ABOUT US
Mission and
objectives
For many decades, economic models have involved homogeneous
individuals and firms using known technologies and interacting in
free markets. By contrast, much recent work emphasises the
substantive characteristics of those agents (such as the
capabilities of individuals and communities) and of the institutions
and countries or regions in which they operate, in the context of
the rapid emergence of new technologies. This latter ‘substantive’
approach highlights a different set of factors as shaping true
economic growth (that is, the increase in the welfare of the
people). These include health, education and human capital, the
dynamics of cities and regions and the quality of the environment,
as well of the level of equality in the distribution of resources
and endowments. These factors inter-relate in complex ways and often
need to be studied in a multi-disciplinary context.
Our vision is to become a research institute of international scale
and quality for the study of these substantive factors as they shape
the evolution of human welfare, and to provide the knowledge base
for the development of effective policy responses to key issues. We
have three areas of focus:
- Quantitative assessment of large-scale interventions to
improve health and wellbeing;
- Climate change, energy policy and practice; and
- New economic models of development.
In doing so, we seek to work in a multi-disciplinary context but
from a broad economic perspective, and to collaborate with major
national and international agencies.
VISES contributes directly to the University’s vision through the
postgraduate students we train and the translational nature and
strong policy focus of the research program. We aim to train a body
of HDR students who make significant contribution to government,
industry and academia, and to conduct an active knowledge exchange
program.
The Institute's current director is
Prof. Bruce Rasmussen. He joined VISES
in 1999 as Deputy Director and became Director in 2011. He has had a career spanning
the senior levels of both the public and private sectors. He
previously was Assistant Director General, Finance in the Department
of Management and Budget of the State of Victoria. Before that he
spent seven years at the ANZ Bank, where he held various senior
business strategy roles.
The Institute's founding director was
Prof. Peter Sheehan. He has
held various positions including senior researcher at the Institute
of Applied Economic and Social Research at Melbourne University and
Director General of the former management and budget department in
the Victorian Government. He has also held a wide range of board
positions with Australian companies, particularly in high-technology
areas. He is currently Research Director at VISES.
ABN: 83 776 954 731
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