Archived publication for 2002
Recent publications
Ethical Investment- Decontructing the Myth
There is a goo deal of puffery surrounding the ethical investment industry- indeed, it is very much like the story of the Emperor's new clothes. High time that someone blew the whistle.
Editorial, September 2002
The costs of UN-sponsored gabfests are huge and their benefits are few and far between. Still, some good did come out of Johannesburg.
On the Trail of Burke and Wills
If there is a problem with telecommunications in the bush, then it was not obvious to this author on his recent 'Burke and Wills' trip. Indeed, that also holds for other things we take for granted in the cities.
Tasmania's No Tiger, But Why?
The 'Tasmanian problem' has been noted, reported on and agonized over for decades. Why is it so intractable? Perhaps some perverse Federal incentives might explain its persistence.
What is Sustainable Development?
The editor of a new collection on sustainable development argues that the best way to beat poverty and still protect the evironment is to make use ot the institutions that have worked so well for liberal, free-market democracies.
What the Economic Rationalists (Dries) Really Believed
What the Dries really believed (as opposed to what their demonizing opponents said) is necessary if we are to understand the long-term interplay between public policy and performance.
The Financial Services Reform Act: A Costly Exercise in Regulating Corporate Morals
Until the advent of the Financial Services Reform Act, ethical investment had been a matter of free choice. Investors were free to choose those products that suited their values, and indeed their financial needs. This is no longer the case.
Volume 54 Number 3
Mike Nahan and Jim Hoggett on the ethical investment industry; Don D'Cruz on Australian NGOs abroad; Jeffrey Rae on the 'Tasmanian problem'; Julian Morris on real sustainability; Ian Mott on Queensland foresters; true Dry believers;...
Foreign Direct Investment and Recovery in Indonesia: Recent Events and Their Impact
Some recent events in Indonesia have raised questions about the future role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Indonesian economy. This Backgrounder looks at those events and their implications.
Anatomy of the Screw
A description of the system of rorting and collusion operating in the Australian commercial construction sector (A submission to the Cole Royal Commission from the Institute of Public Affairs) The IPA contends that, in the commercial...