PhD title: Economic inequality over the life cycle in Australia.
Owen has worked in the APS since 2004. Since 2010, he has managed various teams within the Macroeconomic Group at Treasury, responsible for providing advice on the Australian and Chinese economies.
Owen’s PhD research explores the life-cycle dimension of income and consumption among Australian households, and how this is shaped by government policy. He looked to answer questions, such as the relative importance of individual differences versus other factors in explaining wage inequality in Australia, and the role that the tax-transfer system plays in cushioning workers from unexpected income changes. Owen has also published a number of research publications on economic topics like Australian household saving behaviour and structural change in the Chinese economy.
Freestone, O, Daudry, A, Obeyesekere, A & Sedgwick, M 2011, ‘The Rise in Household Saving and Its Implications for the Australian Economy’. Economic Round-up, 2011, Vol. 2, The Treasury, Canberra.
Zhang, D & Freestone, O 2013, ‘China’s unfinished state-owned enterprise reforms’. Economic Round-up, 2013, Vol. 2, The Treasury, Canberra.
Freestone, O 2018, ‘The Drivers of Life-Cycle Wage Inequality in Australia’. Economic Record, Vol. 94 No. 307, pp. 424-444.
Freestone, O 2020, ‘Economic inequality over the life cycle in Australia’. PhD Thesis, The Australian National University, Canberra.
The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation is a partnership between The Australian National University, Charles Darwin University and the Australian Public Service.
