Our research at a glance

Intra-household risk-taking: a closer look

Research from the Department of Finance shows the importance of looking at couples’ individual attitudes towards financial risk-taking.

School choice to social welfare

To improve student-school fit and provide more equitable access to schools, researchers explore why students don't invest in broad school search, beyond rankings, to find what their best-fit schools are.

Cookies and company transparency

Joining the dots between consumer data and financial reporting and disclosure decisions for stronger transparency.

The Human side of generative artificial intelligence

For innovative workplaces to be successful today, we need to understand how professionals really interact with GenAI.

Ugly produce: the problem and solution to food waste?

Researchers are finding links between political ideology and food consumption, making important contributions to research than can alleviate hunger and enhance sustainability.

Financial misreporting – to penalise or not?

Research into when corporate penalties are beneficial – and when they’re not – and what might be a better solution to financial misreporting.

The truth of exemption: facilitating healing through truth-telling of Australia’s exemption policies

Landmark research led by Indigenous Elders is helping build new, empowering narratives around Australia’s exemption policies that caused intergenerational trauma and loss of culture, to begin healing.

Redressing competitive imbalance in sports leagues with matching theory

Researchers are taking matching theory into the world of professional sports to analyse sports drafts and competitive balance – and consider how the current system could be improved.

AI-driven investing – how is it performing?

Looking at AI in asset management to show when it can improve performance and support appropriate regulation.

Multi-Substance Use, Youth and Legalisation: An Economic Analysis

Analysing youth multi-substance use with marijuana and the role of legalisation policies to reduce negative impacts on young people.

Supporting a more robust use of AI in finance

Research from the Department of Finance examines the limits of LLMs to improve accuracy for financial markets and ensure AI helps rather than hinders as it shapes the economy.

Strengthening corporate governance

Examining the relationship between directors’ equity-based compensation (DEC) and stock price crash risk for stronger corporate governance.

Not one-size-fits-all: supporting creativity and inclusion in the workplace for autistic employees

New research into how autistic employees experience the creative process provides evidence-based insights to help organisations improve their work environments.

Establishing a more holistic understanding of inflation expectations via the supermarket

Novel research is providing valuable insights for more effective economic management.

Indigenous Economic Power Project (IEPP) - Snapshot annual reports

IEPP identifies Indigenous businesses and corporations, tracking their characteristics and measuring their impact on the Australian economy.

Anti-competitive laws improve economic outcomes

Research by Associate Professor Volkova and her colleagues provides insight into the real effects of anti-competitive laws which has been made available to researchers around the world.

Understanding how working from home impacts the wellbeing of Australians

Researchers are looking at rich data to understand the effects of working from home on job satisfaction, commuting time, health, and work-family conflict to better support worker wellbeing.

Helping prepare and adapt to rapid change in digital finance through global crises

A global, cross-country analysis of fintech adoption during COVID-19 is providing new insights for policymakers, regulators, and financial institutions alike.

Uncovering why consumers resist sustainability interventions

The transition to a sustainable, net zero society relies on dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour. This research on consumer attitudes provides valuable data for policymakers.

Consumers as ‘de facto' regulators of the gig economy

Research into the gig economy and its precarious workplace conditions indicates that consumer attitudes towards often vulnerable workers are still largely influenced by platform providers.

Green transition: distinguishing the walk from the talk

Dr Shuang Chen's research examines the relationship between green marketing and investment behaviour, highlighting the impact of tightening regulations on the market.

Helping businesses cope with large tariff increases

Researchers explore the real consequences of big tariffs on domestic firms and discover factors that could mitigate risks.

Data enabling excellent research in social sciences

Discover the ways in which Melbourne Institute researchers are using data visualisations and services to investigate the big issues facing Australians today.

Understanding the origins of contemporary masculinity norms

Associate Professor Victoria Baranov and her colleagues have been investigating the historical impact of skewed sex ratios on contemporary Australia, with insights for institutional and international environments.

Future Directions (FD) Strategy Evaluation - Supporting social and affordable housing that works for tenants

The FD project provides rigorous evaluation to ensure social housing has positive outcomes on tenants.

Making farming more productive in less developed countries

Research into land markets in developing countries highlights the ways in which a better-functioning and more equitable market could benefit both farmers and communities.

Eliminating modern slavery from construction supply chains

New research by Dr Medo Pournader and her colleagues puts the construction industry in the spotlight, demonstrating the impact procurement managers can have on eliminating modern slavery.

The critical role of the board in creating value from data governance

By examining the role of the board in an organisation's data use, researchers have discovered the collective mindsets and attitudes of the board hold more import than specific skill sets.

Improving investor confidence in renewable energy

This research is facilitating accurate pricing of wind derivatives, leading to stable revenues and increasing investor confidence in renewable energy projects.

Advancing gender equality in corporate boardrooms

Dr Gertsberg's research is challenging beliefs around gender bias, shedding light on gatekeeping behaviour, and helping advance gender equality in boardrooms.

Improving decision-making capacity and financial wellbeing

Using eye-tracking, brain-imaging, psychophysiology and pharmacology, this research studies how people respond to complexity to improve decision-making and wellbeing.

Supporting prevention of modern slavery

Several researchers in Management and Marketing are addressing modern slavery, from company responses to Australia’s Modern Slavery reporting regime to exploitation in the fashion industry.

Improving healthcare through market design policies

Dr Barkley's research looks at collusion around the provision of insulin in Mexico to show how effective market design can improve health outcomes in lower-income countries.

Improving population health

Researchers at the Melbourne Institute are at the forefront of developing innovative strategies to improve population health and optimise efficiency of healthcare.

Providing insights to increase donor participation

Through in-depth interviews with 52 blood donors, this study offers a new mechanism for conceptualising donor identity and behaviour that can help increase uptake.

Informing economic and social policy

The HILDA Survey provides researchers and policy-makers with a tool for assessing economic, demographic, and social policy issues. Its impact is far-reaching.

Tracking the economy over booms to busts

CASiE – a survey of Consumer Attitudes, Sentiments and Expectations, has been tracking the economy for over 45 years.

Enhancing the reliability of CSR reporting

Corporate social responsibility reports (CSR) are a key tool for regulating and monitoring sustainability activities. This research is making them more reliable.

Supporting equality through the lens of caste

Professor Bapuji's research looks at the impact of the caste system on work and organisations, extending the field and broadening understanding of inequality in the workplace.

Closing the education gap

To help shrink the persistent gap in equal access to education between secondary school students, this research team has designed an app called the 'Financial Aid Calculator'.

FBE Gender Lab: Progressing gender equity in the workplace

The FBE Gender Lab aims to progress the advancement of women in the labour market, becoming Australia’s leading centre for research on gender in the workplace while training the next generation of researchers.

FBE HALE Hub

Health Analytics, Leadership and Economics (HALE) is working to revolutionise healthcare by providing robust evidence that drives effective policy development. It is supported by the Faculty of Business and Economics.