Director's Message

Benjumin Hsu, Research Fellow, University of Sydney Node

Dr Benjumin Hsu has recently joined CEPAR as a Research Fellow working with Chief Investigator Robert Cumming on the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP). more

Staff movements
CEPAR is always looking to expand its research network. This month Associate Professor Rafat Hussain has joined us as an Associate Investigator. Rafat will work with CI Hal Kendig and AI Kate O'Loughlin in conducting analyses of the CEPAR-supported AuSSA Attitudes project.

A number of our Research Fellows have also moved on from their roles at CEPAR but will continue to work closely with the Centre as Associate Investigators. Fedor Iskhakov will soon take up a Senior Lecturer position in the Research School of Economics at ANU; Adam Shao is currently working as a Senior Quantitative Analyst at Mine Wealth + Wellbeing Superannuation Fund and Richard Burns will continue his work at CRAHW as an Associate Investigator.

We have also welcomed two new Honours Scholarship Students. Sidhant Chopra is investigating the relationship between ageing, processing speed and myelination under the supervision of AI Cherbuin at ANU and Oliver Wood is working on a framework for pricing and hedging guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits under the supervision of RF Alonso Garcia.

Presentations
CEPAR researchers have delivered presentations and attended events locally and internationally. Here is a small selection:

• Diane Hosking, Informant-reported Cognitive Decline and Life-Engagement in the PATH Through Life Study, at the Cognitive Ageing Conference in Atlanta, USA.
• Heather Booth, Epidemiologic Transitions and Mortality Differentials in Twentieth Century Australia, at the Workshop on Heterogeneity in Mortality, ANU School of Demography.
• Jennifer Alonso Garcia, Guarantee Valuation in Unfunded Pension Schemes, at the University of Amsterdam.
• Alan Woodland, Facing Demographic Challenges: Pension Cuts or Tax Hikes, as part of the QUT School of Economics and Finance Seminar Series.
• Fedor Iskhakov, An Analysis of the Australian Social Security System using Life-Cycle Model of Labor Supply with Asset Accumulation and Human capital, as part of the CEPAR Pension and Superannuation Seminar Series.

Publications
A number of Journal Articles and Working Papers were recently published:

• Flicking the Switch: How Fee Return Disclosures Drive Retirement Plan Choice by Bateman, H., Dobrescu, L.I., Newell, B.R.,  Ortmann, A. and Thorp, S., CEPAR Working Paper 2016/15.
• Cognitive Benefits of Social Dancing and Walking in Old Age by Merom, D., Grunseit, A., Ermudugolla, R., Jefferis, B., McNeil, J. and Anstey K.J. in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
• Market Inefficiency, Insurance mandate and Welfare: US Health Care Reform 2010 by Jung, J. and Tran, C. in Review of Economic Dynamics.
• 900 Million and Counting: Epidemiologic Data for Demographic and Policy Transition by Kowal, P. and Byles, J.E. in Population Horizons.
• Economy-wide Effects of Means-tested Pensions: The Case of Australia by Kudrna, G. in The Journal of Economics of Ageing.
• Australia's Retirement Income Policy: Means Testing and Taxation of Pensions by Kudrna G. in CESifo DICE Report.
• Population Ageing in Asia and the Pacific: Dependency Metrics for Policy by Chomik, R., McDonald, P. and Piggott, J. in The Journal of the Economics of Ageing.
• A Comparison of Fertility in Canada and Australia, 1926-2011 by McDonald, P. and Belanger, A. in Canadian Studies in Population.
• Epidemiologic Transition in Australia - The Last Hundred Years by Booth, H. in Canadian Studies in Population.