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National affairs Tim Colebatch 13 November 2015 The government faces a paradox, writes Tim Colebatch. It needs to stop the tax debate from running out of control but that means making unpopular decisions
National affairs John Quiggin 11 November 2015 New Zealand’s economic performance only looks good if the past few years are taken completely out of context, writes John Quiggin National affairs Ian McAuley & Jennifer Doggett & John Menadue 29 October 2015 Private health insurers are simply intermediaries between consumers and well-organised suppliers, write Ian McAuley, Jennifer Doggett and John Menadue.… National affairs Tim Colebatch 20 October 2015 Unreported data confirms that state governments are passing up the opportunity to invest in the future, writes Tim Colebatch. There’s never been a better time to… National affairs Tim Colebatch 7 October 2015 An outsider view offers important proposals to help Australia navigate stormy economic weather, writes Tim Colebatch
National affairs John Quiggin 6 October 2015 Australia gained some last-minute concessions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, writes John Quiggin. But this is still the wrong way to manage our…
Essays & reportage Andrew Leigh 30 September 2015 When America sneezes, writes Andrew Leigh, Australian state governments catch a cold. And when the weather turns bad, guess who’s held responsible? National affairs Tim Colebatch 29 September 2015 Everyone is talking about the what of tax reform, writes Tim Colebatch. The government needs to start dealing with the how and when as well National affairs Peter Mares 24 September 2015 Thousands of would-be migrants are being told their visa applications have been deemed to have never been made, writes Peter Mares National affairs Tim Colebatch 2 September 2015 The numbers game | The good news in this week’s growth figures is hidden by the downturn in mining, writes Tim Colebatch
National affairs Henry Sherrell 28 August 2015 The China–Australia Free Trade Agreement will make less difference to the Australian workforce than its critics imagine, argues Henry Sherrell
International Tim Colebatch 25 August 2015 An aversion to reform is not unique to democracies, writes Tim Colebatch. It’s getting in the way of China’s efforts to adjust to a new economic reality National affairs Tim Colebatch 5 August 2015 Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens seems to think we should expect lower long-term growth, writes Tim Colebatch. What do the figures say? National affairs John Quiggin 2 August 2015 Negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement have run aground on Washington’s attempt to restrict rather than free up medicines, writes John Quiggin International Klaus Neumann 16 July 2015 Although this week’s agreement has kept Greece in the eurozone, its impact will be dire, writes Klaus Neumann. But alternatives still remain
Books & arts Jane Goodall 13 July 2015 Books | Why are we angered by stories of Greek hairdressers retiring at fifty on public pensions, asks Jane Goodall, yet unmoved at the thought of bailed-out…
National affairs Tim Colebatch 10 July 2015 China, Indonesia and other countries in the region come out of the IMF’s latest analysis looking quite a lot bigger, writes Tim Colebatch in the first of… National affairs Tom Westland 1 July 2015 Big numbers have a tendency to take on a life of their own, writes Tom Westland International John Quiggin 23 June 2015 A series of trends has combined to radically change policies among the largest emitters, writes John Quiggin International Michael Gill 17 June 2015 Economist William Nordhaus has come up with a new approach to reducing carbon emissions, writes Michael Gill. And Australia could benefit more than we expect
Books & arts Hannah Forsyth 15 June 2015 Books | Stuart Macintyre’s history of Australia in the 1940s is a big book in the best sense
National affairs Michael Gill 3 June 2015 Has Australia’s finance sector grown unsustainably powerful? Two landmark speeches highlight the scale of the problem, writes Michael Gill International Tim Colebatch 25 May 2015 The NZ government sees economic as well as social benefits in breaking cycles of poverty and imprisonment. Although the policy has its critics, it’s worth watching, writes… International Kerry Brown 19 May 2015 China is looking to its west for trade in goods, services and ideas, writes Kerry Brown, and cities like Xi’an could become the new Shanghais National affairs Tim Colebatch 13 May 2015 It’s the kind of budget Australian governments release when things aren’t going so well, writes Tim Colebatch. But its shaky assumptions could easily rebound…
National affairs Tim Colebatch 5 May 2015 Victoria’s Labor treasurer might have echoed Tolstoy in his budget speech, writes Tim Colebatch, but the fine print doesn’t rise to the challenges facing the state
National affairs Tim Colebatch 4 May 2015 This week’s Victorian budget has passed up the opportunity to borrow at historically cheap rates to fund essential infrastructure, writes Tim Colebatch National affairs Shiro Armstrong 28 April 2015 The evidence shows that trade deals struck primarily for political reasons can cause significant economic damage, writes Shiro Armstrong National affairs Michael Gill 23 April 2015 Inflated expectations are the baggage of Australia’s recent resources boom, writes Michael Gill. They’re starting to look like a burden Essays & reportage Klaus Neumann 20 April 2015 Greece wants war reparations and loan repayments from Germany, writes Klaus Neumann. The idea isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound