments. We shared a common aim in trying to understand the issues faced by new academics in their various disciplines and departments, in order to improve their induction experience and provide an enhanced CPD offer

A Pilot Study of Brief Group Therapies for Preschool Children: Parent Training vs Group Play Therapy vs Project Group

The optimum modality for treating preschool age children with behavioral and emotional problems is uncertain. One study showed that children with good ego strength respond to psychotherapy independent of whether it is group or individual psychotherapy, provided that a minimum period of psychotherapy occurs (ovick, 1965). The literature has demonstrated that parent training, individual play therapy, and group therapy are all effective modes of treatment with children (Axline, 1969; Moreland, et ai, 1983; Pesco solido & Petrella, 1986). Due to the limited psychiatric resources in the military setting and increasing demand for service, the option for individual therapy may be restricted to specific neurotic clinical diagnoses. We studied the efficacy of short term group treatment applicable to behavior ally and emotionally disordered children, ages 4 through 6 years. In a review of various group treatments, the number of sessions ranged from 10 to 15 (Abramowitz, 1976). In another study, the mean n umber of hours needed to produce therapeutic benefits in parent training was 9.5 (Forehand, et al, 1979). All of the treatments to be considered are structured around a group principal to allow more patients to be treated for the same clinician time expenditure. Our study compared parent training, to group play therapy, and a project group on a population of behaviorally or emotionally disordered children, ages 4 to 6. The groups themselves ran for eight weeks, 75 minutes each week, along with 50-minute pre and post sessions with each set of parents. Total clinical time was approximately 24 hours per group for both therapists

Co-design with people with lived experience : designing resources to communicate with children and young people in care about their family time contact visits

Contact visits, or family time, enable children in out-of-home care to sustain relationships with their birth families. In Australia, direct contact including face-to-face visits is typical for children on long-term orders, including guardianship and open adoption. Caseworkers are charged with supporting relationships between children's birth family members and carers and ensuring contact is safe and child-centred. This article describes how people with lived experience of family time in out-of-home care have collaborated with researchers to co-design practical resources, in the context of an action research study aimed at changing caseworker practice. These resources include a book for young children and a book for older children and adolescents, which both use trauma-informed language and empower their audiences to know their rights and ask for what they need. Additional resources include co-designed tip sheets for family members and carers. People who have personally experienced the care system have unique insights into the experience of family time in out-of-home care and how it can be improved. In partnership, researchers and people with lived experience can identify the gaps in knowledge and practice resources, and co-design resources that integrate lived experience and research findings, underpinned by theory