Intergenerationally Disadvantaged: Newest Evidence and What it Means for Policy

Early disadvantage exposes many to a lifelong cycle of deprivation that persists across generations. Evidence suggests that children exposed to adverse economic conditions and parental joblessness in their pre-adult life are likely to experience poor educational achievements and labour market outcomes that, in turn, determine future economic achievements and health outcomes. Understanding the role of early disadvantage in the Australian context is crucial given the considerable share of children exposed to income poverty and parental joblessness.

As such, this Public Economic Forum brings together leading Australian and international thought leaders to discuss the latest research findings and innovative initiatives, and to provide evidence-based social policy recommendations. Join us at the Public Economics Forum to hear about:

• The nature and persistence of intergenerational disadvantage in Australia and internationally;
• Examples of successful initiatives to reduce poverty and promote wellbeing;
• The roles of parenting and financial capability in developing successful outcomes;
• What this evidence means for the design of (new) policies and practices that will benefit disadvantaged families and Australian society.

Speakers:

• Professor Miles Corak, City University of New York – Intergenerational mobility in comparative contexts.
• Ms. Kylie Macfarlane, General Manager Corporate Responsibility, Commonwealth Bank – The roles of parenting and financial capability in developing good outcomes.
• Associate Professor Irma Mooi-Reci, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne – Intergenerational persistence of joblessness in Australia.
• Dr Nicolás Salamanca, Melbourne Institute: Applied Economics & Social Research, The University of Melbourne – Factors behind intergenerational disadvantage in Australia.

Following presentations from the speakers Professor Mark Wooden, Melbourne Institute, will moderate an insightful panel discussion providing you with an opportunity to engage directly with the speakers.

Registration Details

Registration includes two-course sit-down lunch and beverages.

Early Bird Discount by 11:30 pm 30 October: $105 including GST

Group Discount Pricing for 4 tickets or more: $100 including GST (per person)

Regular Pricing from 31 October: $120 including GST

Registration is essential, register online by clicking on the 'Book Now' green button.

Speaker Biographies

Dr Nicolas Salamanca, Melbourne Institute: Applied Economics & Social Research, The University of Melbourne

Nicolas Salamanca is a Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course. He is also an Affiliate of the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA). He has a PhD in economics from Maastricht University.

His primary areas of research interest are in household economics, human capital development, and the transmission of economic disadvantage. His work has appeared in The Economic Journal, Journal of Human Resources and the Journal of Population Economics.

Associate Professor Irma Mooi-Reci, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne

Irma Mooi-Reci is Associate Professor and Head of the Sociology discipline within the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She is Deputy Editor of the journal Gender & Society and editorial board member of Social Science Research.

Her research focusses on three main areas: (i) the socioeconomic consequences of disruptive events such as unemployment, joblessness and casual employment; (ii) intergenerational disadvantage; and (iii) the application and innovation of quantitative methods for panel data. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, including Human Relations, Social Science Research, European Sociological Review, British Journal of Industrial Relations and Social Forces. She is currently lead CI on an ARC Discovery project examining the intergenerational transmission of joblessness

Professor Miles Corak, City University of New York

Miles Corak is a Full Professor of Economics with The Graduate Centre of the City University of New York. He has published extensively on topics dealing with child poverty, access to university education, intergenerational earnings and social mobility, and unemployment. His most cited work has focused on the degree to which increasing income inequality in high-income countries is likely to limit economic mobility for the next generation of young adults.

He has also been a visiting researcher with the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre in Florence Italy (in 2003/04), the Centre for Longitudinal Studies in London UK (in 2008), with the Office of Population Research at Princeton University (in 2011), the Russell Sage Foundation (in 2013/14), and with Harvard University (in 2015/16). During the 2017 calendar year he was the Economist in Residence at Employment and Social Development Canada, supporting the Deputy Minister's office in developing a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy and medium-term reforms to employment insurance

Kylie Macfarlane – Commonwealth Bank, General Manager Corporate Responsibility

Kylie Macfarlane is a financial services professional with over 20 years’ experience in the banking and wealth management industries. Kylie’s extensive experience has been accumulated through working for leading Australian financial services organisations, including the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, its subsidiary Colonial First State, AMP Limited and Bankers Trust.

As General Manager, Corporate Responsibility Kylie is responsible for leading the advice, governance and stakeholder engagement required to execute the Commonwealth Bank’s corporate responsibility and community affairs strategies.

Kylie is a Trustee Director of the Commonwealth Bank’s employer superannuation fund, Group Super, a member of its Investment and Nominations Committees and Board Member of CommBank Foundation.

Outside of work Kylie is the mother of five-year-old twins, Jasper and Aurora, is an avid lover of art and a fan of long hikes having completed Kokoda, Mt Kilimanjaro and the Overland Track in recent years.

Mark Wooden Professorial Fellow and Director, HILDA Survey Project – Melbourne Institute: Applied Economics & Social Research, The University of Melbourne

Mark Wooden is Professorial Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, and Director of the HILDA Survey, Australia’s major ongoing household panel study. His research focuses on the operation of labour markets, including the changing nature of work and employment arrangements.

He has over 180 published papers in academic journals, including leading journals in the fields of industrial relations (e.g., ILR Review, British Journal of Industrial Relations, Industrial Relations), economics (e.g., Journal of Economic Behaviour & Organization, European Economic Review) and social sciences more broadly (Human Relations, Social Science & Medicine).