Reflect on the research process in general that you have experienced over the session. Discuss the challenges, triumphs, disappointments and learning experiences.

The research journey undertaken in my COMM330 proposal has certainly not been a straightforward one. Many times, I said to myself “Why did I pick this topic?” “How will this work?” when in fact, more often than not, things did not work out how I first planned. A big lesson I have learnt thanks to COMM330 is that research proposals are much more than a mere essay and require thorough research and time to experiment ideas (and to expect failures). It has also taught me the importance of limitations and refining the research process accordingly.

I was quite pleased with my mark in the first proposal presentation. Although I felt confident in my content, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to portray my research plan to the best of my ability. I gave this considerable time and made sure that I was confident in talking about my content which helped my presentation on the day & allowed me to gain a solid mark.

My main disappointment has been in the way I’ve approached the report with respect to time management. Instead of allocating consistent time/portions of the report each week for example, I have been guilty in undertaking large chunks quickly, then leaving my research for a week or so. In hindsight, now that I’ve identified this issue, I believe this may have been a slight setback in my journey. I believe this may be relatable with the other students of this subject taking other university studies and/or employment. Still, overall, I am pleased with the way my research journey has panned out.

Reflect on the main comments and feedback from your proposal. What do you perceive as the largest challenge. Outline your strategy for project completion.

Upon completing my research proposal to my fellow peers, my initial outlook on the project was very unclear. I received minimal comment/feedback, which could possibly be a positive (or maybe I just bored my audience to death), however as nothing was said or suggested I feel I have little to reflect on. This will challenge me in the way of confidence, and to overcome this I need to stay persistent and keep in mind that I have studied the content in detail and should be able to produce a convincing final report.

The other challenge will be in undertaking my methodology, as I am still yet to refresh my (minimal) skills in EViews and other econometric testing. To overcome this I will soon commence trial testing to understand the important concepts and have a solid idea of what it is I am actually looking for. I am yet to undertake this work as I felt I needed to switch off the COMM330 brain after the proposal. Another challenge will be turning the brain back on during mid-semester break…

As I write this post waiting to give my proposal, I have realised that this endeavour isn’t nearly as daunting as I first thought. I feel that, while I still have a long way to go in my project journey, I have learnt a lot about my topic, and I can now give a well-planned & concise presentation. Jack, my project partner, has been insightful in his comments and has certainly led my on the right path. He has allowed me to see my research progress from an alternate point of view, and from this I have identified jargon terms that require clarification so that a general audience can understand my proposal.

I still believe that the largest challenge (aside from speech nerves) will surround gathering data and implementing my chosen methodology. Since the last blog, I have found some more Sydney data sources which will provide me with detailed, accurate data to hopefully overcome this challenge. Writing the proposal was another challenge, given that the proposal presentation is of high value towards this subject. I have continually re-read my speech and made slight modifications so that I can present my best possible proposal (along with plenty of de-stressing, too). I’m excited to move on from the proposal stage and dive into the data analysis.

This week’s efforts have been concentrated around finding a suitable methodology given data available. Further literature review has been undertaken to grasp a further understanding of the array of effect migration can have on an economy. The remainder of my literature review will revolve around city to rural migration to assist me in the second step of methodology. I am still yet to find solid in-depth literature on city to rural migration within Australia (especially with immigration as a determinant) so studies from other nations may be necessary to gather theories behind the phenomena. Furthermore, I am yet to come across a study which assesses the Harris-Todaro migration decision relative to econometric testing. Further review into city to rural migration will allow me to fill this research gap to the best of my ability, now that a methodology has been established.

At this stage I am reasonably confident that a two-step econometric model will be used, followed by a Harris-Todaro comparison. Firstly, a modified ANOVA regression will allow me to have two response variables (being Sydney wage & labour rates) tested by a single predictor (immigration). These two response variables will then become inputs into a second MANOVA predicting the rural wage & rural labour force impact. I have decided to use a two-step model as it allows the phenomena to be broken up into two clear events; immigration on Sydney, then migration of city dwellers to rural areas.

Overall research progress has been slow, but steady. The important step this week is to finalise my proposal draft through additional literature review. I can then begin to prepare my presentation so that my research & ideas can be well portrayed to my audience.

By now the reality of a research report is starting to kick in. The previous week’s endeavours have certainly made clear to me the difficulties of the topic I have chosen. While I have made considerable progress in my journey of research, and question preparation, I have encountered some difficulties in obtaining statistical data. I require this data early on so that I can begin to formulate concrete hypotheses that can hopefully be followed throughout the entirety of my report.

Reading literature from the Australian Bureau of Statistics has shown me that whilst similar studies have been undertaken in relation to migration and its implication on Australian wage, I am still witnessing a gap in the migration question. This has helped me further detail my proposed research question: “Does immigration into Sydney cause (or, is it correlated with) native movement away from Sydney? Assessment of the Harris-Todaro migration model”. I have decided, after continuous clicks, scrolls (and rage-quits) through library databases that I would first like to assess the impact migration has on skilled and unskilled wages in the city of Sydney, then I aim to extract a correlation (or even the blasphemous: causality!) between any wage difference realised and net migration away from Sydney.

The difficulties with data collection should be overcome given that I continue to give this report the consistent approach it requires. With patience, further digging into the ABS will allow me to access the necessary data for analysis. Then I just need to figure out what to do with it… Once I have obtained more data, my time will be focused on developing a solid methodology so that a strong, convincing output can be generated toward the end of the report. I hope econometrics is fun 😬

The topic I am researching as part of my capstone subject is immigration and its effect on the Australian labour market. My goal is to establish a relationship between immigration and labour participation/wage levels, and how such relationship effects the native population of Australia (if at all).

I have chosen this topic after studying the Harris-Todaro model of migration in previous university classes. I take interest in the topic of immigration and labour as it is a relevant issue with social, political and economic interest, and I would like to delve deep into an unbiased, factual study of the cost & benefit of immigration in the Australian context. I believe I am well equipped to undertake research in this field as I have previously studied the topic, and as an Economics and Finance student I have the necessary skills to generate a relationship between variables and examine the implications it may have on the native Australian population.

The decision to choose this topic was by no means an easy choice. It required many attempts at firstly deciding a broad area of study, and I am still in the process of refining the specific detailing of the question wording. I think that the biggest challenge in research will be:

1. Choosing an appropriate point in time to assess immigration impacts.
2. Establishing a link between post-immigration data and native population movement.

These two components of my research topic will require extensive research into the history of Australian immigration and population patterns to first choose the most appropriate timeframe, and then draw conclusions based on a resulting output from the methodology I deem to be best suited toward my data. These components will be challenging, but I am confident that with consistency in my research I will be able to overcome them.

I am excited to utilise my interest in numbers to assist in creating a strong output in my methodology. I can draw upon this as a strength in my research journey. I would however like to develop my communication skills throughout research, particularly concerning the oral presentation aspect and conversing with my peers about my topic. I believe being assigned a small group plus Jack, my partner throughout COMM330, will help me improve my oral communication skills and conveying my ideas as clearly as possible.

My name is Ryan Byrnes. I am studying a Bachelor of Economics and Finance at the University of Wollongong, and this blog will be reflecting my experience in undertaking a research paper on immigration & the Australian labour market. Here you will find my successes, failures and everything in between as I partake in this challenging, yet (hopefully) intriguing and rewarding experience.