The course aims to provide an understanding for students of the role, nature and empirical basis necessary for the development of sound economic policy. The approach would be to begin with around 8-10 detailed case studies, focusing where appropriate on the economic principles involved, and paying important attention to the empirical evidence used to develop the policy framework. These would be followed by several sessions motivated by the goal of integrating the material into an overriding framework of economic policy development. The aim of the course is to help equip students with: an understanding of the critical importance of a clear definition of what an economic policy problem is; the skills to help develop useful frameworks with which to analyse economic policy problems; and some capacities to recognise the relevance and limitations of empirical evidence for the definition of a policy problem and its potential solution.

Case studies:

Water Policy versus Water Economics

Fisheries Management in Australia: efficiency and maximum economic yield

Economic Transition in China

Drought Policy

Sensible Climate Policy

HECS and Beyond

Government Managing Risk: income contingent loans

The Immigrant Points System

From Welfare toWork

Weathering the Storm:the Asian Financial Crisis and how Australia survived it

Project 65%; exam 35%.

Prerequisites:

POGO8081 Economics for Government OR

POGO8064 Government in a Market Economy OR 

POGO8016 Economic Way of Thinking I and POGO8019 Economic Way of Thinking II,

or equivalent, such as a degree in economics.  Crawford IDEC students can contact the Student Adviser to enrol.