Economics for Social Infrastructure
In 2013 Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz argued Australia is overly focused on debt without putting this into international context.
Continue reading “Economics for Social Infrastructure”Tag: Social Policy
Indigenous Australians, Justice & Language Translation
Common law does not require people are given access to an interpreter but legal cases show that use of interpreters does not always lead to an accurate and fair presentation of evidence in court. This is especially problematic for Indigenous Australians who speak diverse languages that don’t necessarily translate well through the mouths of a poorly trained interpreter.
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What is Social Marketing?
Social Marketing is the application of commercial practices using a social science framework. It is particularly used for public information campaigns. The aim is to understand social behaviour and affect positive social change. This is done through targeted research on a particular community and in partnership with stakeholders.
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Social Science Methods Improve Social Policy
Governments see that social science methods are highly useful in drafting social policy and to improve workplace practices. Social scientists contribute to decisionmaking by using a range of case studies and statistical analyses.
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Creating Real Choice for Women at Work
Researcher Barbara Pocock’s book “The Work/Life Collision” has been influential throughout my career. I taught Professor Pocock’s research for years at Swinburne University while I was still a lecturer and tutor. This book informed my thinking when I worked in social policy research. I draw on her work still.
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Environment, Health and Safety Training
I led the research team responding to a state inquiry on the health and safety impact of firefighter training. I reflect on the use of social science during the analysis phase of investigation. This discussion serves as a case study on how to other organisations might improve management responses to environmental, health and safety issues.
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How to Manage Stress at Work
How can you better address the experience of stress and work? Research shows that stress comes from many sources, but the cumulative effect can lead to chronic illness.
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Race and Identity
This is a summary of my recent social media writing about race and identity in Australia and the USA. This included my live tweets during the Sydney hostage siege as well as the Ferguson and the #BlackLivesMatter anti-police violence protests following the death of Eric Garner.
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Work Life Balance and Public Health
I recently wrote about how social science supports local governments to improve public health, through research and community consultation. Social scientists work to address policy gaps, we use science theories and methods to better target community services, and we ensure that health programs are socially inclusive. Here, I want to address how this public health model is relevant to workplace health. I’ll start by briefly showing why and how public health is important.
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Healthy Communities: Local Government Supporting Public Health
This is the first in a series of posts exploring how social science supports local governments in the provision of health policies and services. Continue reading “Healthy Communities: Local Government Supporting Public Health”
Social Science Insights 