Ideas for Social Change
Exploring, debating and communicating new perspectives and ideas on education and social change practice and policy trends and challenges
Eidos will facilitate extensive media coverage of seven key research ideas that have influenced (or deserved to influence) public policy. A panel of national and international government, business and community leaders will be formed to identify the most influential educational and social research ideas that will impact communities. Debate and discussion about these ideas will be promoted through various media, publications and forums to highlight the role of consortium members as leaders in the translation of these ideas into policy and programs.
Eidos + 01/07: "When Public Meets Private"
Glyn became Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Melbourne on 10 January 2005. He was named as the inaugural Smart State Ambassador for his work in promoting and driving innovation in Queensland. He has held senior posts with the Queensland Government as Commissioner for Public Sector Equity (1990-1993), Director-General of the Office of the Cabinet (1995-1996) and Director-General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (1998-2002). Glyn was Vice-Chancellor and President of Griffith University from January 2002. He has written widely on policy and governance. His most recent publications are a third edition of The Australian Policy Handbook (with Peter Bridgman, 2004), The Future of Australian Governance: Policy Choices (coedited with Michael Keating, 2000) and Are You Being Served? State, Citizens and Governance (coedited with Patrick Weller, 2001). Professor Davis was Foundation Chair of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) which is headquartered at the University of Melbourne. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and a Companion in the Order of Australia.
Eidos + 02/07: "An Index of Happiness"
The Hon. Tim Fischer, Former Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the National Party and Minister for Trade, The Hon. Tim Fischer has had a distinguished career. Mr Fischer has been the Shadow Minister for Energy and Resources, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Federal Parliamentary National Party Liaison Officer for Western Australia. He has served on the Transport Safety Committee, Committee on Aircraft Noise and the Standing Committee on Transport, Communications and Infrastructure. From 26 August to 1 September 1999, Mr Tim Fischer was Leader of the Official Australian Delegation which oversaw the popular consultation or ballot held on 30 August 1999 in East Timor. Currently Mr Fischer is Chairman of FAMU Holdings, a private company with a range of business interests dealing mainly with export orientation. In relation to honorary activities, Mr Fischer holds numerous positions including Chair of the Crawford fund on International Agricultural Research and Chair of the Australian Winemakers Foundation. His commercial activities include Consultant Deloittes; Director of The AA Company, Ausmore and Asia Pacific; and Chairman Tourism Australia. A consummate speaker, Mr Tim Fischer draws on his broad range of experience in public and private life to deliver challenging and informative presentation.
Eidos + 03/07: "Data-Sharing"
Definitions of Human Capital vary in their focus. Most are clear that it is people and their ability to be economically productive. Many also highlight the strong dependence on education and training to build capability and on health and other incentives to increase the application of this capability in productive work. It sits in a broader context with physical and financial capital, and influenced by both the physical and social environments. Human capital is now on the international and National agenda as evidenced by the Second OECD World Forum on “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy” which has attracted world leaders and in COAG’s National Reform Agenda which has recently announced agreement to a number of significant actions in the area of human capital. Eidos partners are leaders in the ongoing development of human capital. The roundtable will build on initiatives to progress the capability to measure human capital and its determinants, in a way that supports evidence-based social, economic and environmental policy decisions. In 2007 Eidos will utilise keynote presentations and an innovative ‘fishbowl method’ that will involve invited experts engaging in an ‘inner circle’ roundtable discussion while surrounded by registered participants in an ‘outer circle’ Two seats in the inner table will be dedicated to registered participants to rotate through.
Following the 2006 National Roundtable a number of broad areas of research and policy collaboration for informing key state and national human capital research and policy aspects have been identified.
• Coordination of research and data sources
• Knowledge management
• Research prioritisation
• Partnerships
• Conceptualising and researching human capital issues
The 2007 EIDOS roundtable takes forward some of the future scenarios thinking from the last 12 months, in particular, the development and provision of access to shared research resources, and providing an opportunity to test the principles of research-informed policy in an area which is of concern to governments in Australia and overseas.
Progress towards a Queensland Human Capital Indicators Project including::
• Investigate the benefits of a conceptual framework for the measurement of human capital, its determinants and impacts. This will provide a hierarchy of indicators for human capital and help determine which investments and research programs support future scenarios.
• Explore the questions and issues behind the commitment to research-informed policy and data sharing.
• Use human capital as the focus, to establish guidelines of good practice and research-informed policy making, including mechanisms for sharing of data.
General concensus on a way forward regarding the design and implementation of a joint Human Capital indicators project.
• Plan a visual documentary of the day’s outcomes.
Individuals with recognised expertise in relation to human capital, statistics, policy development, knowledge management and research data sharing from a wide range of organizations and disciplines will be invited to assess the current evidence base for human capital and education policies and practical strategies for data sharing and forecasting strategies based on this analysis.
