Monthly Archives: January 2016

Costume drama: Two more duds

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Nicholas Gruen

Some readers will be aware of my distaste for costume drama – films about the past without any serious effort to engage with the difference of the past. It’s a crime against Oscar Wilde’s great admonition to Bosie. Shallowness is … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Films and TV, Gender, History | 2 Comments

Open, decentralised systems of collective intelligence and action: onwards and upwards

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Nicholas Gruen

David Brin offers a usefully concise means for distinguishing liberalism from what liberalism became within just a few years from Adam Smith’s death – the worship of private property or as Brin puts it “today’s idolatry of personal and family wealth … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Philosophy | Comments Off on Open, decentralised systems of collective intelligence and action: onwards and upwards

“T” isn’t just for Troppo. T is for Trump

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Nicholas Gruen

Well folks after a gruelling (if largely imaginary) 24 hour period haggling with other Troppmeisters, I’m pleased to announce Troppo’s unanimous support for The Donald for President of the Greatest Country on Earth. We were locked in disagreement until we … Continue reading →

Posted in Art and Architecture, Ask Troppo's Love Gods, History, Humour, Inequality | 3 Comments

Teacher pay: teacher productivity

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Nicholas Gruen

Double for Nothing? Experimental Evidence on the Impact of an Unconditional Teacher Salary Increase on Student Performance in Indonesia by Joppe de Ree, Karthik Muralidharan, Menno Pradhan, Halsey Rogers – #21806 (CH DEV ED LS PE) Abstract: How does a large unconditional … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Education | 6 Comments

Neoliberalism, public and private goods and the digital revolution: Part one

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Nicholas Gruen

The office of intelligence in every problem that either a person or a community meets is to effect a working connection between old habits, customs, institutions, beliefs, and new conditions. John Dewey, Liberalism and Social Action, 1935 As I’ve argued before, our … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Information | Comments Off on Neoliberalism, public and private goods and the digital revolution: Part one

Racism, humour, commentary

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Nicholas Gruen

Are these cartoons racist? I have little doubt they are. They’re also cartoons that take a stand against violence against women. I guess they’re racist (in a bad way – or in the way that we generally take to be a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Critique, Humour | 31 Comments

Old age poverty in Australia?

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Bruce Bradbury

The SMH points to a recent OECD report, claiming that over one-third of Australian pensioners live in poverty – with this being the second-highest rate in the OECD. Are we really that exceptional? No, we are not. Unfortunately, this is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments