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economics
Essays & reportage
Tony Abbott’s new budget strategy – and how Bill Shorten will respond
John Edwards
14 April 2015
Fixing the federal budget might not be as hard as we think, argues
John Edwards
. And the Intergenerational Review shows we have the breathing space to choose how to do it
National affairs
The true story of Western Australia and the GST
Tim Colebatch
13 April 2015
The new rules sought by premier Colin Barnett would have cost the state $7 billion during the boom years, writes
Tim Colebatch
. Is this an attempt to make the current…
National affairs
The Trans-Pacific Partnership: it might be about trade, but it’s far from free
John Quiggin
15 March 2015
This secretive agreement is less about free trade than about protecting American interests, writes
John Quiggin
. But there’s a glimmer of a chance it won’t proceed
Books & arts
Money talks
Tom Westland
12 March 2015
Books
| Feel like a tourist in the land of finance?
Tom Westland
reviews John Lanchester’s visitor’s guide
National affairs
Two intergenerational reports for the price of one is no bargain
Tim Colebatch
5 March 2015
A serious message has been swamped by politics in this latest attempt to model the next forty years, argues
Tim Colebatch
in Canberra
National affairs
How to stop the leadership turnstile
Peter Brent
26 February 2015
John Howard had an enormous stroke of luck, writes
Peter Brent
. To realise that is to recognise that imitating him is counterproductive
National affairs
Crowding out
Michael Gill
23 February 2015
A new report highlights the dangers of a burgeoning finance sector, writes
Michael Gill
National affairs
Time to slay some sacred cows
Michael Gill
13 February 2015
Better ways of dealing with the federal budget deficit would also boost growth, argues
Michael Gill
International
Getting a seat at the big table
Kerry Brown
3 February 2015
Although China and the United States can seem absorbed in themselves and one another, countries like Australia can still contribute to the conversation, writes
Kerry Brown
National affairs
Australia today: a million new adults, just 385,000 new jobs
Tim Colebatch
22 January 2015
Australia’s job market has failed badly since the global financial crisis, writes
Tim Colebatch
National affairs
Stormy weather
Michael Gill
17 December 2014
A focus on the fitness of the economy should replace the overheated debate about “fiscal balance,” writes
Michael Gill
National affairs
Tell them they’re dreaming
John Quiggin
11 December 2014
Nuclear power might be worth considering as a reserve option, says
John Quiggin
, but experience overseas shows Australia’s carbon savings must be made elsewhere
National affairs
Bragging rights
Peter Brent
11 December 2014
Being in government is a chance to make the case that you’re a world-class economic manager, writes
Peter Brent
. Labor forgot that fact and will keep suffering the results
National affairs
More reasons why the Abbott budget is so hard to sell
Tim Colebatch
5 December 2014
The budget’s shortcomings don’t end with the fairness problem, writes
Tim Colebatch
International
Australia’s vanishing China policy
Kerry Brown
25 November 2014
When the going gets tough, it’s clear that Australia really doesn’t have a fully-developed policy towards China, writes
Kerry Brown
National affairs
Australia, China and the new carbon climate
Fergus Green
21 November 2014
As the dust settles after the US–China climate announcement and Australia’s G20 climate debacle,
Fergus Green
takes a closer look at the Abbott…
Books & arts
A virus in search of a host
Michael Gill
27 October 2014
Martin Wolf offers the best explanation of how the financial crisis came about and what it means for the future, writes
Michael Gill
International
The G20 and corruption: a slow start
Norman Abjorensen
21 October 2014
Can the G20 hope to make measurable progress in the fight against corruption?
Norman Abjorensen
looks at the story so far
Playing with the wealth of nations
Joel Keep
6 October 2014
A recent UN vote laid the groundwork for resolving sovereign-debt disputes impartially, reports
Joel Keep
in Buenos Aires. So why did Australia vote against it?
National affairs
Healthcare and the limits of competition
Lesley Russell
26 September 2014
Lesley Russell
looks at what the draft recommendations of the competition policy review mean for health policy and services
National affairs
Australian schools: the view from Mars
Dean Ashenden
24 September 2014
The federal government's competition review is disastrously wrong about education, writes
Dean Ashenden
National affairs
The budget, fairness and class warfare
Peter Whiteford
5 August 2014
The post-budget debate reveals two fundamentally different worldviews, writes
Peter Whiteford
National affairs
The upsides of the buyback
Andrew Leigh
31 July 2014
John Howard’s gun buyback scheme had more than one benefit, writes
Andrew Leigh
in this extract from his new book
Books & arts
China wakes, Asia quakes, Australia shivers
Graeme Dobell
25 July 2014
A contest is under way, writes
Graeme Dobell
, but it will be more like a nineteenth-century battle than a twentieth-century clash
Books & arts
Different diagnoses, different cures
Tom Westland
23 July 2014
Has feckless Australia set itself up for a post-boom slump?
Tom Westland
reviews two new books that see the prospects quite differently
Essays & reportage
How Thomas Piketty found a mass audience, and what it means for public policy
John Quiggin
30 May 2014
Thomas Piketty’s phenomenally successful
Capital
confirms that Western countries are becoming less equal.
John Quiggin
looks at how he fits into a…
Books & arts
Hard yards
Geoffrey Barker
10 April 2014
Florian Schui reveals the gap between the arguments for austerity and its real-world effects, writes
Geoffrey Barker
, and shows why the idea is still so attractive to so many
National affairs
Direct Action subsidies: wrong way, go back
Frank Jotzo and Paul Burke
17 March 2014
Nothing has happened since the election to challenge the view that the Coalition’s Direct Action plan for carbon reduction is vastly inferior to carbon pricing, write…
Books & arts
Digging into the resource curse
Michael Gilding
5 March 2014
The life stories of four mining magnates illuminate where Australia’s economy is headed, writes
Michael Gilding
. The political and social effects could be profound
National affairs
Doing the dirty work
Frank Bongiorno
19 February 2014
An attack on the unions won’t necessarily have the expected political impact
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