Urban water and its management have been the subject of much public debate. The timing and choice of investments to augment water supply, different approaches to water pricing, and the tools of demand management have all been the subject of discussion. Outlined in this paper is a model that can...

This staff working paper (by Vernon Topp and Tony Kulys) examines productivity trends in the Australian utilities industry and highlights some significant issues relating to the measurement and interpretation of changes in measured productivity over time. Multifactor productivity (MFP) growth in...

The mining industry has contributed significantly to Australia’s recent prosperity – with favourable terms of trade over the period 2003-04 to 2006-07 contributing to increased incomes – but productivity in the sector has fallen markedly. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics...

• Human capital theory supports the view that people with higher levels of education and lower incidences of chronic illness should have higher labour productivity. • Hourly wages can be used as an indicator of labour productivity. While wages are likely to be a reasonable indicator of the...

Historically, governments have played the predominant role in owning and operating infrastructure facilities such as schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, railways, ports, telecommunications networks, and water and electricity supply facilities. However, fiscal policy constraints, growing...