Suzanne Findlay
PhD
Political Science
Prior to commencing my PhD candidature, I was Manager, Social Impact & Growth at Sacred Heart Mission. During my 7.5 years I negotiated Victoria's first social impact investment and its payment by results extension, using experiences in AustralianSuper's infrastructure investment team and as a consultant. I am a co-author of AHURI reports on Social Impact Investing, Homelessness and Affordable Housing and worked on the 2016 and 2018 Benchmarking Impact Reports on impact investing in Australia. I hold a Master of Science (Mathematics) from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Social Investment and Philanthropy from Swinburne University of Technology.
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Thesis
Can outcomes-based contracts be scaled and retain personalisation? A comparative examination of Social Impact Bonds and Relational Payment by Results social service delivery in Australia
Outcome-based contracts (OBCs) aim to allow government to pay service providers based on program outcomes, instead of funding for inputs or outputs delivered. Through rewarding outcomes and not prescribing how they are achieved, OBCs are expected to result in innovation and improved impact for social problems. Policy objectives include incentivising government and service provider behaviours, sharing risk and increasing delivery efficiency. The research examines development and delivery characteristics (funding models, design, commissioning approaches, potential risks, unintended outcomes, transactional/relational orientation) which could contribute to improved OBC scalability and facilitate greater social service delivery innovation, and ultimately long-term outcomes for program participants.