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Research theme

Welfare Transfers

Evaluating child-related transfers, family payments, and means-tested programs with attention to work incentives, poverty reduction, and long-run welfare.

Research focus

Evaluating Australia's social transfer system

Evaluating child-related transfers, family payments, and means-tested programs with attention to work incentives, poverty reduction, and long-run welfare.

The lab studies how means-tested payments such as family-related transfers and income support affect work incentives, poverty reduction, and lifetime welfare. Particular attention is given to the behavioural responses of households facing multiple overlapping programs.

A central concern is how withdrawal rules interact with income tax to create very high effective marginal tax rates for some households, especially families with children and secondary earners. The research evaluates alternative program designs and the trade-offs between targeting and incentives.

Key question

How do means testing withdrawal rates affect the labour supply of primary and secondary earners?

Key question

What is the optimal design of child-related transfers to balance equity and efficiency?

Key question

How do welfare transfers interact with the income tax system to create effective marginal tax rates above 100%?

Selected publications

Research linked to this theme

This shortlist reflects the publications currently referenced in the existing site materials for this topic.

Selected publication

Child-Related Transfers, Means Testing and Welfare

Darapheak Tin, Chung Tran | Working Paper, 2024
Selected publication

Aggregate Implications of Child-Related Transfers with Means Testing

Working paper referenced in the existing site content

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