Monthly Archives: March 2007

My question for Santo Santoro

Posted on March 14, 2007 by andrewleigh

“Minister, you said that you’ve given your $6000 gains to charity. Do you intend to claim a tax deduction for this gift? If so, aren’t you effectively pocketing 45% of the profits?” Update: Question answered, in a manner of speaking. … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian Politics | 5 Comments

Top Incomes in Indonesia

Posted on March 13, 2007 by andrewleigh

Pierre van der Eng and I have a new paper out, looking at inequality in Indonesia. Entitled Top Incomes in Indonesia, 1920-2004, it uses a combination of taxation statistics and survey data to estimate how the share of the very richest has … Continue reading →

Posted in Inequality | 7 Comments

MOE gets a mention

Posted on March 12, 2007 by andrewleigh

In today’s Sydney Morning Herald, Peter Hartcher shows the right way to write about a poll: The poll has a margin of error of about 2.6 per cent, and much of the movement in this poll is within that range. … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian Politics | 7 Comments

Goodnight and good luck

Posted on March 11, 2007 by andrewleigh

Helen Dale and Mark Bahnisch have both quit the blogosphere – Helen to finish writing a novel, and Mark to focus on other work commitments. I’ve enjoyed their posts, and I’m always grateful for their comments on mine. I look … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging | 2 Comments

No pictures please, we're British academics

Posted on March 8, 2007 by andrewleigh

Perhaps concerned about the recent finding that more beautiful people do better in elections, the UK academics’ union (the University and College Union) has banned all candidates standing in their elections from campaigning with photos. (Belated hat tip: Claire Donovan)

Posted in Universities | 2 Comments

A Grand Bargain Over Teacher Merit Pay?

Posted on March 8, 2007 by andrewleigh

I’ve started writing an occasional column in the Australian Financial Review, which will hopefully turn out to be monthly (on non-Quiggin Thursdays). My first is on teacher merit pay, and is pasted over the fold. (Incidentally, for anyone thinking about … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics of Education | 16 Comments

In praise of modern medicine

Posted on March 6, 2007 by andrewleigh

I’m very favourably disposed to modern medicine at present. Two weeks ago, my wife gave birth via c-section, a result of complications that probably would have meant that mum and bubs wouldn’t have survived in pre-caesarean days. Yesterday, I unexpectedly went … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Right Lane Must Exit

Posted on March 3, 2007 by andrewleigh

I just received an early heads-up about the Adelaide Festival of Ideas. They have some smart bods on board, but looking down their list of 23 Australian speakers, I can’t identify any who would have voted for the Coalition in … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian Politics | 13 Comments

The ABCs of merit pay

Posted on March 2, 2007 by andrewleigh

Stan Correy, from ABC Radio’s Background Briefing program, put together a nice program on teacher merit pay, based in part on the conference I held recently on the economics of teacher quality. Here’s the Background Briefing transcript and podcast. John … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics of Education | 14 Comments

Baby Talk

Posted on March 2, 2007 by andrewleigh

I’ll be giving a seminar next Tuesday (March 6), on the topic “Are Weekend Births More Dangerous?”. It’ll run from 12.30-1.30pm, in seminar room D of the HC Coombs Building (map). There won’t be a paper, and the seminar will … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics of the Family | 2 Comments

Size matters

Posted on March 2, 2007 by andrewleigh

Ten days after our baby entered the world, the latest copy of the Quarterly Journal of Economics landed in my inbox. It includes a paper I hadn’t seen before – “From the Cradle to the Labor Market? The Effect of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics of Education, Economics of the Family | 6 Comments

econo-mics

Posted on March 2, 2007 by andrewleigh

The Kiel Institute in Germany has launched econo-mics, a journal with quite a different refereeing philosophy. Here’s how they describe it. The publication process is simple: Authors upload their submissions (see submit article). The Associate Editors either accept the submissions for … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics Generally | 5 Comments