We’re awarding the Order of Australia to the wrong people
Many will get awarded on Australia Day for little more than doing their job. And the higher the job’s status, the higher the award. Read More
Author: Nicholas Gruen
What is a ‘policy hack’?
New ways of looking at our complex world can lead to policy hacks with clear and easily identifiable benefits. But do they stand apart from politically-driven reforms? Read More
Citizens’ chambers: towards an activism of selection by lot
Sortition would address the yawning deliberative deficit and weaken many of the pathways by which polarisation, cronyism and party influence occurs, says Nicholas Gruen. In a recent paper, James Fishkin identifies some potential shortcomings of citizens' chambers which justify his own preference for ad hoc, and temporary citizens' panels. He makes some good points. His central concerns are that a citizens' chamber might: have insufficient technical expertise be susceptible to corruption and not maintain the high quality of deliberation achieved in the best ad hoc citizens’ juries. These are legitimate concerns. But they have a 'theoretical' ring to me. Read More
Evaluation: moving beyond well-intentioned fads and towards a new professionalism
An evaluator-general should lead a renewed focus on understanding the impact of government programs, independent of their delivery and insulated from the demand for appropriate 'messaging' in other parts of the system. It could lead the way beyond bureaucratic fads to a new professionalism, writes Nicholas Gruen. Read More
The case for an evaluator-general: why we need it and how we should configure it
The APS Review has been considering what role evaluation of public programs will have in its findings. Australia’s leading evaluator-general proponent, Dr Nicholas Gruen, on the design and implementation issues that will need to be addressed. Read More
Making better economic forecasts
Dr Nicholas Gruen examines how we can attempt to forecast the likelihood of important changes in our economic trajectory. Read More
Monetary policy settings: hawks, doves and the seat of the pants
If higher interest rates now will lower the risk of financial instability later, how much will they lower it, what are the benefits of so doing, and what are the costs? Read More
Competitive neutrality: Camels, pinballs, tilted playing fields and five minute arguments …
Former Productivity Commission member Nicholas Gruen says the debate over giving citizens access to government super is getting the five-minute argument, and it's still too politically complicated to contemplate government entities competing in an open market. Read More
What’s the beef with Krugman? Gruen on the disciplinary incentives of economics
Nicholas Gruen gets to the nub of his beef with Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman. Read More
Deep strategisation: the schlock of the new
A government or other body might want to have a strategy, but equity is relevant to a vast number of policy decisions taken every day, says Nicholas Gruen. Read More
A lucky boy from a golden age of economics
When the financial crisis struck, it was back to the economics Max Corden learned in the 40s and 50s — a golden age of economics in… Read More
Now is the time for complacency: Bank of England vs Reserve Bank edition
Part two of Nicholas Gruen's exploration of how central banks use their statutory independence. For decades the "people's bank" was only accessible to the banking elite, and profits flowed accordingly, then came digital. Read More
Now is the time for complacency: RBA vs Bank of England edition
Lateral Economics CEO Nicholas Gruen considers the concept of statutory independence, and what government bodies like the Productivity Commission or the Reserve Bank could do with it if they were bolder and less bureaucratic. Read More
Nicholas Gruen: the academy and partners try wellbeing frameworks
Economist Nicholas Gruen looks at problems with various attempts to measure wellbeing and the struggle to get from noble principles to practical outcomes. Read More
Nicholas Gruen: hacking wellbeing for the biggest returns
There are some commonsense 'hacks' government could use to improve Australians' wellbeing, argues economist Nicholas Gruen. Read More