Meg Elkins

Dr Meg Elkins

Senior Lecturer

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Contact details

   COBL | School of Economics, Finance and Marketing

  Behavioural Business Lab

  Centre for International Development

  Societal Economics

  Email: meg.elkins@rmit.edu.au

    Phone: +61 39925 1547

   Campus: Melbourne City

Programs

 Bachelor of Business

More information

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Meg Elkins faces forward and is smiling

Contact details

   COBL | School of Economics, Finance and Marketing

  Behavioural Business Lab

  Centre for International Development

  Societal Economics

  Email: meg.elkins@rmit.edu.au

    Phone: +61 39925 1547

   Campus: Melbourne City

Programs

 Bachelor of Business

More information

iD icon - ORCID

- Google Scholar

- LinkedIn

 - Twitter

Meg is a behavioural and applied economist with research interests in information biases and community wellbeing.

She is a passionate and innovative educator with strong industry links.

Overview

Meg is a behavioural and applied economist with research interests in both societal and cultural economics. Her research links economic impacts and how our information biases impact decision making. Further areas of interest are artists’ livelihoods, street performers, social protection, poverty reduction, and well-being. She has led a research team evaluating the economic impact of the arts investment for the City of Melbourne and was the inaugural research leader for the Placemaking Economics Group.

Meg is a member of the Behavioural Business Lab and the Centre for International Development. She is a regular commentator for TV, radio and print on behavioural issues and decision-making processes. For TV she has appeared on 7News, nine news, SBS World News. In radio on ABC Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Illawarra, South East NSW, 3AW, Gold Central Victoria, RNZ, JoyFM, 5CC, HIT92.9, 2NM, 4GY, 2CC & 2EL. In print, she has opinion and commentary pieces in The Age, Herald Sun, News.com, ABC Life, Yahoo Finance, BBC News and Melbourne Magazine.

She is an innovative and passionate educator who is driven to achieve excellent outcomes for her students. She was also the program leader for the economics, and finance program from 2017-2018. Her teaching has received many University awards. She has collaborated on meaningful industry challenges with high profile industry partners such as ASIC, ATEC Global Research Centre, and the multi-award-winning sustainability group Finding Infinity. She has also been an assessor Australian Awards University Teaching Excellence Panel.

Web

Industry experience

2020: The Busking Project - Creative industry platform

2016 - 2017: City of Melbourne - Arts Strategy Team

1990 - 2013: Actor in various roles

  • Television Series - MDA, Neighbours, Stingers, Blue Heelers, Country Practice, Simon DeBeauvoir's Babies, Australia's Most Wanted
  • Movies - Hoorah, The Dish
  • TVC Westpac, Carpet Court, K-Mart
Web

Research

Meg's research is across three areas: information biases, culture and the arts and societal development. In the area of information biases, she is investigating conspiracy theories and their impacts on decision making. For the arts, she explores artists' livelihoods with busking, community development through the arts, and volunteering. In development, she investigated social protection, homelessness and poverty and wellbeing.

Research keywords

Behavioural Economics, Arts and Culture, Information Bias, Social Protection, Wellbeing

Research output summary

12

Publications

3

Projects

10

Awards

Web

Supervisor interest areas

  • Behavioural economics
  • Experiments
  • Information biases
  • Culture and the arts
  • Poverty and wellbeing

Supervisor projects

  • Khuram Shazhad: PhD Completed February 2020
    “The Effect of Common Facility Centre (CFC) Program on SMEs’ Competitiveness in Pakistan: The Moderating Role of Dynamic Capabilities” – VC Scholarship Recipient – with Supervisors Pia Arenius and Afreen Huc

  • Harris Mazari: PhD expected Completion expected December 2022
    The relationship between psychological factors and economic and social integration of refugees in Australia with Lisa Farrell and Sefa Awaworyi Churchill

  • Summera Maqbool Abbasi Abbasi Expected December 2023
    Temperature Shocks and Domestic Violence with Lisa Farrell and Sefa Awaworyi Churchill

Feature publications

Willingness to contribute: an exploration of the potential volunteer pool of Community Arts Programs

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly

Elkins, M., Coate, B., de Silva A,. Ozmen M, (2021).

Beyond the realm of cash: Street performers and payments in the online world

Journal of Cultural Economics

Elkins M, Fry T.R.L (2021).

Are poverty reduction strategy papers associated with reductions in poverty and improvements in wellbeing?

Journal of Development Studies, 54, 377 – 393

Elkins, M., Feeny, S., Prentice, D. (2018).

Key publications by year

Expand all sections

Publications

 

Book Chapters

  • Elkins, Meg (2021) “Unite and Conquer? Behavioural Pitfalls in Australia’s Response to COVID-19”? Behavioural Business: The Psychology of Decisions in Economy, Business and Policy contexts, Springer Links

Book Chapters

  • Elkins, Meg, Farrell Lisa, Fry, Jane, (2020) Investigating the relationship between housing insecurity and wellbeing for those aged 40 years of age and over in Awoworyi Churchill Sefa, Farrell Lisa, Appau Samuelson (ed.), Measuring, Understanding and Improving Wellbeing Among Older People. Palgrave MacMillian
  • Elkins, Meg, Feeny Simon & Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa. (2020) Did Social Protection Assist with Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals? Awaworyi Churchill (ed), Towards the Millennium Development Goals In Moving from the Millennium to the Sustainable Development Goals: Lessons and Recommendation, Palgrave Macmillan
  • Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa., Elkins, Meg, Feeny, Simon. (2020). Ethnic Diversity and Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals: Awaworyi Churchill (ed), Moving from the Millennium to the Sustainable Development Goals: Lessons and Recommendations, Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

Publications

 

Research Reports

  • Elkins, M, Gurrieri, L. Donohue C. (2018) Bundyi Girri: Valuation of Program, RMIT University Indigenous Education Group

Research Reports

  • Elkins, M., Coate, B., De Silva, A., Boymal, J., Ozmen, M. (2017). The Economic Impact of the City of Melbourne’s Investment in the Arts: Analysis of Artists, Audiences and the General Public Survey Responses, City of Melbourne, Australia

Book Chapters

  • Elkins, Meg, and Liam J. A. Lenten. (2016). ‘Business, Commerce and the Global Financial System.’ in Margaret E. Robertson (ed.), Communicating, Networking, Interacting: The International Year of Global Understanding - IYGU (Springer International Publishing).

Publications

  • Posso, A., Elkins, M. (2014). Ignorance is bliss! Internet usage and perceptions of corruption in a panel of developing countries In: International Journal of Communication, 8, 2561 – 2577
  • Elkins, M., Feeny, S. (2014). Policies in poverty reduction strategy papers: Dominance or diversity In: Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue canadienne d'études du développement, 35, 228 – 248 
  • Dobele, A., Thomas, S., & Elkins M.(2014) Surfing or Diving? An Exploration of Students’ Practices and Attitudes Towards Social Media Platforms in Higher Education Learning: HERDSA News 36 (1), 4.

Publications

Web

Feature projects

Economic Impact Assessment of the Arts and Artists in Melbourne

City of Melbourne, $28,000

To determine the economic impact of the Arts Melbourne programs on the local economy and community

Project Leader with Associate Prof Ashton deSilva, Dr Bronwyn Coate and Associate Professor Jonathon Boymal

2016 - 2017

Researching New Directions in Learning and Teaching: Seed Funding to Support Project Mentoring and Collaboration: Surfing or Diving?

HERDSA, $2,500

An exploration of students’ practices and attitudes towards technology for learning

Project in collaboration with Dr Angela Dobele and Dr Stuart Thomas

2013

Key projects by year

Expand all sections

  • 2020-21 The Busking Project

  • 2013 "Researching New Directions in Learning and Teaching: Seed Funding to Support Project Mentoring and Collaboration: Surfing or Diving? An exploration of students’ practices and attitudes towards technology for learning"
    HERSDA, $2,500 (Project in collaboration with Dr Angela Dobele and Dr Stuart Thomas)
Web

Awards

RMIT University Rising Media Star

Award date: 2021

Recipients: Meg Elkins

RMIT University Teaching Excellence: Higher Education College of Business

Award date: November 2015

Recipients: Meg Elkins

RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing: Individual Teaching and Learning Excellence

Award date: 2015

Recipients: Meg Elkins

Key awards by year

Expand all sections

  • RMIT University Rising Media Star 2021

  • RMIT Univeristy Media Star RMIT COBL Top Performer 2020

  • RMIT University School of Economics, Finance and Marketing: Individual Teaching and Learning Excellence Award, November 2017

  • Nominated for the National Award from the Office of Learning and Teaching: Teaching Excellence Award for Law, Economics, Business and Related Studies for 2016

  • RMIT University Teaching Excellence: Higher Education College of Business, November 2015
  • RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing: Individual Teaching and Learning Excellence Award, November 2015
  • RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing: Individual Teaching and Learning Award, November 2015

  • RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing: Collaborative Teaching and Learning Award, November 2014
  • RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing: Runner-up Early Career Researcher of the Year, November 2014
  • RMIT College of Business: Runner-up 3-minute Presentation. October 2014

  • Monash Graduate Students Conference in Economics, Best PhD Student Presentation, October 2012
Web

Grants

External Research Funding – Category 1

  • HERDSA: (2013) Researching New Directions in Learning and Teaching: Seed Funding to Support Project Mentoring and Collaboration: Surfing or Diving? An exploration of students’ practices and attitudes towards technology for learning (Project in collaboration with Dr Angela Dobele and Dr Stuart Thomas) $2,500

External Research Funding – Category 2

  • City of Melbourne (2016/7) – “Economic Impact Assessment of the Arts and Artists in Melbourne: To determine the economic impact of the Arts Melbourne programs on the local economy and community” (Project Leader with Associate Prof Ashton deSilva, Dr Bronwyn Coate and Associate Professor Jonathon Boymal) $28,000
  • College of Business; RMIT: Industry Partnership Development Fund with Bronwyn Coate and Ashton de Silva $5, 000
  • RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing Research Award (2014): Meg Elkins for “Does Boredom Exist in Today’s Youth and Does it Matter?” $4,790
  • RMIT School of Economics, Finance and Marketing Research Award (2021): "Moral Foundations and Anti-Vaxxers?" $3,000
Web

Public and media engagements

Media Commentary

The Conversation:

  • Why lotteries, doughnuts and beer aren’t the right vaccination ‘nudges’, 16/07/2021 with Robert Hoffmann and Swee Hoon Chuah 
  • From UFOs to COVID conspiracy theories, we all struggle with the ‘truth out there’, 29/06/2021 with Robert Hoffmann
  • The commuter’s paradox: there’s something to gain in the space between home and work, 11/01/2021 with Robert Hoffmann
  • Beyond the police state to COVID-safe: life after lockdown will need a novel approach, 21/10/2020with Robert Hoffmann
  • Playing the COVID-19 blame game may feel good, but it could come at a cost to the government’s credibility, 12/08/2020 with Ananta Neelim, Robert Hoffmann and Peyman Khezr
  • What to do with Anti-Maskers? Punishment has its place, but can also entrench resistance,  30/07/2020 with Robert Hoffmann
  • Would you buy a theatre ticket for someone who can’t afford it? Now you can, 07/12/2020 with Bronwyn Coate

 

Acumen RMIT:

  • Why lotteries, doughnuts and beer aren’t the right vaccination ‘nudges’ ,16/08/2021
  • From UFOs to COVID conspiracy theories, we all struggle with the ‘truth out there’, 29/06/2021
  • Reinvigorating the CBD after dark, 24/05/2021
  • Beyond the police state to COVID-safe: life after lockdown will need a novel approach, 28 /10/2020

 

Television: 

  • 7News Buskers and online payments 7News 2021
  • 7News – Commentary on Mask blitz in a COVID crackdown on Melbourne trains and trams | 7NEWS, 24/05/2021
  • Nine News – Commentary on Victorian Leaders popularity in COVID-19, 27/10/2020
  • SBS World News – Should Employers Make Vaccines Mandatory?, 20/07/2021

 

Radio – expert comments:

  • Vaccine incentives and Nudges
  • JoyFM Saturday Magazine, ABC Radio Sydney Afternoons, 5TT Adelaide, 2CC Canberra, RNZ New Zealand
  • Podcast JoyFM Conspiracy theories and Motivated Reasoning 18/09/21
  • Podcast JoyFM Vaccination Incentives – do they work? 21/08/2021
  • Busking and Mobile Payments
  • ABC Melbourne, 3AW, ABC Sydney
  • Getting Melbourne Back to Football
  • Lockdown habits could impact footy crowds – 3AW
  • AFL Season opener – Triple M
  • Persuasion and Influence on Government messaging during COVID-19
  • ABC Drive Melbourne Raf Epstein 21/07/2020
  • Anti-maskers:
  • Hit 92.9 (National Coverage), ABC Adelaide, ABC Illawarra, ABC South East NSW, Gold Central Victoria, 981 2NM, SEAFM, 30/072020- 9/08/2020
  • Homelessness Week: 4GY and 2EL– Research on elderly and homelessness 02/08/2020

 

Print – expert comments

  • The Age - Mastering those hard, unavoidable COVID conversations - 15/01/2022
  • The Age - Publican born in South Africa lashes anti-vax ‘apartheid’ slurs - 20/08/2021
  • News Media – Dozens of reasons to get the Covid Jab now – 13/08/2021
  • News Media: Survey: Australia Cashless in 10 years experts predict. 4/10/2021
  • BBC News: Fully cashless Australia ‘not far off’ 4/10/2021
  • Bendigo News Workers could push back if Bendigo companies mandate COVID jabs 07/08/2021
  • Yahoo Finance – Make vaccines ‘opt-out’ to beat COVID-19, ditch the $300: Behaviour expert 6/08/2021
  • Bitcoin.com Busking for Bitcoin: Report finds Street Performers Depend on Digital Payments. 17.07/2021
  • Herald Sun Opinion Editorial Reinvigorating the CBD after dark – 22/05/2021
  • 7NEWS.com.au Travellers on Jetstar flights from Melbourne and Sydney will fly on the bigger Boeing 787-8 aircraft - 15/04/2021
  • Herald Sun- How to get one of the $200 travel vouchers 10/03/2021
  • Marketing Magazine The Long-awaited return of AFL and what it means to sports marketers –22/03/2021
  • News.com.au 20/10/2020 Victoria COVID-19 rules: Why police are having a hard time with lockdown 20/10/2020
  • ABC Life Women are reconsidering their relationship with skin-whitening creams. Here’s why 30/09/20200
  • ABC News ABC Face masks now mandatory in Melbourne but police to exercise discretion as the fight to contain coronavirus continues 23/07/2020
  • Women in Economics WEN Newsletter Issue 2 Featured Article “Meg Elkins - Finding My Place in Economics” 07/2018
  • Melbourne Magazine “Beyond the Box Office” 07/2017
  • The Urban Observer Issue 1 “Arts Spending brings in big bucks for the Creative City” 06/2017

 

Public Engagement Leadership

  • Program Leader Economics and Finance Undergraduate Program RMIT University 2017-2020
  • National Citation Assessor – Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) Teaching Excellence Awards -panel member 2018
  • Inaugural Research Group Leader and creator– Placemaking Economics Group -Developed links with Zoos Victoria, Heartland, Enabling Capabilities Platform
  • Urban Futures, Social Change. – developed five projects for engagement 2017-2018
  • Selected as a participant at Women in Economics (WEN )retreat – supporting women in economics to leadership
  • Lead Conference Organiser for Australasian Teaching of Economics Conference RMIT University teaching economics in the 21st century - keynote speaker Professor Wendy Carlin (CBE) UCL 2017

 

Public Engagement

  • CEOS Cultural Economic Seminar: Street Performers and payments in the online world 2021
  • Strategy Discussion Paper to Department of Premier and Cabinet “What matters to young people in Victoria” invited response 2020
  • Panel Member: Cultural Symposium RMIT University; Artists career as Street Performers 2019
  • Chair Homelessness Week COBL with Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Cap, Andrew D’Arcy Director Launch Housing, Professor Chris Chamberlain 2019
  • Panel Member: Economics Society Australia: the current state and future of Higher education: with Andrew Norton, Gwilym Croucher, Mark Warburton 2019
  • Panel Member – Education Townhall – What do great teachers need for support from the education portfolio – Professor Belinda Tynan DVC Education Portfolio 2019
  • Keynote Opening of Press Play Studio– Opening of Press Play Studio – Tips and Tricks on How to Present on Camera – Associate Professor Sherman Young - DVC Education Portfolio 2018
  • Panel Member: Academic Promotion Applicant Forum 2: ‘What the Panel is Looking For’ 2018
  • Guest Speaker; Monash University Performance Students– Music in Australia; Artists and the Gig Economy: How to Sustain a Career as an Artist” 2019
  • Chair – AGEW Conference Gender, Culture and Social Norms 2017
  • Panel Chair– Pride Week Intersectionality between Indigeneityand LGBTQI. Professor Mark McMillian, Dr Crystal McKinnon 2018
  • Panel Chair –Homelessness Week – Professor Guy Johnson, Associate Prof Cameron Duff 2018
  • Keynote speaker and interactive Workshop - RMIT Governance Accountability and Sustainability Conference 2018 Design Thinking in Action
  • Keynote – Hidden Volunteers – Local Government LGPRO and CEO Volunteers Victoria 2017
  • Panel Member Business Research Showcase – Arts and Culture
  • Panel Member Business Research Showcase – Platform Economy
  • Panel Member Business Research Showcase - Money doesn’t bring happiness, but neither does poverty’
  • Panel Member Trade vs Aid Ethical Switch 2016
Web
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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

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aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.

More information