An interview with Martin Wolf

Most would agree that the world has managed to recover from the Global Financial Crisis and yet most advanced economies are stagnating. China has its “new normal” and so therefore do the rest of us. One of the best books about the recession is The Shifts and the Shocks by influential economist and Financial Times correspondent Martin Wolf. He warns that there must be more reform if we’re to avoid another crisis. And he has very specific insights about our part of the world, including China and India.

Why is economic inequality on the rise and what stops it getting worse?

Economic inequality is growing in Australia. It's been steadily increasing since 1981, when things were fairer. We think we know why this happens, what isn’t clear is how to reverse it. Walter Scheidel says history shows inequality can decline, indeed, it declined for most of the 20th Century.  But you should be careful what you wish for.

Economic clusters: how they work and what they're good for

We all know about Silicon Valley, Hollywood and even the Barossa Valley, but there are lesser known hubs as well, such as Schwenningen on the edge of the Black Forest that produces a huge percentage of the world's surgical instruments. So how do economic clusters work, how do you get them to happen and what are the pitfalls?

Rethinking economic expertise

Economic is everywhere. But is it good enough?  An insurgency within the discipline says it isn’t.  Begun by university students, who feel the discipline is too narrow and too reliant on models that don't always work, they want economics to be more connected to the real world.  They’ve formed an organisation calling for change - Rethinking Economics.

Australian population and immigration

At its current rate of growth, Australia's population will reach 40 million by mid century. So how big should our population be? Is there a goldilocks number? How much infrastructure do we need? Where will all these people go? And how will they affect Australian society?