The Department of Economics at Macquarie University in collaboration with Macquarie University Centre for Health Economy (MUCHE) and Global Labor Organization (GLO) was organizing an international conference on the “Economics of Health, Inequality and Behaviour (WEHIB)” in Sydney/Australia over 11-13 November 2019. The multidisciplinary conference aimed to foster dialogue among social scientists on the nexus between health, behavior, and inequality across developed and developing societies.
The event was organized at the University under the leadership of GLO Fellow Kompal Sinha, a Senior Lecturer and HDR Director at the Department of Economics of Macquarie University. Sinha is also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Population Economics and the GLO Research Cluster Lead for Development, Health, Inequality and Behavior. The cluster is keen to develop the event further as its trade-mark.
Keynote speakers at the conference were Lisa Cameron (University of Melbourne), Andrew Jones (University of York), and Klaus F. Zimmermann (UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University & GLO). The conference started on November 11 with an address by Hon Chris Bowen MP, Shadow Minister for Health, followed by the keynote speech of GLO – President Klaus F. Zimmermann on “Arsenic in drinking water: health challenges and responses”. (See also.) Lisa Cameron (University of Melbourne) spoke on November 12 about “Crime against morality: unintended consequences of criminalising sex work” and Andrew Jones (University of York) on November 13 about “Equity, opportunity and health”. Next to the 4 keynotes, the event included 18 fine contributed papers, among others by GLO Fellows Cahit Guven (Deakin University), Alfredo Paloyo (University of Wollongong), Michael Palmer (University of Western Australia) and Jaai Parasnis (Monash University).
The conference ended on November 13 with a farewell speech by the Head of the Economics Department, Professor Elisabetta Magnani, who also had welcomed the participants at the opening ceremony. Everybody was pleased with the wonderful event, with the place and service, the excellent meeting and working conditions, the very high quality of papers presented, and the lively discussions.
Full Final Program. More details: CONFERENCE WEBSITE. Other reports: GLO News, KFZ-1, KFZ-2
Hon Chris Bowen MP, Shadow Minister for Health 
Klaus F. Zimmermann, GLO President
Lisa Cameron on “Criminalising sex work” 
Andrew M. Jones on “Equity, opportunity and health” 
Professor Elisabetta Magnani, Head of Department
From the left Lisa Cameron, Kompal Sinha, Klaus F. Zimmermann, Andrew M. Jones, Hon Chris Bowen, Elisabetta Magnani and Rodrigo Moreno-Serra.
Ends;