Digest #5 - University of South Australia

More documents

Recommendations

Info

2 Some Questions with Raj Banerjee Dr Rajabrata Banerjee joined the School of Commerce in February 2011 as Lecturer in Economics. Raj completed a BSc in Economics at the University of Calcutta and an MA in Economics at Jadaypur University before completing his PhD at Monash University in 2011. While still a postgraduate student he received extremely high teaching evaluation scores and we are delighted that he has joined our Centre. We asked him a few questions about his past inspirations and plans for future research. What is on your research agenda for the next three years? In the next three years, I plan to look at endogenous growth and international knowledge spillovers with a special focus on developed and emerging economies, such as India and China. Other areas of interest are the nexus between population growth and knowledge production for take-offs by economies since the early eighteenth century and the Great Divergence, and the relative importance of sectoral productivity growth and its sources, as well as a comparison of productivity and sources of growth in advanced and developing economies. What publication and which author has been the most influential on your work? It is really hard to name one publication or author that is most influential in life. Research adds new ideas and builds on existing pools of knowledge and also helps a researcher to re-think a problem more deeply. In my case, if I have to name any publications, they would be Endogenous Growth Theory by P. Aghion and P. Howitt, published in 1998 by The MIT Press, and ‘Semi-endogenous versus Schumpeterian growth models: Testing the knowledge production function using international data’ by J.B. Madsen (Journal of Economic Growth, 2008, Vol.13 no.1). Why did you come to the University of South Australia and what do you like about it and living in Adelaide? To build a successful career after completion of a doctoral degree is the dream of every academic. Right now, UniSA is relatively young and aspires to build a reputation fast. Associating with such an organisation gives me the opportunity to be a part of a strong team and will help me to build my reputation in the long run. In addition, balancing professional and personal life is important for everyone. My aim was to join an institution where there is freedom to enjoy what I do and how I develop my thoughts. Finally, Adelaide is a very happening city – the centre of the festival state. The people are pleasant and helpful and, most importantly, the weather is better than in other cities. What has been your most significant award or career highlight to date? Publishing a chapter from my PhD dissertation in an ERA ranked A* journal and achieving very strong teaching evaluation scores from a class of 400 students, which I coordinated on my own during my PhD career. The evaluation report highlighted my presentation and conceptual skills, which were higher than the overall average of the department at Monash. What do you enjoy most about academic life? I think all academics enjoy the flexibility of time and the freedom of doing research in their own areas, and I am not an exception to that. I believe that if you love your profession, you can love your life. What made you decide to study Economics in your university career? This is a very difficult question because it asks something about what happened almost ten years ago and does not reflect much of my present thinking about Economics as a subject. It would be incorrect to claim that I chose Economics because I loved the subject or I found it interesting! In a world of competition and choosing one’s future, there were far more important things that concerned my parents and me after I finished high school than deciding on a study focus. How do you balance your teaching and research interests? I have passion for both research and teaching, and when you have passion for more than one thing it is always difficult to manage your time. When both are in the same area, it is easier to integrate them. The best way to answer this would be to say that I maximise my interests subject to a time constraint.
Some Questions with Manish Agarwal Dr Manish Agarwal is our most recent PhD recipient, having obtained his degree in March. His thesis, ‘The Political Economy of Cross-Border Merger Regulation’, was completed under the supervision of CRMA Director Professor David Round and CRMA Deputy Director Professor Martin Shanahan. He is currently working as a Research Fellow with the CRMA on the Australian cartel history project. We chatted with Manish about what had motivated his academic career in the past and what he is planning to explore in the future. What is on your research agenda for the next three years? Writing articles from my thesis for submission to highranking journals, assisting in the Centre’s project on the history of cartels in Australia, undertaking contract research projects, and applying for research grants. What publication and which author has been the most influential on your work? I am an applied economist and I enjoy reading work that is grounded on empirical facts. The two articles that influenced me the most during my doctoral studies are ‘Mergers and the market for corporate control’ by H.G. Manne (Journal of Political Economy, 1965, vol.73 no.2) and ‘Negotiations under the threat of an auction’ by N. Aktas, E. de Bodt and R. Roll (Journal of Financial Economics, 2010, vol.98 no.2). How do you think your research can influence the area/policies on which it focuses? My thesis examines the effect of merger regulations on foreign acquisitions of domestic firms. Officials, as well as business and legal communities, have expressed concerns that merger regulation regimes impose regulatory costs and burdens, and create disincentives for cross-border mergers. My thesis should bring about a change in the mindset of these stakeholders. It reveals to the business sector that a merger regulation regime can be used as a strategic tool to reduce acquisition costs, it informs governments and competition officials that merger regulation regimes encourage competitively benign mergers, and it provides academics with a new conceptual framework for examining the broad effect of merger regulation regimes. Why did you come to UniSA and what do you like about it and living in Adelaide? The warm and encouraging correspondence I had with Professor David Round (my Principal Supervisor) before applying for admission to a PhD program made me choose UniSA. Since a PhD is of three to four years’ duration, I believe it is important to have a supervisor who takes an interest and is supportive. UniSA is an excellent place to undertake research. The library provides access to a wealth of reference materials and databases, the internal seminars are a good grooming ground for any budding researcher, and the academics at UniSA are encouraging and supportive. Besides, Adelaide is a beautiful and peaceful city in which to live. Are there any particular new developments in your research areas that you are eager to explore further? There is a growing need for robust ex-post evaluation of competition policy in general, a research area that is still in its infancy, which I am very interested in pursuing. What has been your most significant award or career highlight to date? I believe the most rewarding experience for me has been the research I have done under the supervision of David Round. My focus has been on policy-relevant research and I have learnt that a researcher should seek evidence that is, if not perfect, at least is consistent with the other available evidence, and should provide a logical and practical justification for every result. These research skills will stay with me forever. If you had not undertaken PhD studies where would you be today? Before coming to UniSA I was working in an organisation in India which involved research and advocacy in competition and regulation in developing countries. If I had not enrolled for a PhD, I would perhaps be continuing with that work and researching the constraints faced by developing countries in implementing competition policy. What do you enjoy most about academic life? As an academic I enjoy the research process that involves identifying a research question with an unknown answer, analysing data and applying logical reasoning to determine results, and writing it all up to tell a convincing story. The uncertainty at the start and the sense of achievement at the end is wonderful. 3
Page 1: from the Director’s Desk It has b
Page 5 and 6: CRMA Cartel Project The CRMA’s Au
Page 7 and 8: Other News Researcher Awards In 201
Page 9 and 10: Recent Publications to July 2011 Fo
Page 11 and 12: Recent Publications to July 2011 Pr

Digest #5 - University of South Australia

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?