Anna Edwards
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Urban analysis and development, Economic geography
Biography
Anna has been involved in researching and measuring the size of the night time economy in the UK and Australia for more than ten years, most recently through Ingenium Research, which she co-founded in 2017. In 2021, Anna was delighted to be awarded a PhD scholarship to research the topic.
She has a wealth of experience in analysing data (quantitative and qualitative) and is highly skilled in designing research methodologies to elicit hard-to-reach information. One of Anna’s key strengths is converting qualitative and quantitative evidence, generated through programs of primary and secondary research, into actionable insights and recommendations.
Anna holds an MSc in Economic Development Research and Policy from the University of Birmingham, a BA in Business Studies (First Class Hons) from the University of Hull and a Specialist Certificate in Leadership (First Class) from the Melbourne Business School.
Thesis
The Night Time Economy in Australia
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the night time economy by both academics and policy makers globally. Since the 2000s, some Australian state and local government organisations have been investing in night time economy and 24-hour economy research, governance, and strategies, such as the formation of the City of Melbourne’s Night Time Economy Advisory Committee in 2021 and the development of New South Wales Government’s 24-Hour Economy Strategy for Sydney and the appointment of a 24-Hour Commissioner in 2020/21.
Anna's PhD thesis will study the evolution of Australia’s night time economy, with particular focus on how night time labour market and socio-economic trends have evolved over time, and the government initiatives that influenced those trends. The research aims to map relevant history, policy and data to demonstrate the evolution of the night time economy in Australia and distil common themes. This will be the first research of its kind on the night time economy in Australia. Making this contribution will be valuable to both Australian policy makers in informing policy related decision making and supporting future academic research in this emerging field of study.