Dr Elizabeth Webster

Principal Research Fellow
Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research

and Director, Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia

Tel. +61 3 8344 2114
Fax. +61 3 8344 2111
Email. [email protected]

• Current Research
• Completed Papers:
• Patent Systems
• Trade Marks and Branding
• Measuring Intangible Assets
• Firm Performance
• Environment
• Training and Education Labour Markets
• Wage Determination
• Unemployment, labour market programs and segmented labour markets
• Other Publications
• Recent presentations
  • Should copyright be managed as an economic policy?

Beth Webster manages the Industrial Economics program of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research. She is also Director of the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia. She has a PhD (Cambridge, UK) and a Master of Economics (Monash). She has previously worked at the Bureau of Immigration Research, the Victorian Government and the Centre of Policy Studies at Monash University. Her interests include issues from

• the economics of innovation and intellectual property
• labour economics

She has at various times been an academic advisor to the Victorian Departments of Treasury and Finance; Premier and Cabinet; Auditor-General, Sustainability and Environment; the Commonwealth Departments of Industry, Tourism and Resources; and Education, Science and Training, Employment; Employment and Workplace Relations; Family and Community Services; Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Foreign Affairs and Trade; The Australian Fair Pay Commission, OECD,the European Commission, and the New Zealand Treasury.

Previous collaborative work has been undertaken with IBM, the Business Council of Australia, the Committee for Economic Cooperation of Australia (CEDA), the Productivity Commission, Austrade, IBISWorld, the Australian Institute of Family Studies, The Reserve Bank of Australia, Westpac, IP Australia inter alia.

A pdf version of her CV is here.

CURRENT RESEARCH

• Patents and commercialisation
• Innovation and uncertainty
• Markets for technology
• Comparative patent examinations: USPTO, the EPO, the JPO and IP Australia

COMPLETED PAPERS

Patent systems

Griffiths, W., Jensen, P. and Webster, E. (forthcoming) What Creates Abnormal Profits? Scottish Journal of Political Economy.

Webster, E. and Jensen, P.H. (2011). ‘Do patents matter for commercialization?’, Journal of Law and Economics, 54 (forthcoming).

Weatherall, K. and Webster, E. (forthcoming 2010) ‘Patent infringement in Australia: Results from a survey’ Federal Law Review.

Palangkaraya, A. Webster, E. and Jensen, P. (forthcoming)  ‘Misclassification in Patent Offices’ Review of Economics and Statistics.

Griffiths, W. and Webster, E. (2010) ‘The Determinants of Research and Development and Intellectual Property Usage among Australian Companies, 1989 to 2002’, Technovation, 30, 471–481.

Jensen, P. H and Webster, E. (2010) ‘Macroeconomic conditions and successful commercialization’, Cambridge Journal of Economics (advance publication).

Weatherall, K., Webster E. and Bently, L. (2009) IP Enforcement in the UK and Beyond: A Literature Review, Report prepared for the Strategic Advisory Board on IP, UK.

Jensen, P. and E. Webster (2009) ‘Knowledge Management: Does Capture Impede Creation?’ Industrial and Corporate Change,18, 701-727 .

Buddelmeyer, H., Jensen, P. H and Webster, E. (2010) ‘Innovation And The Determinants Of Company Survival’, Oxford Economic Papers, , 62(2): 261-285.

Jensen, P. and E. Webster (2009) ‘Another look at the relationship between innovation proxies’, Australian Economic Papers, 48, 252-269.

Webster, E. (2009) ‘Does Australia have a National Innovation System’ Australian Economic Review

Thomson, R. and Webster, E. (2009) ‘What does economics say about intellectual property?’, Insights, 6 November, 51-55.

Jensen, P. and Webster, E. (2009) ‘How Important Are Patents for Commercialising Inventions?’ Australasian Science, October, pp35-36.

Webster, E. (2009) ‘Does Australia have a National Innovation System’ Australian Economic Review.

Jensen, P. and Webster, E. (2008) ‘Australian Innovation Data’ Australian Economic Review.

Jensen, P. Palangkaraya, A., Webster, E., Yong, J. (2008) ‘The effect of raising the Australian statutory inventive step on the Australian global production system’ report prepared for IP Australia. Mimeo, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

Palangkaraya, A., Jensen, P. and Webster, E. (2008) ‘Applicant behaviour in patent examination request lags’, Economics Letters, 243-245 .

Jensen, P. and Webster, E. (2008) ‘Australian Innovation Data’ Australian Economic Review.

Jensen, P., Palangkaraya, A. and Webster, E. (2008)‘Application Pendency Times and Outcomes across Four Patent Offices’, Australian Intellectual Property Journal, 19, 178-190.

26/07 ‘In the Shadow of the China–Australia FTA Negotiations: What Australian Business Thinks About IP’, Anne Leahy, Donald MacLaren, David Morgan, Kimberley Weatherall, Elizabeth Webster, Jongsay Yong. Published as Leahy, A., MacLaren, D., Morgan, D., Weatherall, K., Webster, E., and Yong, J. (2008) ‘In the Shadow of the China–Australia FTA Negotiations: What Australian Business Thinks About IP’, Economic Papers, 27(1) 1-18.

Jensen, P., A. Palangkaraya and E. Webster (2007) ‘Characteristics of International Patent Application Outcomes’ Economics Letters, Abstract

Jensen, P. H. Palangkaraya, A. and Webster, E. (2006) ‘Disharmony in International Patent Office Decisions’ Federal Circuit Bar Journal, Abstract, pdf.

Jensen, P. H. and Webster, E. (2006) ‘Firm size and the Use of Intellectual Property Rights’, Economic Record, abstract, pdf.

Jensen, P. and Webster E. M. (2004) Achieving the Optimal Power of Patent Rights, Australian Economic Review, 37(4), 419-426. Reprinted in Melbourne Legal Studies, (forthcoming), Abstract, pdf .

Dent, C. Jensen, P. H. Waller, S. and Webster, E. (2005) ‘Research Use of Patented Knowledge- A Review’, Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA), The University of Melbourne . Report for the OECD, pdf.

Casselman, R., Gans, J., Gay, E., Jensen, P., Morgan, O., Weatherall, K., Webster, E. (2004), ‘Factors Affecting the Use of Intellectual Property (IP) Protection by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Australia’, Intellectual Property Institute of Australia (IPRIA), A Report for the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, pages 198, pdf.

Christie, A, D’Aloisio, S., Gaita, K., Howlett, M. Webster, E. (2003) ‘Analysis of the legal framework for patent ownership in publicly funded research institutions’, Intellectual Property Institute of Australia (IPRIA), Final report to the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, Canberra. ISBN 0 642 77331 9 (Electronic Version), 0 642 77330 0 (Hard copy), pages 128, pdf.

Trade marks and branding

5/06 Market Power, Brand Characteristics and Demand for Retail Grocery Products Paul Jensen, and Elizabeth Webster. Published as Jensen, P. and E. Webster (2008) ‘Labelling Characteristics and Demand for Retail Grocery Products in Australia’ Australian Economic Papers, 47(2), 129-140.

Jensen, P. and Webster, E. (2004) ‘Recent patterns of trade marking activity in Australia’, Australian Intellectual Property Journal, 15(2), 112-126, Abstract, pdf.

Measuring intangible assets

Frederickson, J. R, Webster, E. and Williamson, I. O (2010) ‘Is The Current Accounting And Disclosure Treatment Of Employer-Sponsored Education And Training Costs Under GAAP Appropriate?’ Australian Accounting Review.

Paul H. Jensen, Alfons Palangkaraya and Elizabeth Webster (2009) A Guide to Metrics on Knowledge Transfer from Universities to Businesses and Industry in Australia, IPRIA Occasional Report.

Jensen, P. and E. Webster (2009) ‘Another look at the relationship between innovation proxies’, Australian Economic Papers, 48, 252-269.

Jensen, P. and Webster, E. (2008) ‘Australian Innovation Data’ Australian Economic Review.

Bosworth, D. and Webster, E. (2006) Intellectual capital and intellectual property: An economic perspective, The management of intellectual property, Eds. D. Bosworth and E. Webster, Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield, US: Edward Elgar.

Griffiths , W. and Webster, E. (2006) Trends in the value of intellectual property in Australia, The management of intellectual property, Eds. D. Bosworth and E. Webster, Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield, US: Edward Elgar.

15/05 Measuring Intangible Investment, L. C. Hunter, Elizabeth Webster and Anne Wyatt

Jensen, P. H. and Webster, E. (2006) ‘Investment in Intangible Capital: An Enterprise Perspective ‘,Economic Record, 82(256), 82-96. This article is available online at Blackwell Synergy ( www.blackwell-synergy.com ) , pdf.

Hunter, L., Webster, E. and Wyatt, A. (2005) ‘Measuring Intangible Capital: A review of current practice’ Australian Accounting Review, 15(36), 4-21, Abstract.

Webster, E. M. (2000) ‘The growth of intangible enterprise investment in Australia’, Information Economics and Policy, 12 (1) , 1-25, Abstract.

Firm performance

Griffiths, W. and Webster, E. (2010) ‘The Determinants of Research and Development and Intellectual Property Usage among Australian Companies, 1989 to 2002’, Technovation, 30, 471–481.

Jensen, P. H and Webster, E. (2010) ‘Macroeconomic conditions and successful commercialization’, Cambridge Journal of Economics (advance publication).

Jensen, P. H, Webster, E. and Witt, J. (2009) ‘Hospital type and patient outcomes: An empirical examination using AMI re-admission and mortality records’, Health Economics, 18, 1440-60.

Jensen, P. and E. Webster (2009) ‘Knowledge Management: Does Capture Impede Creation?’ Industrial and Corporate Change,18, 701-727 .

Buddelmeyer, H., Jensen, P. H and Webster, E. (2010) ‘Innovation And The Determinants Of Company Survival’, Oxford Economic Papers, , 62(2): 261-285.

Jensen, P. and Webster, E. (2008) ‘Australian Innovation Data’ Australian Economic Review.

Webster, E., Buddelmeyer, H. and Jensen, P. (2007) ‘Innovation and Industrial Evolution’ Australian Economic Review, 40(1), 82-89.

Jensen, P. H, Webster, E. and Buddelmeyer, H. (2008) ‘Innovation, Technological Conditions and New Firm Survival’, Economic Record, 84, 434-448.

4/05 The Effects on Firm Profits of the Stock of Intellectual Property Rights, William Griffiths, Paul Jensen and Elizabeth Webster

Jensen, P. H. and Webster, E. (2006) ‘Investment in Intangible Capital: An Enterprise Perspective ‘,Economic Record, 82(256), 82-96. This article is available online at Blackwell Synergy ( www.blackwell-synergy.com ) , pdf.

Leahy, A. Loundes, J. Webster, E. and Yong, J. (2004) ‘Industrial Capabilities in Victoria’, Economic and Labour Relations Review, 15(1), 74-98, Abstract.

Webster, E. (2004) ‘Firms’ Decisions to Innovate and Innovation Routines’, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 13(8), 733-45, Abstract.

Bosworth, D. and Webster, E. (2006)Intellectual capital and intellectual property: An economic perspective, The management of intellectual property, Eds. D. Bosworth and E. Webster, Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield, US: Edward Elgar.

Griffiths , W. and Webster, E. (2006) Trends in the value of intellectual property in Australia, The management of intellectual property, Eds. D. Bosworth and E. Webster, Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield, US: Edward Elgar.

Webster, E. M. (1999) The Economics of Intangible Investment, Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield, US: Edward Elgar, pp1-118.

Environment

Jensen, P. and Webster, E. (2007) ‘Is Stern Correct? Does Climate Change Require Policy Intervention?’ Australian Economic Review, 40(4), 421-31.

Training and education labour markets

Webster, E., Wooden, M. and Marks, G. (2006) ‘Reforming the Labour Market for Australian Teachers’, Australian Journal of Education.

Webster, E. Wooden, M. and Marks, G. (2005) Teaching and the Teacher Labour Market. The Case for Reform, Australian Economic Review, 38(1), 91-8.

Webster, E. M. and Kelly Jarvis (2003) ‘The Occupational Career Paths of Australian Tradesmen ‘, Labour and Industry. 14(2), 61-82, abstract.

Webster, E. Dockery, M. Bainger, T., Kelly, R. (2001) ‘Training for the skilled trades in Australia: 1980 to 2000. Training reforms’, in Australian Apprenticeships. Research Readings, Ed, N. Smart, National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Leabrook, South Australia, 179-198.

Webster, E. M. (2003) ‘Profits’, The Elgar Companion to Post Keynesian Economics, Cheltenham, UK and Brookfield, US: Edward Elgar, 294-298.

Webster, E. (2002) ‘Labour Markets for Victorian Teachers’, Report prepared for the Office of the Victorian Auditor-General, pages 24.

Webster, E. (2002) ‘Teacher forecasting functions by the Victorian Department of Education’, Report prepared for the Office of the Victorian Auditor-General, pages 16.

Webster, E. Dockery, M. Bainger, T., Kelly, R. (2001) ‘Training for the skilled trades in Australia: 1980 to 2000. Training reforms’. Australian National Training Authority and National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Leabrook, South Australia, pages 123.

Blandy, R. Dockery, M. Hawke, A. and Webster, E. (2000) Does training pay? Evidence from Australian Enterprises’, National Centre for Vocational Education and Research, Leabrook, South Australia, pages 62.

Wage determination

McGuinness, S. E. Webster, K Mavromaras (2006) What are the characteristics of the employers of the low paid in Australia? Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne, Report for the Australian Fair Pay Commission, pdf.

Fry, T. and Webster, E. (2006) ‘Conflict Inflation: Estimating the Contributions to Wage Inflation in Australia During the 1990s’, Cambridge Journal of Economics, August, abstract.

Webster, E. M. and Yi-Ping Tseng (2002) ‘The Determinant of Relative Wage Change in Australia’ Australian Economic Review, 35 (1), 70-84, abstract.

Webster E. M. (2003) The Effects of Wages on Aggregate Employment: A Brief Summary of Empirical Studies, Australian Economic Review, 36 (1), 134-142.

Unemployment, labour market programs and segmented labour markets

Song, L. L. and Webster, E. M (2003) ‘How segmented are skilled and unskilled labour markets: The case of Beveridge Curves’, Australian Economic Papers , 42(3), 332-345, abstract.

Webster, E. M. and Johnson, D. (2002) ‘The Equity effects of labour market programs’, Australian Bulletin of Labour, 28 (3), 198-227.

Webster, E. M. (1999) ‘Labour market programs and the Australian Beveridge curve: 1978 to 1997’, Economic Record, 75 (231), 405-416.

Webster, E. M. (1999) ‘Job Network: What can it offer?’, Just Policy, 17, 32-42 .

Webster, E. M. and Summers, P. (2000) ‘The effects of labour market programs on wage inflation’. Journal of Industrial Relations, Sept., 383-397.

Webster, E. M. (2001) ‘The rise in intangible capital and labour market segmentation’, Australian Bulletin of Labour, 27 (4) , 258-271.

Webster, E. M. (1999) ‘Occupational profiles of men since 1947’, Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 3 (2), 93-112.

Webster, E. M. (1999) ‘Macroeconomic evaluation of labour market programs’, Economic and Labour Relations Review, 10 (1), 107-125.

Webster, E. M. (2000) ‘What role for labour market programs?’ in The Unemployment Crisis in Australia. Which way out? Ed. S. Bell, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 234-251.

Dockery, A. M. and Webster E. M. (2002) ‘Long-term Unemployment and Work Deprived Individuals: Issues and Policies’, Australian Journal of Labour Economics 5(2) , 175-194.

Webster E. M. and Harding, G. (2001) ‘Outsourcing Public Employment Services: The Australian Experience’, Australian Economic Review, 34(2), 213-242.

Webster, E. M. (1998) ‘Microeconomic evaluation of labour market programs’, Australian Economic Review, 31, 189-201.

Webster, E. M. (1998) ‘Unemployment’, EcoDate, 12, pages 9.

Webster, E. M. (1998) ‘Unemployment in Australia’, Econochat, pages 6.

Other publications

Jensen, P. H, Webster, E. and Witt, J. (2009) ‘Hospital type and patient outcomes: An empirical examination using AMI re-admission and mortality records’, Health Economics, 18, 1440-60.

Yong, J, Palangkaraya, A., Webster, E. and Dawkins, P. (2009) ‘The Income Distributive Implications of Recent Private Health Insurance Policies in Australia’ The European Journal of Health Economics, 10, 135

Mcgregor, J., Cox, T., Shaw, J., Jensen, P. Webster, E. (2008) PricecoopersWaterhouse- Melbourne Institute Asialink Index (2008).

Palangkaraya, A., Webster, E., Yong, J., Lloyd, P. and Reyes, C. (2007) ‘ASEAN Brief 2007. Progress towards the ASEAN Community’. Report produced for the ASEAN Summit, 17-18 November , Singapore. ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, ISBN 978-979-3496-60-3

Harris, M. Loundes, J. and Webster, E. (2002) ‘The determinants of households' savings behaviour in Australia’, Economic Record, 78 (241), 207-224.

Webster, E. M. (1999) ‘Kalecki’s ceteris paribus dynamics’, Review of Political Economy, 11 (1), 19-32.

Webster, E. M. (1994) ‘Joint assessment and immigration selection procedures’, Labour Economics and Productivity, 6 (1), 79-94.

Webster, E. M. (1992) ‘Labour market forecasting in Australia: The science of the art’, Journal of the Australian Population Association, 9 (2), 185-205.

Webster, E. M. (1999) ‘Technological progress and effective demand: a Kaleckian perspective’ in Keynes, Post-Keynesianism and Political Economy: Essays in Honour of Geoff Harcourt Vol. 3, Eds C. Sardoni and P. Kriesler, London: Routledge.

Webster, E. M., D Johnson & P Dawkins (1998) ‘Taxing food and the GST’, Australian Social Monitor, 2, 31-34.

Valenzuela, R. and Webster, E. M. (1998) ‘Superannuation: Whose Responsibility’, Australian Social Monitor, 1, 15-16.

Wise, S., da Silva, L. Webster, E., Sanson, A. (2004) ‘Efficacy of Early Childhood Interventions’, Report prepared for the Australian Government, Department of Family and Community Services, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne, Research Report 14, ISSN 1447-1469 (Print), ISSN 1477-1477 (Online), pages 243.

Jarvis, K. and Webster, E. (2002) ‘Labour Markets for Victorian Nurses’, Report prepared for the Office of the Victorian Auditor-General, pages 17.

Harding, G. and Webster, E. (2002) ‘The labour market effects of Working Holiday Maker residents’, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, pages 52.