Microeconometric Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequity in Mental Healthcare

The project aims to describe the extent of socioeconomic inequity in Australian mental healthcare, identify the causal pathways that drive socioeconomic inequities, and economically evaluate programs aimed at increasing healthcare access. Microeconometric methods will be used to analyse large, longitudinal survey and administrative datasets that have not previously been used for this purpose. The project expects to provide a greater understanding of the barriers people face in accessing treatment and how to overcome them. Such understanding is currently missing from academic literatures. Ultimately, the research should aid in the design of cost-effective policies that improve mental health and that reduce inequities in treatment access.