Mr Bob Davidson

Overview

Bob Davidson's research interests and consultancy work focus on the intersection of economic and social policy, and the operation and impact of the public and community sectors. His work in these areas has included the development, implementation and review of policy and programs concerning homelessness, youth, juvenile justice, ageing, disability, indigenous affairs and economic development, ethnic affairs and regional development. He has previously held senior positions with the Commonwealth and State government and in the corporate sector.

Research Summary

This study seeks to provide some answers to the questions on how service providers manage the tensions and complementarities between social and commercial objectives in a market environment, how their response impacts on their capacity to achieve the social policy objectives of the services, and to what extent the similarities and differences between providers in these matters can be explained by the type of organisation and by the nature of the market(s) in which they operate.

The research is focused on a case study that examines the motivations and behaviour of organisations providing a service (ie. at-home community care for older people) in two local ‘marketplaces’ in NSW (ie. a metropolitan and a regional local government area) in which where there are a range of sub-markets and sources of revenue. The broader intention is to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of marketisation and commercial imperatives on human services providers, and to developing the theory and methodology that can facilitate examination and comparison of these impacts across a wide range of types of human services and markets.