Associate Professor Roger Wilkins

Principal Research Fellow and Deputy Director (Research), HILDA Survey
Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research
Tel. +61 3 8344 2092
Fax. +61 3 8344 2111
Email. r.wilkins@unimelb.edu.au

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Roger Wilkins joined the Melbourne Institute in 2001 and works in the HILDA Survey team, in which he is Deputy Director (Research). He holds a B.Com(Hons), M.Com(Hons) and Ph.D from the University of Melbourne and an M.Sc from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Roger's research interests include the nature, causes and consequences of earnings outcomes and labour force status outcomes; labour market outcomes for immigrants, persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups; the estimation of returns to education; and issues of income inequality, poverty and welfare dependence.

As part of his work in the HILDA Survey team, he produces the annual HILDA Statistical Report, which each year analyses the latest release of the HILDA data.

Roger is a member of the ABS Labour Statistics Advisory Group and is the Australian representative to International Reform Monitor, an international network which monitors labour market and social policy developments in fifteen OECD countries.

• Work in Progress
• Publications
  • Refereed Journal Articles
  • Research papers

Work in Progress

Multidimensional measures of poverty: incorporating wealth (with Markus Hahn)

Development of an index of poverty and social exclusion for Australia (with Rosanna Scutella) (working paper 1) (working paper 2, also with Weiping Kostenko)

Job retention and advancement of disadvantaged job-seekers - Analysis using Waves 1-8 of the HILDA Survey (with Rosanna Scutella)

Earnings inequality and changes in educational attainment and returns (with Michael Coelli)

Household wealth dynamics (with Buly Cardak, La Trobe University)

Evaluation of the Working Credits program for working-age income support recipients (with Andrew Leigh) (working paper)

Full-time work and sole parents: An analysis of transition paths using the HILDA Survey (with Sung-Hee Jeon and Yin King Fok) (working paper)

Experimental evaluation of YP4 - Is 'joining up' services for homeless and jobless people a net benefit to society? (with Jeff Borland and Yi-Ping Tseng)

Previous income support receipt of new DSP entrants (with Lixin Cai and Hong Ha Vu) (Report prepared for DEEWR)

Lagged duration dependence in unemployment benefit spells (with Yi-Ping Tseng) . (paper)

The effects of restrictions on smoking in public places on smoking behaviour (with Hielke Buddelmeyer). (latest version of paper)

Publications

Refereed Journal Articles

' ‘The Decline in Male Employment in Australia: A Cohort Analysis,’ (forthcoming) Australian Economic Papers (with David Black and Yi-Ping Tseng)

‘Do Changes in Demographic Characteristics Explain Declining Male Employment Rates? Examination of the Australian Case using a Propensity Score Re-Weighting Decomposition Approach’ Applied Economics (forthcoming) (with David Black and Yi-Ping Tseng)

‘Household Debt in Australia: The Looming Crisis that Isn’t’,   The Australian Economic Review , vol. 42, no. 3, pp. pp. 358–366 (2009) (with Mark Wooden).

‘Credential Changes and Education Earnings Premia in Australia,’ The Economic Record, Vol. 85, No. 270, pp. 239-259 (2009) (with Michael Coelli).

‘The determinants of household risky asset holdings: Australian evidence on background risk and other factors,’ Journal of Banking and Finance, Vol. 3, No. 5, 850-860 (2009) (with Buly Cardak).

‘Are Skill Shortages a Constraint on Increasing Employment in Australia?’ Australian Economic Review, Vol. 41, No. 3, 310-322 (2008) (with Michael Coelli).

'The extent and nature of exits from the Disability Support Pension’, Australian Bulletin of Labour , Vol. 34, No. 1, 1-27 (2008) (with Lixin Cai and Ha Vu).

'Dynamic Properties of Income Support Receipt in Australia’, Australian Economic Review, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp32-55 (2008) (with Yi-Ping Tseng and Ha Vu) .

'The Changing Socio-Demographic Composition of Poverty in Australia: 1982 to 2004, Australian Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 42, No. 4, 481-501 (2007)

'Minimum Wages and the ‘Working Poor’’, Economic Papers, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 295-307 (2007) (with Mark Wooden and Seamus McGuinness).

‘'Personal and Job Characteristics Associated with Underemployment’, Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 9(3), 371-93 (2007).

'Disability Support Pension Recipients: Who Gets Off (and Stays Off) Payments?’ Australian Economic Review , 40(1), 37-61 (2007) (with Lixin Cai and Ha Vu).

'The Consequences of Underemployment for the Underemployed’, The Journal of Industrial Relations, 49(2) 247-76 (2007).

'Do Longer Working Hours Lead to More Workplace Injuries? Evidence from Australian Industry-Level Panel Data', Australian Bulletin of Labour, 31(2) (2005).

'The Effects of Disability on Labour Force Status in Australia ' Australian Economic Review , 37(4) (2004).

'The Causes of Changes in the Distribution of Income in Australia : 1982 to 1997-98,' FaCS Policy Research Paper Series, forthcoming (2004) (with David Johnson).

'The Effects of Changes in Family Composition and Employment Patterns on the Distribution of Income in Australia : 1982 to 1997-8', The Economic Record , Vol. 80, No. 249, 219-38 (2004) (with David Johnson).

'Immigrant Earnings Adjustment: The Impact of Age at Migration', Australian Economic Papers , Vol. 43, No.3, 292-315 (2003).

'Reliance on Income Support in Australia : Prevalence and Persistence', Economic Record , Vol. 79, No. 245, 196-217 (2003) (with Yi-Ping Tseng).

'Immigrant and Native-Born Earnings Distributions in Australia : 1982-1996', Australian Journal of Labour Economics , Vol. 6, No. 1, 83-116 (2003).

'The Net Benefit to Government of Higher Education: A Balance Sheet Approach', Economic Papers , Vol. 22, No. 2, 1-20 (2003) (with David Johnson).

'The Age-Earnings Structure in Australia ', Australian Economic Papers , Vol. 36, No.68, 69-84 (1997) (with Jeff Borland).

'Earnings Inequality in Australia ', Economic Record , Vol. 72, No. 216, 7-23 (1996) (with Jeff Borland).

Research papers

‘Estimates of Poverty and Social Exclusion in Australia: A Multidimensional Approach,’ Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, Working Paper No. 26/2009 (with Rosanna Scutella and Weiping Kostenko).

‘Does part-time employment help or hinder lone mothers’ movements into full-time employment?’ Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, Working Paper No. 25/2009 (with Yin King Fok and Sung-Hee Jeon).

‘Examining the Role of Demographic Change in the Decline in Male Employment in Australia: A Propensity Score Re-Weighting Decomposition Approach, ’ Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, Working Paper No. 24/2009 (with David Black and Yi-Ping Tseng).

‘Working Credits – A Low-Cost Alternative to Earned Income Tax Credits?’ Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, Working Paper No. 7/2009 (with Andrew Leigh).

Measuring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Australia: A Proposed Multidimensional Framework for Identifying Socio-Economic Disadvantage,’ Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, Working Paper No. 4/2009 (with Rosanna Scutella and Michael Horn).

‘Credential Changes and Education Earnings Premia in Australia ,’ Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, Working Paper No. 11/2008; Department of Economics, University of Melbourne, Discussion Paper No. 1037 (with Michael Coelli).

The Determinants of Household Risky Asset Holdings: Background Risk and Other Factors (with Buly Cardak, La Trobe University), Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 2/2008.

‘A cohort analysis of changes in the male employment-population ratio in Australia between 1971 and 2001 (with David Black and Yi-Ping Tseng), Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 1/2008.

The Changing Socio-Demographic Composition of Poverty in Australia: 1982 to 2004’, Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 12/2007.

Dynamic Properties of Income Support Receipt in Australia, Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 23/06 (with Ha Vu and Yi-Ping Tseng)

Disability Support Pension Recipients: Who Gets Off (and Stays Off) Payments?, Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 18/06 (with Ha Vu and Lixin Cai)

Personal and Job Characteristics Associated with Underemployment, Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 16/06

The Effects of Smoking Ban Regulations on Individual Smoking Rates, Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 13/05 (with Hielke Buddelmeyer)

'Experimental and quasi-experimental methods of microeconomic program and policy evaluation', Melbourne Institute Working Paper 08/2005. (with Jeff Borland and Yi-Ping Tseng)

'The Extent and Consequences of Underemployment in Australia', Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 16/04.

'Do Longer Working Hours Lead to More Workplace Injuries? Evidence from Australian Industry-Level Panel Data', Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 7/04.

'Effects of Activity Test Arrangements on Exit from Payments: The 9-Month Intensive Review' Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 25/03 (with Jeff Borland).

'The Effects of Changes in Family Composition and Employment Patterns on the Distribution of Income in Australia: 1982 to 1997-8', Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 19/03 (with David Johnson).

'Labour Market Outcomes and Welfare Dependence of Persons with Disabilities in Australia', Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 2/03.

'Reliance on Income Support in Australia: Prevalence and Persistence', Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 6/02 (with Yi-Ping Tseng).

'The Net Benefit to Government of Higher Education: A Balance Sheet Approach', Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 5/02 (with David Johnson).

'Immigrant and Native-Born Wage Distributions in Australia: 1982-1996', University of Melbourne, Department of Economics, Research Paper No. 722, November 1999.

'Implicit Labour Contracts and Firm-Specific Human Capital', University of Melbourne, Department of Economics, Research Paper No. 618, February 1998.

'Earnings Inequality in Australia', University of Melbourne, Department of Economics, Research Paper No. 420, July 1994 (with Jeff Borland).