Marcus Banks

Marcus Banks is a Senior Research Fellow (casual) at the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania, and holds affiliations with RMIT University and the Brotherhood of St Laurence. He holds a PhD in Economics from RMIT University (2011). His research focuses on social policy, financial economics, poverty, consumer finance, and labor markets, with a particular emphasis on low-income households and systemic economic risks.

Prior roles include Senior Research Fellow at the Brotherhood of St Laurence (2016–2017), Researcher at RMIT University (2011–2021), and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne (2017–2020). His work addresses issues such as unemployment benefit dynamics, financial resilience, and the social wage in higher education.

Key research interests include income volatility, consumer credit behavior, and the intersection of welfare policy with economic insecurity. His studies often highlight systemic issues in Australia’s welfare system, advocating for policy reforms to address inequities in access to social protections.

Banks’ recent work explores topics such as unemployment payment receipt patterns, financial stress mitigation strategies, and the challenges of transitioning to a circular economy. His collaborative projects with organizations like the Brotherhood of St Laurence and RMIT underscore a commitment to applied policy research.