The Land Of Plenty


Book Description

'There is an Australian dream that is collective. It goes to the roots of what it means to be Australian, since it's imprinted in Australia's history, the collective acts of its peoples, their attitudes, their gestures, what and how they eat, how they spend their leisure time, and the way such things reflect upon and derive from who they are.' In The Land of Plenty, Mark Davis argues that this dream has been forsaken. Over the past few decades Australians have felt the ground shift beneath their feet. Many people are asking why Australia is no longer the egalitarian place it once was. While the airwaves sing and newspaper front pages burst with news of how prosperous Australians are, many people wonder why they are working harder and longer, for so little, while important social agendas have fallen by the wayside. The Land of Plenty is at once a devastating record of the changes that have taken place in Australian society since the 1980s, and a goldmine of ideas for change. Insightful, provocative and thoroughly original, The Land of Plenty is a manifesto for our times.




Ozonomics


Book Description

Inside the myth of Australia’s economic superheroes. We're living through the second longest boom in Australian history. You can't move for talk of the budget surplus. The Liberals proclaim their impeccable economic record; Labor counterclaim that they sowed the seeds during their time in government. So who's right? Does it matter? And what does it all mean anyway? In this entertaining and incisive book, Australian economist Andrew Charlton looks behind the political smokescreen to reveal just how much of the rhetoric we should believe. He argues that while much of the economic headlines we read and see on TV are misleading and irrelevant, workers' rights, immigration, protectionism and investment in technology and education are all vital, in different ways, for the future of the nation -- and often have a direct impact on the world in which we live, from the size of our paypackets to the range of produce in our local stores. Forthright, compelling and extremely entertaining, this brilliant book shows ordinary readers why economics matters and why it is both more relevant and endlessly fascinating than they ever imagined ...




Ozonomics


Book Description

Inside the myth of Australia's economic superheroes. We're living through the second longest boom in Australian history. You can't move for talk of the budget surplus. The Liberals proclaim their impeccable economic record; Labor counterclaim that they sowed the seeds during their time in government. So who's right? Does it matter? And what does it all mean anyway? In this entertaining and incisive book, Australian economist Andrew Charlton looks behind the political smokescreen to reveal just how much of the rhetoric we should believe. He argues that while much of the economic headlines we read and see on TV are misleading and irrelevant, workers' rights, immigration, protectionism and investment in technology and education are all vital, in different ways, for the future of the nation -- and often have a direct impact on the world in which we live, from the size of our paypackets to the range of produce in our local stores. Forthright, compelling and extremely entertaining, this brilliant book shows ordinary readers why economics matters and why it is both more relevant and endlessly fascinating than they ever imagined ...




The Right to Trade


Book Description

Aid for trade has not delivered on its initial promise. To create a genuinely pro-development trade liberalisation agenda, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E Stiglitz and Andrew Charlton put forward proposals that will help international trade work for developing countries and preserve a development-friendly multilateral trading system.




The Law of Globalization


Book Description

There is a growing clamour - particularly from the main beneficiaries of globalization - that rules need to be established to govern the international economy, with a specific focus on questions such as copyright violations, trade sanctions and protections for foreign investment. Those who perceive they are disadvantaged by globalization demand other legal protections in relation to employment, cultural traditions and the environment.




Assessing Aid for Trade


Book Description

Aid for Trade (AfT) has been an integral part of official development assistance (ODA) since its inception at the World Trade Organization’s Hong Kong Ministerial in 2005. While many observers agree that the initiative has generated momentum in securing more trade support, the policy discourse on AfT continues to be vibrant and dynamic. This volume, comprising 16 chapters prepared by 20 renowned experts from a range of international organisations, think tanks and academic institutions, including Commonwealth Secretariat, ODI, ECDPM, DIE, ICTSD, Saana Consulting, WTI Advisors, and Columbia University, provides a comprehensive review of the Aid for Trade initiative. Part I of this volume uses quantitative and qualitative analysis to examine the effectiveness of different components of Aid for Trade and underlying factors affecting the outcomes. Part II provides analyses of current issues, including regional AfT, global value chains, infrastructure for development for agriculture, AfT adjustment and lessons from emerging economies in aiding exports. Part III looks to the future, proposing a range of possible directions including an alternative way to improve trade outcomes for developing countries from Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.




This Restless Life


Book Description

We often live in transit, shifting between jobs, cities and countries, trying to build communities in a virtual world, but longing - maybe before dropping off to sleep at night - for some stronger connection. The savage playground of speed dating. High-risk, low-loyalty workplaces, scattered around the world. Friendships and love affairs conducted through technology. Globalisation and the long boom have changed the way young people love, work and travel. In This Restless Life, journalist Brigid Delaney looks at the impact that hyper-mobility and the excesses of consumer culture have had on the restless generation. She hears stories from young Australians in the departure lounges of outer London airports, at parties in Rome and Sydney, in the caf s of Berlin and Paris. They feel 'nation-stateless', adrift. Their affluence in the new economy has come at a cost. Having lived the restless life herself - fifteen cities over the past fifteen years - Delaney laments the loss of the things that for previous generations held life together, like romantic love, full-time permanent work and real-world communities. But just as the pace of the new economy changed us into restless human beings, might the global financial crisis provide this generation with an opportunity to slow down and reassess how it might live?




Unfinished Business


Book Description

On the surface, it seems the best time ever to be a woman in Australia. The prime minister, governor-general and the richest person are all female; women are at the forefront of almost every area of public life. Yet when Julia Gillard's misogyny speech ricocheted around the world, it clearly touched a nerve. Why? In the fiftieth Quarterly Essay, Anna Goldsworthy examines life for women after the gains made by feminism. From Facebook to 50 Shades of Grey, from Girls to gonzo porn, what are young women being told about work and equality, about sex and their bodies? Why do many reject the feminist label? And why does pop culture wink at us with storylines featuring submissive women? Unfinished Business is an original look at role models and available options in the age of social media and sexual frankness. Goldsworthy finds that progress for women has provoked a backlash from some, who wield misogyny as a weapon, whether in parliament, on talkback radio or as internet trolls. With piercing insight and sharp humour, she lays bare the dilemmas of being female today and asks how women can truly become free subjects. 'There is a charmed zone for a girl, shortly before she is ambushed by puberty. At eleven or twelve, she is usually taller than her male peers; more articulate; and more confident than she will be for years. She probably spends a lot of time in front of a screen, words and images flickering in her eyes. Facebook, Slutwalks, Lady Gaga, Girls, Mad Men, gonzo porn, Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey. What messages are being broadcast to her, and what messages is she hearing? Are they going to make her bigger, or smaller?' Anna Goldsworthy, Unfinished Business




CentrePiece


Book Description




Australia's Pivot to India


Book Description

A thoroughly absorbing, must-read examination of why Australia's relationship with India might hold the key to our future, by federal MP Andrew Charlton The time has come for Australia and India to forge closer ties – and reap the benefits. But will Australia seize the opportunity? India is on the rise to become the next global superpower, with a population expected to be larger than the United States and China combined by 2050. For Australia, as the world grows more volatile, India has emerged as a new geopolitical partner offering hope for a more secure and balanced Indo-Pacific region. Australian cities are full of thriving 'Little Indias' created by a rapidly growing Indian diaspora estimated to become the largest migrant group in the nation in just over two decades. In Australia's Pivot to India, Andrew Charlton provides an authoritative analysis of Australia's relationship with India, explains why now is the time to seize the opportunity for collaboration and cooperation, and outlines a vision for the Australia–India partnership that will enhance Australia's security and prosperity in the twenty-first century. He argues that both Indians and Australians have an outdated view of each other, trapped in decades-old stereotypes and misunderstandings. Lively, thought-provoking and timely, Australia's Pivot to India is the go-to source for anyone interested in Australia–India relations, India's role in reshaping the global order and the impact this will have on Australia's future.