Tag Archives: costbenefitanalysis

Lockdown CBA podcast discussion with Prof. Douglas Allen of Simon Fraser University

If you’ve seen any of Alan Jones’s recent commentary on Sky Australia you may have heard him talk about a recent cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of Canada’s COVID lockdown. Episode 90 of my Economics Explored podcast features a discussion regarding COVID lockdown costs versus … Continue reading

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The Precautionary Principle and COVID-19 – podcast conversation with Joe Branigan

The Precautionary Principle, which recommends an extreme “safety first” approach, is being used to justify the closure of state borders in Australia to deal with COVID-19. For instance, Justice Rangiah explicitly referred to a “precautionary approach” in his decision against … Continue reading

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Valuing the Environment podcast chat with Boyd Blackwell

In 2017, Deloitte Access Economics estimated the value of the Great Barrier Reef at $56 billion. You may ask, how could you even attempt to place a dollar value on the Reef? What techniques are used? Aren’t some of our … Continue reading

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State gov’t economic responses to COVID-19 podcast episode

In my latest podcast episode, I elaborate on my opening remarks to the Queensland Parliamentary Inquiry on the state government’s economic response to COVID-19 on Monday. Among other things, I mention Joe Branigan and Henry Ergas’s new Menzies Research Centre … Continue reading

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Picking winners – industry policy podcast chat with Craig Lawrence

With the Queensland Government willing to invest $200 million in Virgin Australia to keep its HQ in Brisbane, I thought it would be timely to record a podcast interview on investment attraction and industry policy more broadly. On Tuesday, I … Continue reading

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Radical Uncertainty with Prof. John Kay CBE

Radical Uncertainty: Decision making for an unknowable future is a timely new book from eminent British economists Professor John Kay and former Bank of England Governor Lord Mervyn King. I recently interviewed Professor Kay about the book and our conversation … Continue reading

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Coronavirus policy responses with Joe Branigan – latest Economics Explained episode

Last night I recorded an Economics Explained podcast interview with my good friend and former Treasury colleague Joe Branigan of Tulipwood Economics on the economic impact of coronavirus and the economic cost of responding to it. Use these timestamps to … Continue reading

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City Infrastructure with Craig Lawrence – Economics Explained ep.26

At this stage, the official line is that Queensland’s local government elections will still go ahead on Saturday 28 March despite the coronavirus threat, although the Queensland Electoral Commissioner has told ABC Radio “Things could change…” (see this ABC News … Continue reading

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Podcast highlights – Quiggin on climate change, Gruen on digital public goods, and others

My latest Economics Explained episode presents highlights from the podcast in 2019, including UQ’s John Quiggin on climate change, Lateral Economics’s Nicholas Gruen on digital public goods, and RMIT’s Leonora Risse (currently a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School) on … Continue reading

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Sunstein’s Cost-Benefit Revolution is recommended reading

While economists often lament that governments don’t use cost-benefit analysis enough, Harvard Law Professor and former US regulatory czar Cass Sunstein offers a much more optimistic perspective in his excellent 2018 book The Cost-Benefit Revolution, which I’ve only just got … Continue reading

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