Economists at Large

31/10/2017

Great piece by Quiggin.

The need to lift multi-factor productivity has become an article of faith. But what if it doesn’t really exist?

13/07/2017

Excellent article.

"if you think describing economics as a religion debunks it, you’re wrong. We need economics. It can be – it has been – a force for tremendous good. But only if we keep its purpose in mind, and always remember what it can and can’t do."

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/jul/11/how-economics-became-a-religion?CMP=soc_567

The long read: Its moral code promises salvation, its high priests uphold their orthodoxy. But perhaps too many of its doctrines are taken on faith

23/03/2017

Some great clean energy jobs available in Victoria right now.

28/02/2017

More great Ecolarge research for a great cause. Nice work Rod.

Today NAVA launches ‘S2M: The economics of Australia’s small-to-medium visual arts sector’, a study commissioned by NAVA from Economists at Large. This report is supported by City of Sydney.

13/02/2017

Australia has ridden 25 years of economic growth without a recession.

09/09/2016

Can land values fund LaTrobe Valley's energy transition?

After a bit of a hiatus, we're excited to offer up a brand new post on the Ecolarge blog by none other than Dr Cameron Murray aka. .

http://www.ecolarge.com/can-land-values-fund-latrobe-valleys-energy-transition/

30/07/2016

The Brahmaputra River in Assam, north-east India, is flooding again. Early intervention to keep as many livestock alive as possible will be essential to economic recovery for the region.

Economists at Large visited Assam in 2013 to look at the costs and benefits of 's intervention following the 2012 floods.

This analysis showed that World Animal Protection’s team in Assam were able to treat over 56,000 livestock at a cost per treatment of less than $1.

Economists at Large estimated that World Animal Protection’s short-term response in Assam assisted livestock valued at some US $4.7 million. These livestock play a vital role in agricultural cropping activities for the area and are important assets to households.

Our thoughts are with the people and livestock of north-east India during this time.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Flood-fury-26-dead-in-Bihar-21-in-Assam-over-40-lakh-people-affected-in-2-states/articleshow/53455971.cms

You can read our report on the economics of 's intervention 2012 Assam response work at our website:
http://www.ecolarge.com/work/a-benefit-cost-analysis-of-wspas-2012-intervention-in-the-dhemaji-district-of-assam-india/

27/07/2016

Economists at Large has spent nearly three decades trying to untangle the complexity of economic debates. Here's why.

"Selling public assets has created unregulated monopolies that hurt productivity and damage the economy, according to Australia's consumer and competition tsar, who says he is on the verge of becoming a privatisation opponent"

http://www.theage.com.au/business/privatisation-has-damaged-the-economy-says-accc-chief-20160726-gqe2c2.html

Selling public assets has created unregulated monopolies that hurt productivity and damage the economy, according to Rod Sims.

07/07/2016

You’re witnessing the death of neoliberalism – from within | Aditya Chakrabortty http://gu.com/p/4jqgg/stw

IMF economists have published a remarkable paper admitting that the ideology was oversold

18/10/2015

Good job for an Economist at Large.

Senior Economist with the City of Melbourne

The Position… provides high quality, economic advice to advance the development, articulation and implementation of the Branch's projects, which in turn give effect to Council's goals for the municipality's development.

The role will make a significant contribution to guiding Melbourne's growth towards a resilient and smart city. The role will focus on significantly advancing the understanding of urban systems and its inherent economic dynamics.

http://careers.pageuppeople.com/mob/228/caw/en/job/970794/senior-economist

Temporary Full Time until 30th June 2017

08/09/2015

http://www.ecolarge.com/australia-could-take-in-20000-extra-refugees-and-save-money-by-ending-offshore-detention/

We estimate the annual cost of onshore and offshore detention of around 3,300 people at roughly $989 million, based on figures revealed as part of last year’s National Commission of Audit.

03/08/2015

Great summary of World Animal Protection's great work assisting livestock and livestock-dependent communities in Assam, India. Economists at Large did a cost-benefit analysis of this project and gets a good mention in the article.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/aug/03/animal-protection-disasters

Report here for anybody who's interested.
http://www.ecolarge.com/work/a-benefit-cost-analysis-of-wspas-2012-intervention-in-the-dhemaji-district-of-assam-india/

Providing assistance and aid to humans is obviously the priority in disaster situations, but animals represent a financial lifeline to many communities

30/07/2015

In light of the killing of Cecile the black maned lion, it's worth revisiting the work we did on this topic a few years ago.

http://www.ecolarge.com/work/the-200-million-question-how-much-does-trophy-hunting-really-contribute-to-african-communities/

Advocates for the African trophy hunting industry invariably claim that hunting revenues provide benefits to rural communities. Responding to calls to list African lions on the US Endangered Species Act, Safari Club International officials stated:

30/07/2015

Rest in peace Cecile.

This is an industry dominated by fly in "hunters" mostly from the USA and Europe. It's not really hunting anyway, it really should just be called killing.

And across countries we looked at in our report, The $200m Question, trophy hunting revenue was only 1.8% of tourism revenue.

Such sad news about Cecile, he was a beautiful creature.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33710613

Dentist Walter Palmer apologises to his patients for the disruption caused by the backlash against him over the killing of a lion in Zimbabwe.

11/04/2015

Brilliant article, well worth reading.

"On Wednesday, corporate Australia showed up at a Senate inquiry and gave the Australian people the middle finger. Channelling Kerry Packer back in 1991, they effectively said that tax was for losers and something that others should pay. My column today goes in pretty hard" - Richard Denniss

Poor Joe Hockey. This outbreak of honesty from the corporate giants couldn't come at a worse time for a Treasurer still trying to sell the idea that the only way to restore the budget is to cut welfare payments for the sick and the elderly.

15/03/2015

This is from last year but worth listening to because Russ Roberts, the host of EconTalk and very neoclassical minded has a great discussion, bordering at times on heated debate regarding Picketty's work on inequality. The way Picketty responds to Roberts' assertions is worth listening to.

http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2014/09/thomas_piketty.html

Thomas Piketty of the Paris School of Economics and author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century talks to Econtalk host Russ Roberts about the book. The conversation covers some of the key empirical findings of the book along with a discussion...

10/03/2015

Worth listening to, folks.

What economists can learn from Manning Clark.

22/12/2014

Great article in The Saturday Paper on the federal budget situation with an historical context.

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2014/12/20/how-john-howards-tax-cuts-undid-his-protege-tony-abbott/14189940001389

Tony Abbott’s great mentor left him with a squandered boom and a tax system that may yet destroy his government.