Business & Economics
How deregulation left central banks with few weapons
Since the global financial crisis of 2008, Western financial markets have experienced steadily falling interest rates. Three years ago, they …
How the philosophy of the past can help us imagine the economy of the future
The economy keeps making headlines for all the wrong reasons — stories about rising prices, supply shortages and a looming recession have been frequently making …
Class and inequality in Australia
In Australian news, opinion and popular culture, the figures of the hipster and the bogan are everywhere. These figures are …
New dangers in a familiar debt crisis
Debt crises are as old as civilisation itself. The reason is simple. Compound interest increases geometrically, whereas economic activity only …
How ‘neoliberalism’ became an insult in Australian politics
The much-debated term ‘neoliberalism’ again entered the political debate last week, with Greens leader Adam Bandt using a National Press …
How tax phobia cramps our future
For many years, Australian governments with a vision for the nation have been hamstrung in their ability to fully realise …
Home to roost: Getting out of our housing mess
Whoever wins this week’s election will inherit an Australian economy that is more distorted than it has been since the …
What the neoliberalism-hating left should love about markets
It is fashionable these days to dunk on markets. Show me something bad in the world and I’ll show you …
Australia’s economic challenges – and the political implications
The federal budgets brought down in 2020 and 2021 during the height of the pandemic were thought to be some …
Generations apart: Housing and inequality
When Sonia Arakkal, co-founder of the advocacy group Think Forward, saw the 2017 federal budget, she resolved to do something …
Dollar signs of the times: Big business and climate change
The upcoming Glasgow Climate Change Conference will feature presentations from many politicians, experts and consultants, but it is unlikely that …
The climate change debate will not be settled by science, but by money
The intense debate over what is dubbed ‘climate science’ is showing no signs of easing off. It remains one of …