Economics & Deregulation

Economics & Deregulation

Economic policy research has been a core area of the Institute of Public Affairs since the IPA was founded in 1943. The IPA examines state and federal tax, spending and regulatory initiatives, looking carefully at the unintended consequences of government intervention in the economy. Of particular interest are tax reform, government spending, industrial relations, trade liberalisation, economic freedom, physical and intellectual property rights and regulation.

Sub-topics of Economics & Deregulation

News

The cost of fighting the cost of living

Economics & Deregulation, Governance & Service Provision and Deregulation Unit | Tim Wilson
The Drum Unleashed 1st September, 2010

Despite both major parties claiming they'll fight to stop increases in the cost of living, neither are likely to deliver with the parliament...

Replace this partisan Treasury with an independent budget office

Economics & Deregulation and Governance & Service Provision | Sinclair Davidson
The Australian 27th August, 2010

The independents have asked for Treasury briefings and advice on ALP and Coalition policy as part of their decision-making process. At face value...

Power struggle leaves mining tax in flux

Economics & Deregulation and Governance & Service Provision | Julie Novak
The Courier Mail 23rd August, 2010

With a hung parliament delivering rounds of political horse-trading between the two major parties and independents over the next days and weeks,...

Green protectionist folly

Economics & Deregulation, Food & Environment, Governance & Service Provision and Deregulation Unit | Tim Wilson
The Washington Times 17th August, 2010

Under environmental disguises, industry and labor unions are running parallel campaigns with environmentalists seeking to roll back free trade. For...

Clunky approach to carbon reduction policies

Economics & Deregulation and Climate Change | Alan Moran
Herald Sun 7th August, 2010

Labor's wasteful and tokenistic "cash for clunkers" subsidy to scrap old cars is one of the few carbon emission reduction policy announcements this...

Free trade infected by 'green protectionism'

Economics & Deregulation, Governance & Service Provision and Climate Change | Tim Wilson
The Washington Times 7th August, 2010

Unions and industry that want to roll back the progress of free trade increasingly are using environmental causes as a disguise. For years...

Publications

Does more equal really mean all better?

IPA REVIEW ARTICLE | Julie Novak

The criticisms of market capitalism have changed over the past two centuries. The writings of Marx and Engels in the nineteenth century emphasised that the private ownership of the means of production benefited the bourgeoisie at the expense of...

Kevin Rudd's darkest days

IPA REVIEW ARTICLE | Sinclair Davidson

Kevin Rudd spent a fair amount of his intellectual capacity drubbing Friedrich von Hayek. Two major speeches given to the Centre for Independent Studies put the boot into Hayek who had also featured prominently in Ruddite essays deploring free...

Economists as social engineers

OCCASIONAL PAPER | Sinclair Davidson

In this paper, I make the argument that modern "mainstream" economic thought is inclined towards government intervention and social engineering. To the extent that economic analysis is seen simply as a tool it is likely that economists will...