The re-emergence of long term unemployment and benefit dependency has posed new challenges for traditional welfare and employment assistance regimes. New strategies aimed at ‘activating’ benefit systems, ‘making work pay’ and improving the efficiency of labour market programs are being...

A subject of considerable policy concern is the problem presented by declining fertility rates for social security systems in general and Pay-As-You-Go pension schemes in particular. Solutions proposed range from complete privatisation of the pensions system, through supplementary private...

This paper examines the distributional and efficiency effects of an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program of the kind being strongly advocated for Australia by a number of economists. The paper presents an empirical analysis of the Family Tax Credit proposed by the Australian Labor Party at...

High and persistent unemployment has presented a major challenge for the welfare state from two directions. First, it has eroded the funding base and second, it has increased the demands on welfare programs because of the consequences for poverty and inequality resulting from high unemployment....

The author of this paper was one of the members of the Reference Group that produced the McClure Report that recommended a simplified income support system as well as improved work incentives, as well as increased economic and social participation requirements on welfare recipients, and enhanced...

This paper introduces the papers based on a series of lectures held by the Centre for Economic Policy Research at the Australian National University in 2001 to commemorate the wide-ranging economic contribution of the late Professor F.H. (“Fred”) Gruen. The theme of the lectures was...

In this paper, evidence on lessons that Australians might take from the experience of the United States in undertaking extensive welfare reform is presented as well as some insights into the difficulties in evaluating major policy shifts such as welfare reform. The experience of former welfare...

Income tax incentives directly affect the economic feasibility of proposals for tax-deferred risk management accounts. Data indicate that despite clear financial advantages from tax deferment and reduced income variability, income targeting may preclude many farmers from contributing enough...

This publication analyzes the profile of entrepreneurs and how they create high-growth businesses in 13 countries in Latin America, East Asia and southern Europe. It also offers case studies of entrepreneurship development policies and programs in the Americas and Europe. The comparative...

This research completes a series of estimates of supply relationships for corn, sorghum, oats, and barley. (See M. E. Ryan and M. E. Abel, "Corn Acreage Response .. .,"Agr. Econ. Res. 24(4); 102-112, Oct. 1972, and "Supply Response of U.S. Sorghum Acreage ...,"Agr. Econ. Res. 25(2); 45-55, April...