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Stifled hopes of a better life are fuelling rage and reaction. How do we tackle income inequality?

Stifled hopes of a better life are fuelling rage and reaction. How do we tackle income inequality?

Once a compelling force, the belief in upward mobility – that people can improve their place in society – is faltering across the world.    

Department of Economics

The ‘truth’ about ‘bullsh*t’ and why we do it at work

The ‘truth’ about ‘bullsh*t’ and why we do it at work

Why people 'bullsh*t' is now a genuine area of study and reveals a lot about our motivations, particularly in the workplace.

Kohyar Kiazad

Can less punishment lead to less crime?

Can less punishment lead to less crime?

'Tough on crime' is a favoured approach for many politicians. But what if the way to reduce crime was actually to reduce punishment? This isn't criminology or sociology, it's economic theory. With Professor Yves Zenou.

Yves Zenou

Department of Economics

How mothers impact on the careers of their daughters

How mothers impact on the careers of their daughters

A new study finds teenage daughters are influenced by their mothers and the women around them when it comes to their future work choices.

Yves Zenou

Department of Economics

Could an ‘opt-in until you opt-out’ approach work to boost female leaders?

Could an ‘opt-in until you opt-out’ approach work to boost female leaders?

What does it take to get women into leadership positions? Our new podcast series Thought Capital speaks to an academic leader and explores intriguing new research.    

Lata Gangadharan

Department of Economics

Tackling the issue of parental gender bias

Tackling the issue of parental gender bias

A Monash Business School study challenges the common belief that parents in developing countries favour sons over daughters.

Philip J Grossman

Asadul Islam

Department of Economics

Can behavioural economics help stifle our irrational biases?

Can behavioural economics help stifle our irrational biases?

Every day we make hundreds of decisions that add to economic uncertainty. Can behavioural economists find ways to defeat these irrational biases?

Lata Gangadharan

Department of Economics

The contagion effect: How bribery and corruption spreads

The contagion effect: How bribery and corruption spreads

Bribery is a stubborn scourge in many countries that undermines economies and promulgates inequality. It persists despite the usual response of applying tough sanctions against both the officials who accept bribes and those who offer them. Is bribery “contagious”?

Lata Gangadharan

Klaus Abbink

Department of Economics

Leaving it to fate: how personality influences wealth

Leaving it to fate: how personality influences wealth

Personality plays more of a role in determining a person's level of wealth at retirement than previously thought.

Sonja de New

Charitable giving: What motivates your donation?

Charitable giving: What motivates your donation?

Do you believe some groups deserve handouts, but that others should work for it? And how do you decide? The answers to these questions could depend on your motives for donating to charity: Are your motives purely altruistic, or do you do it simply for that “warm inner glow”?

Philip J Grossman

Lata Gangadharan

Department of Economics

Shared intentions: How and when we learned to collaborate

Shared intentions: How and when we learned to collaborate

Shared intentions are part of our everyday life. They range from the banal, such as "we intend to go out to dinner tonight", to those with more far-reaching consequences like "we intend to form an alliance to defeat our common enemy".

Simon Angus

Department of Economics

The link between childhood obesity and poor learning

The link between childhood obesity and poor learning

Obesity is a global epidemic. The number of obese adults has more than doubled to 600 million worldwide since 1980, according to the World Health Organization.

Nicole Black

David Johnston

Sonja de New

Centre for Health Economics