I have a long-standing interest in studying philanthropy which includes understanding service delivery by non-profits and an interest in educational issues that concerns improving opportunities and achievement. And, yet, I never considered myself in the mainstream of research that relates to poverty and disadvantage. While serving as the Melbourne Institute Director, an opportunity arose to pursue funding from the Paul Ramsay Foundation to help better understand disadvantage in Australia. Given others in the institute were too busy to pursue the opportunity and my tangential interest in the topic, I started a journey that incorporates my empirical interests for better understanding public economics issue, the importance (and power) of working with a range of data, and my specific interests in how we might tackle poverty through using big data to better understand what is happening at a community or more local level.

Peer-Reviewed Academic & Policy Contributions

Publications (Peer-Reviewed Academic & Policy Reports, by publication year)

1. "Youthview: a Platform for Interactive Visualizations to Explore Youth Disadvantage" with Ujjwal KC and Steeve Marchand, Data & Policy, 7: e69, (2025) Publication Link (also posted under education & data)

2. "Youth Disadvantage and Employment: Building Place-Based Data-Driven Tools to Inform Communities and Guide Policy & Practice," Breaking Down Barriers Report, with Ujjwal KC and Steeve Marchand, 2024 Publication Link (also posted under data)

2. "Prevalence and Recovery from Negative Earnings Shocks: Evidence from Three Decades of Longitudinal Tax Data,” Report 6, with Maxim Ananyev, Roger Wilkins, and Federico Zilio, The Paul Ramsay Foundation/ Melbourne Institute Breaking Down Barriers Publication Series, 2023 Publication Link 

3. "Individual Earnings Changes and the Business Cycle: An Analysis of the Australian Longitudinal Tax Data,” Report 7, with Maxim Ananyev, Roger Wilkins, and Federico Zilio, The Paul Ramsay Foundation/ Melbourne Institute Breaking Down Barriers Publication Series, 2023 Publication Link 

4. "Measuring Individual Poverty: Correlates and Variation Over Time,” Report 3, with Maxim Ananyev and Chaminda Rajeev Samarage, The Paul Ramsay Foundation/ Melbourne Institute Breaking Down Barriers Publication Series, 2020 Publication Link 

5. "Spatial and Community Dimensions of Income Poverty”, Report 2, with Chaminda Rajeev Samarage, The Paul Ramsay Foundation/ Melbourne Institute Breaking Down Barriers Publication Series, 2020 Publication Link 

6. "University Participation and Income Differences: An Analysis of Applications by Ontario Secondary School Students,” with Martin Dooley and Les Robb, Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario Research Report, 2009

Contributions to Books:

7. "Youth Transitions after High-School,” with Steeve Marchand, Chapter 7, Towards Evidence-Based Policy Solutions in Economic and Social Policy, Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research, 2022 Publication Link 

Working Papers / Works in Progress

8. "Family dynamics: earnings shocks and poverty risk” (working title), with Maxim Ananyev

9. "Understanding High School Completion and Youth Employment “(working title)

10. "The Impact of Social Housing on Poverty Reduction” (working title)

Non-Peer-Reviewed Reports/Commentary

11. "Australians are still feeling the financial pinch and are more vulnerable to potential unexpected costs.” With Ana Gamara Rondinel, Ferdi Botha, and Ujjwal KC, Taking the Pulse of the Nation Report, 2024 Publication Link 

12. Snapshot Report for Shepparton, Victoria (capturing analysis of poverty, families, social housing, employment, and education) for Greater Shepparton Philanthropy Summit, with Chaminda Rajeev Samarage and Maxim Ananyev, 2024 Publication Link 

13. Senate Inquiry into Poverty Submission, 2023

14. "Avoiding the Cliff and the Freefall into Poverty,” Pursuit, University of Melbourne, 2023

15. "Not able to save for a rainy day,” with Ana Gamarra Rondinel and Ferdi Botha, MI Research Insight, 2023 Publication Link 

16. "Most Australians, not just the poor, are facing constraints in covering basic needs,” with Ferdi Botha and Ana Gamarra Rondinel, MI Research Insight 2023 Publication Link 

17. "Breaking Down Barriers Community Profiles," MI Research Insight & Breaking Down Barriers Rapid Analysis, 2023  Publication Link 

18. "What Explains High Levels of Food Insecurity in Australia?” with Ferdi Botha, Melbourne Institute Research Insight, 2022 Publication Link 

19. "Social housing and poverty in Australia” with Miguel Ruiz, Melbourne Institute Breaking Down Barriers Rapid Analysis Series, 2022 Publication Link 

20. "Only Evidence-Based Policies Can Ensure We Don’t Leave Any Australians Behind,” Pursuit, Univ. of Melbourne, 2022

21. "High Rates of Food Insecurity, But Few Australians Getting Help," Taking the Pulse of the Nation Report, 2022 Publication Link 

22. "Which Families are Feeling the Pinch of the Pandemic the Most?” with Ana Gamarra, Sharon Goldfeld, Shelley Mallett and Anna Price, MI Research Insight, 2021 Publication Link 

23. "Ensuring Families Aren’t Left Behind in the Recovery” Pursuit, U of Melbourne, 2021

24. "How Can We Protect Our Children Against COVID-19?" with Ragan Petrie, MI Research Insight, 2021 Publication Link 

25. "Is Poverty in Australia Increasing? Regional Poverty and COVID-19 Effects,” Chapter 7 in Coping with COVID-19: Rethinking Australia, Melbourne Institute, 2020, Publication Link