Monthly Archives: February 2006

I have a paper out on pork-barrelling during the 2001-04 election cycle, in which I find that, holding constant relevant demographics (land area for road programs, income for social programs), a number of Coalition programs might be characterised as "pork-barrelling". … Continue reading →

I have a paper out in the Progressive Essays series (edited by Emerson, Lawrence and McMullan), arguing that those who advocate lowering top tax rates are out of step with the views of most Australians. I show that (contrary to … Continue reading →

According to the ABS’s 2003-04 income distribution survey (Excel file, see Table 5), the ratio of "government pensions and allowances" received by the richest 10 percent is 1.91 times the amount received by the poorest 10 percent.

Nicholas Gruen once told me that there are two types of economists in the world – those who don’t believe there are $20 bills lying on the footpath, and those who pick them up. As a firm believer in the … Continue reading →

This one falls into the category of papers that are uncomfortable, but important. State Age Protection Laws and the Age Discrimination in Employment ActJoanna Lahey Some anti-discrimination laws have the perverse effect of harming the very class they were meant … Continue reading →

Coinciding with Larry Summers’ resignation as Harvard prez this week comes a study showing that his decision to waive tuition for students from families with incomes below $40,000 succeeded in boosting the share of poor students in the entering class.

This week is orientation week at Melbourne, so as I wended my way out to grab a morning coffee, I found myself in the midst of the stalls set up to attract new students to clubs. It’s a gorgeous sparkling … Continue reading →