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The Victoria Institute of Strategic Economic Studies (VISES) was established as the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies (CSES) at Victoria University, Melbourne, in 1993, and is now one of the leading applied economic research groups in Australia. Its research output is of high quality and is influential at both national and international levels. VISES is now part of the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities.

VISES research focuses on: investing in global health and human capital; climate change, energy policy and practice; and new economic development models (see details here).

In 2018, VISES received funding from the Victorian State Government to establish the Victoria Energy Policy Centre (VEPC), to investigate policy challenges in energy in Australia, with a particular focus on Victoria. VEPC's core research discipline is economics, but collaboration is encouraged between experts from different academic traditions. VEPC combines academically rigorous research and analysis, with a practical understanding of government processes.

About us
 

VISES News

   

2024

Report for PMNCH launched at WHA
VISES full report for PMNCH on an investment case for investing in adolescent wellbeing was published by the WHO and launched at the WHO 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024.

Neelam Maharaj
We are very sad to let all our colleagues and friends know that Neelam Maharaj, senior researcher at VISES, died on 12 February 2024. While we have known for some time that she was seriously ill, her death came as a shock to us all. She had been working hard on our ongoing project on adolescent well-being globally up until last week, being undertaken for WHO and the Program for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health.

Neelam was a remarkable woman, showing immense courage through her life and final illness. She displayed a great ability to cover a wide range of academic literature and to write about it elegantly, in part reflecting the fact that she had also published a distinguished novel. She will be sorely missed by many, as a mother, grandmother, colleague and friend.

2023

New project commissioned by PMNCH
VISES was commissioned by the PMNCH to provide an investment case for investing in adolescent wellbeing. The executive summary was presented at the Global Forum for Adolescents held on 11–12 October 2023. The full report will be published by the WHO and presented at the World Health Assembly in May 2024. View details.

GPA webinar on VISES Syria report
Bruce Rasmussen presents Syria report findings at Global Partnership for Education webinar (Washington DC,June 2023). View project details.

Final UNFPA Viet Nam report launched
UNFPA in Vietnam launched a report on investing in HPV vaccination for women and girls in Viet Nam. View details.

New project commissioned by WHO EMRO
VISES was commissioned by the Eastern Mediterraneand WHO office to developing an investment case for polio transition in the region. View details.

2022

WHO investment case report released
VISES was commissioned by the WHO to provide an investment case for increasing WHO funds. The final report was released in May 2022. Press release.
View details.

FIA Foundation report launched
VISES report on youth road accidents was launched in London in June 2022. Press release.View details

Report for UNICEF Syria
Research on the cost of not investing in adolescents' education in Syria was released on 18 October 2022. View details

2021

Valuing vaccines report 2021
VISES participated in the research on ensuring access to vaccines in Australia for Shawview Consulting.The report was released in February 2022.
View details.

Journal article in Journal of Global Health Reports 2021
Evaluating interventions to reduce child marriage in India
By B. Rasmussen, N. Maharaj, A. Karan, J. Symons, S. Selvaraj, R. Kumar, M. Kumnick and P. Sheehan

Funding for VEPC
The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has extended funding for VEPC for 2021-2022.

VU funded report 2021
Researchers at VISES have published a report on post-bushfire recovery in the Gippsland fires of 2019/2020.
Growing the Seeds: Recovery, Strength and Capability in Gippsland Communities
See news in The Conversation.

3 BNHCRC final reports released
Bushfire and Natural Hazard CRC publishes 3 VISES reports.
Diversity and Inclusion: Building Strength and Capability: Final Report.

Building Inclusive Partnerships with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities.

Young People and the Emergency Services: Working Towards Inclusive Partnerships.

2020

USCC launches VISES report 2020
Increasing Social and Economic Benefits Globally Rates of Return on Health Investments
The US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Initiative on Health and the Economy (GIHE) in Washington DC released the report at the 2020 Annual Concordia Summit (21-25 September 2020), which found that countries would on average realize a return of $20 in increased GDP growth for every $1 invested in cardiovascular disease and diabetes interventions.
See USCC press release.
See newsGP article.
View details.

VISES research in UNFPA SWOP 2020
VISES research contributed to a chapter on child marriage in the recently released UNFPA publication.
State of the World Population Report 2020: Against my Will.

News coverage on VISES/UNFPA project on cost of eliminating child marriage
Targeted interventions can improve world's most vulnerable

Effect of COVID-19 on eliminating child marriage
Millions more cases of violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, unintended pregnancy expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

VISES Projects

China’s Development Finance, Growth Models and Sustainable Development 2020-24
Funded by Ford Foundation
View details.

Development of an Investment Case for Adolescent Wellbeing 2023-24
Funded by PMNCH
View details.

WHO Investment Case 2.0: Technical Report 2021-2022
Funded by WHO
View details.

Development of the Investment Case to Reduce Road Traffic Injuries among Adolescents 2020-21
Funded by FIA Foundation
View details.

Syria Education and Development Investment Case [SEDIC] Technical Note: Economic, social and psychological costs and risks resulting from ‘not-investing in education systems in the Syrian Arab Republic 2020-21
Funded by UNICEF Syria
View details.

Investment Case Study on HPV Vaccination in Viet Nam 2020-21
Funded by UNFPA Viet Nam
View details.

Investing in Women’s Sight: Benefits across Generations 2020-23
Funded by Fred Hollows Foundation
View details.

2019-2023 VISES JOURNAL ARTICLES

Identifying and Attributing Regime Shifts in Australian Fire Climates.
By R. Jones and J. Ricketts 2023

Four powerful reasons for increasing investment in adolescents and their wellbeing
By D.A. Ross, H.S. Friedman, D, Welch, N.S. Kaoma, R. Bhushan and B. Rasmussen 2022

Regime changes in atmospheric moisture under climate change
By R.N. Jones and J.H. Ricketts 2022

Evaluating interventions to reduce child marriage in India
By B. Rasmussen, N. Maharaj, A. Karan, J. Symons,S. Selvaraj, R. Kumar, M. Kumnick, and P. Sheehan, P. 2021

The role of the Basic Public Health Service program in the control of hypertension in China: Results from a cross-sectional health service interview survey
By J. Qin, Y. Zhang, M. Fridman, K. Sweeny, L. Zhang, C. Lin, and L. Mao 2021

UNFPA project papers published in special issue of Journal of Adolescent Health 2019

Employment and productivity benefits of enhanced educational outcomes: a preliminary modelling approach
By P. Sheehan and H. Shi

Evaluating the employment benefits of education and targeted interventions to reduce child marriage
By B. Rasmussen, N. Maharaj, P. Sheehan, and H. Friedman

A health-system based investment case for adolescent health
By K. Sweeny, H. Friedman, P. Sheehan, M. Fridman and H. Shi

Better secondary schooling outcomes for adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: projections of cost-effective approaches
By A. Wils, P. Sheehan and H. Shi

Reduced road traffic injuries for young people: a preliminary investment analysis
By J. Symons, E. Howard, K. Sweeny, M. Kumnick, P. Sheehan

This Special Issue was tabled by the UNFPA in mid July 2019 at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, with copies being distributed to Ministers and others. This Forum is the UN's central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and provides for the full and effective participation of all States Members of the United Nations and States members of specialized agencies.

2018 JOURNAL ARTICLES

Nature 2018
Adolescence and the next generation
By G. Patton et al.

The Lancet 2018

Investing in non-communicable diseases: An estimation of the return on investment for prevention and treatment services
By M.Y. Bertram, K. Sweeny, J.A. Lauer, D. Chisholm, P. Sheehan, B. Rasmussen, S,R, et al.

2017 JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Lancet 2017

A VISES team in conjunction with UNFPA published research, in The Lancet, that found investing in adolescent health and education could bring 10-fold economic benefit. This investment will not only transform the lives of girls and boys around the world, but will also generate high economic returns, especially in low income countries.
Building the foundations for sustainable development: A case for global investment in the capabilities of adolescents
By P. Sheehan, K. Sweeny, B. Rasmussen et al. 2017.

Read the analysis
in The Lancet.

 

VISES Previous project

Cost of Eliminating Child Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence 2019-20
Funded by UNFPA
View details.

Understanding Experiences and Recovery Capabilities of Diverse Communities in Gippsland Post 2019-20
Funded by Victoria University
View details.

Cost Benefit Analysis of Health Interventions to Improve Labour Productivity in China 2019-20
Funded by US Chamber of Commerce
View details.

Reimagining the Workforce: Building Smart, Sustainable, Safe Public Transport 2019-20
Funded by Dept of Transport (Vic) and Rail Manufacturing CRC
View details.

WorkWell Evaluation: Measuring Cost Effectiveness and Return on Investment of the WorkWell Program 2019-20
Funded by WorkSafe Victoria
View details.

ACIAR Monograph 207: Enabling Policies for Developing Smallholder Agriculture in Pakistan 2019
Funded by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
View details.

Building Strength and Capability Through Diversity 2017-2019
Funded by the Bushfire Natural Hazard CRC
View details.

Investment Framework Case Study: Estimating the Impacts and Opportunity Costs of Social Sector Investments for Adolescents (10–19 years) in Burundi 2019
Funded by UNFPA Burundi
View details.

A Case for National Investment in Adolescent Health and Wellbeing in India 2018
Funded by UNFPA
View details.

Scoping Study: Costs of Climate Change Impacts on the Social Determinants of Health and Wellbeing 2017
Funded by Dept of Health and Human Services (Vic)
View details.

Regional and Sectoral Vulnerability Assessment for Victoria Phase I 2017
Funded by Dept of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (Vic)
View details.

Developing Robust Indicators for Valuing Laneway Greening 2017
Funded by City of Melbourne
View details.

Survey on Human Resources per Household: Timor-Leste 2017
Funded by Government of Timor Leste
View details.

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