Monthly Archives: March 2010

Hoisted from Archives: ABC 2.0

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Nicholas Gruen

I think this is the first post on Troppo that’s ‘hoisted from archives’ which is to say it’s an earlier post that I’m reposting. It was done as preparation for an interview with Michael Duffy and now as part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Films and TV, Media | 22 Comments

Teaching the Test

Posted on March 31, 2010 by James Farrell

Last year I asked what broader social purpose is served by schools competing for position on NAPLAN league tables. I emphasised both the meaninglessnesss of the information (reiterated recently by David Hardie in Crikey) and the lack of any aggregate benefit from inducing families to compete … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics - national | 6 Comments

Brokers no more: arise ‘licensed advisors’

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Nicholas Gruen

People who’ve read this blog for a few years may be familiar with my take on the regulation of mortgage brokers. I’m in favour of simple regulation which puts front and centre the fact that brokers should be thought of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy | 3 Comments

The solidarity of capital

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Nicholas Gruen

From Mark Thoma’s blog: David Frum and the Closing of the Conservative Mind, by Bruce Bartlett: As some readers of this blog may know, I was fired by a right wing think tank Called the National Center for Policy Analysis … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Politics - international | 10 Comments

As below, so above

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Richard Tsukamasa Green

One of the things I like about Journey to the West (one of the four great Chinese classics, but better known here as the basis for Monkey Magic) is the way it delves into almost every conceivable corner of Chinese … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Krugman – again

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Nicholas Gruen

This column makes me think of the craziness of the South – which while building a slave based economy also built a terrorist society in which people got bumped off for having the wrong political views, a society that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Politics - international | 12 Comments

Watching what goes on in China is a vital part of the global ‘big picture’

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Saul Eslake

(Originally published in the business pages of the Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald, 24th March 2010) When I first began writing about the global economy, more than twenty-five years ago, what would be considered a reasonably comprehensive coverage for … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Politics - international | Tagged , | Comments Off on Watching what goes on in China is a vital part of the global ‘big picture’