A. Abigail Payne

About

A. Abigail Payne was previously a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Professor Payne is the Ronald Henderson Professor and the Director of the leading Australian research institute on applied economic and social research at the University of Melbourne. The Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Policy engages in pathbreaking studies on a range of microeconomic and macroeconomic policy issues that are used to shape Australian policy and practice. Professor Payne moved to Australia in 2016 from North America where she previously held positions in Canada and the US. 

Professor Payne’s research has emphasized understanding: the challenges faced by charities in their funding and delivery of public goods and services including understanding the motivations of donors; the opportunities and constraints for individuals to pursue higher educational attainment; the role of school financing to promote equality in opportunity; and a general understanding of how government policy and expenditures affect individuals, communities, and underserved populations. 

She is leading a major project funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation that focuses on understanding poverty and disadvantage. This includes the development a of shared data environment to equip researchers with better data to address issues that pertain to reducing the risk of entering into poverty and promoting exit from poverty. Her current projects cover the role of place, the factors that support the exit from disadvantage, and the role of education to support successful transitions by those living in poverty. She is in the process of initiating a project tied to the early years of child development and potential family dynamics (financial and social well-being) and whether offering financial and related support can improve outcomes for the family.

A key theme in her work on education topics is one that focuses on performance in high school and the transition from high school to further education/training or employment.   Her current work has pivoted to one that is seeking to bring together relative data to better understand how cognitive and non-cognitive factors present in high school influence post-high school outcomes.

Professor Payne is actively involved in Australian economic and social policy as a member on multiple State and Commonwealth Government committees. Internationally, she is the Chair of the Ifo Institute’s Scientific Advisory Committee (Munich), serves on several international boards, and is co-editor of the Economic Inquiry. 

She holds a PhD from Princeton University, a JD from Cornell Law School, and BA with honors from Denison University.