Behavioural Public Policy and the Law – Responding to community need in times of challenge

The events of 2020 impact the way we relate to each other across the entire range of our physical, economic and social interactions. 

This webinar brings together leading researchers across the University of Technology Sydney Business School and the Faculty of Law, to showcase the positive impact that engaged research may have upon the community in such times of challenge. 

The presenters all share a passion for using their research to bring real world impact to the community. The ultimate aim of the webinar is to demonstrate how behavioural public policy and the law is, has been, and may be influenced, shaped and changed by UTS researchers.

The discussion will be moderated by Professor Anita Stuhmcke, Associate Dean of Research Faculty of Law.

Our presenters:

• Professor Michelle Baddeley, UTS Business School
  Topic: The prospects versus limits of "nudging": Can behavioural economics provide sticky and scalable policy insights well-suited for resolving large-scale challenges and crises, or will behavioural public policies always be just temporary and partial solutions?
• Professor John Rose, UTS Business School
  Topic: How to engage the community in order to understand public policy implications
• Professor Natalie Stoianoff, Faculty of Law
  Topic: Australia’s COVID-19 Response to Climate Change and Biodiversity Protection
• Dr Michael Rawling, Faculty of Law
  Topic: How regulation can address underpayment of wages in business networks and the gig economy



The webinar is of benefit to a range of audiences. It offers a brief yet deep dive into ‘real world’ impactful research undertaken across both the Faculty of Business and Faculty of Law at UTS. This webinar is topical and presents intimate insight into how leading UTS researchers frame and conceptualise the value of their research. It will:


• Provide insight into the usefulness of evidence based research to bring about real world change
• Promote links between UTS and business and community organisations (and individuals) such as industry and NGOs
• Showcase problems and research solutions for challenges which face the community in 2020 and beyond




Our Presenters
















Professor Michelle Baddeley, Associate Dean of Research from the UTS Business School


Michelle is a leading expert in behavioural economics and finance. She joined UTS Business School in 2019 as the Associate Dean and a Professor in Economics. Michelle has an extensive track record in applying evidence-based behavioural economic insights to public policy questions in areas such as energy, the environment, housing, infrastructure, financial decision-making and employment. She is an Honorary Professor with the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, and an Adjunct Professor with the University of South Australia Business School. Other affiliations include Associate Fellow, Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy and Associate Researcher, Energy Policy Research Group, University of Cambridge. 

Michelle is President of the Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics and Editor in Chief of SABE's Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy. Her research on herding and other social influences is explored in her recent book "Copycats and Contrarians – Why We Follow Others and When We Don’t" (Yale University Press, 2018). She has also published in a wide range of international journals, edited volumes and conference proceedings.















Professor John Rose from the UTS Business School, Director of Business Intelligence and Data Analytics

Dr. John Rose is Professor and founding Director of the Business Intelligence and Data Analytics (BIDA) Research Centre in the UTS Business School. John is a leading expert in how to engage community stakeholders, using methods and techniques that are capable of quantifying the value of infrastructure and public policy. 

Professor Rose's research interest lies primarily in the area of modelling of behavioural agents in decision making, with a particular focus on understanding infrastructure planning. This includes large scale infrastructure projects of national interest, such as projects within the transport, telecommunications and energy sectors. He also researches extensively in Health and Environmental Economics. 


















Professor Natalie Stoianoff from the Faculty of Law 

Natalie is a Professor and Director of the Intellectual Property Program at the Faculty of Law, since 2008. She is Australia’s first female Taxation Law Professor and is a regular participant in the annual Global Environmental Taxation conference series publishing on the evaluation and impact of taxation concessions for mine site rehabilitation, local government taxes and conservation covenants. 


She is the author of numerous publications in the fields of intellectual property, environmental law and taxation law. Her tax research has led to membership of the Critical Issues in Environmental Taxation Editorial Review Board and after hosting GCET16 in Sydney she is the Lead Editor of 2 publications from the series (August 2016): Volume XVII, Green Fiscal Reform for a Sustainable Future - Reform, Innovation and Renewable Energy, and Volume XVIII, Market Instruments and the Protection of Natural Resources.


















Dr Michael Rawling from the Faculty of Law 

Michael Rawling is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law UTS. His main research interests are within labour law including regulating business networks (such as supply chains) to protect workers empower precarious or vulnerable workers. Michael obtained his PhD in law from the University of Sydney on regulating supply chains to protect workers. Prior to joining UTS he was a faculty member at the ANU College of Law and before that he held a Ross Parsons PhD Scholarship and was an Associate of the Ross Parsons Centre of Commercial, Corporate and Taxation Law at the Sydney Law School. Prior to that he taught at Macquarie Law School and practised as a solicitor.