equilibrium - ESSA

equilibrium

A collection of 10 posts

The value of tertiary education

The value of tertiary education

The recent Australian budget proposal to deregulate university fees, and possibly raise them, has ignited debate about whether tertiary education is still valuable. With unemployment increasing, is it still feasible to incur large debts just to get a university education? This article will argue that there is still great value

Lessons learnt from the EU crisis: looking forward

Lessons learnt from the EU crisis: looking forward

This article was featured as part of ESSA’s annual Equilibrium publication. The EU crisis has been painful for EU citizens and policy-makers alike. However, it’s not necessarily all bad news. With a long-term outlook, it is possible that the Eurozone could be stronger for the crisis. More specifically,

Should you consider a career in academia?

Should you consider a career in academia?

This article was featured as part of Equilibrium 2013, our annual print publication. Consider the conventional pleasantry, so often delivered after exchanging names: “And what do you do?” I love my work, but this is not always a question that is easy to answer, particularly given the tendency for people

Government and the public purpose in Australia

Government and the public purpose in Australia

This article was featured as part of ESSA’s annual Equilibrium publication. Australia is an incredibly affluent nation, enjoying immense prosperity and one of the highest standards of living in history. Such a state of affairs is rare. With the monetary and political capability to address growing inequalities, one would

Frontier Economics: An internship experience

This article was featured as part of ESSA’s annual Equilibrium publication. In semester 2 of 2012, for two days a week over 10 weeks, I weathered Melbourne’s bitterly cold winter mornings and made the trek by public transport into the CBD. Destination: Frontier Economics’ Melbourne office, corner of

A foray into the world of economics research

A foray into the world of economics research

This article was featured as part of ESSA’s annual Equilibrium publication. During a particularly gruelling stretch of Advanced Microeconomics revision, a friend of mine aptly summed up the Economics Honours year in one sentence: “Honours is equal to life, and by transitivity, there is no more to life”. For

Let's get real

This article was featured as part of ESSA’s annual Equilibrium publication. There’s hardly an issue in contemporary Australia that is as complex and poignant as the condition of Aboriginal Australians. They are the victims of historical atrocities, and now the victims of a current social and policy malaise.

Do we get the politics that we deserve?

Do we get the politics that we deserve?

This article was featured as part of ESSA’s annual Equilibrium publication. The Australian political scene is widely considered as having been particularly tumultuous over the past few years by virtually all political commentators. A federal hung parliament following the 2010 election was set to usher in a new paradigm

Equilibrium: the non-excludability of good ideas

Equilibrium: the non-excludability of good ideas

Looking back on Equilibrium 2012 I find that yes, it is a review of ESSA’s year and yes it is a memoir, a keepsake, a gift to our members. It is also, more than anything a celebration of economic thought. It is about the thinking and sharing of ideas,