Author Archives: econogirl

Of razor gangs, budget cuts and the policy mix

Posted on November 18, 2011

In the Channel Nine series Underbelly Razor – as in real life – Sydney’s criminal matriarch Tilly Devine did not hesitate to wield the razor to keep her motley empire in line and protect it against incursion by rival gangs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Gillard Government, Global Financial Crisis, Interest Rates, Mining Boom, Reserve Bank | Leave a comment

Gender pay gap: why do male CEOs with daughters pay women more?

Posted on November 14, 2011

Should a woman tending to personal care needs of an elderly person be paid more or less than a male garbage disposal worker? The government’s decision to support a pay rise for 150,000 social and community services workers delivers a … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavioural Economics, Employment, Inequality | Leave a comment

Like cholesterol, inequality cuts both ways

Posted on November 14, 2011

SHOULD we worry about rising inequality? Protests across the United States under the Occupy Wall Street banner are in part a spontaneous outcry at the outrageous post-crisis salaries of Wall Street “bailoutees”. But they also find roots in a deeper, … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Financial Crisis, Inequality | 2 Comments

The true cost of NIMBYism

Posted on November 14, 2011

A home is the biggest purchase most Australians will make in their lifetime and yet most of us know very little about the forces that determine what types of homes are available to live in and what we must pay … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Reserve Bank | Leave a comment

Should we worry about not “making stuff”?

Posted on November 14, 2011

Do you sometimes worry about Australia becoming a place that doesn’t “make things” any more? Let me lighten your load. Kevin Rudd used to worry about such things. In his first press conference as opposition leader in 2006, Rudd stressed … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment | Leave a comment

Euro zone a car crash: best keep your eyes on the road

Posted on November 14, 2011

You know how most of the traffic created by a car crash is not the crash itself, but everyone slowing down to have a rubberneck? Well, the same thing can happen with economies. And fair enough, the unfolding car crash … Continue reading →

Posted in Banks, Budget, Currency, Employment, Gillard Government, Global Financial Crisis, Interest Rates, Mining Boom, Reserve Bank | 1 Comment

Trouble keeping up with Euro woes? Get used to it.

Posted on November 14, 2011

Mamma Mia. Where are those happy days? They seem so hard to find. The Greek tragi-comedic musical continues to play on continuous loop. Leading characters are still struggling to sing from the same song sheet, emitting only a discordant jumble … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Global Financial Crisis, Interest Rates | Leave a comment

Monopoly blues: why top bosses’ riches are undeserved

Posted on November 14, 2011

In the hit Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, a young window washer discovers a book that tells him the secrets to climbing the corporate ladder. If such a book were to exist in Australia, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Banks, Employment, Global Financial Crisis | Leave a comment

Life is short, but the Tax Act is long

Posted on November 14, 2011

IT’S around this time every year I get a jolting reminder of how short life is. Yep, tax returns are due on Monday, people. Have you done yours yet? So while some of you laze about reading newspapers this weekend, … Continue reading →

Posted in Irvine Index, Tax | Leave a comment

Tony Abbott-o-nomics, or not…

Posted on November 14, 2011

Economics textbooks are hefty objects. Many a kinked neck and curved spine have resulted from children being forced to lug such weighty tomes between school and home. Whether many students manage to read and absorb the often turgid contents of … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Climate change, Gillard Government, Global Financial Crisis, Mining Boom, Tax | 4 Comments