Author Archives: Peter Whiteford

Unpublished letter to the Editor, Politics of envy edition

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Peter Whiteford

Your editorial (Politics of envy threatens our economy and ethos, 2 May) claims that “Research by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling has shown that all income levels prospered in the Howard years and that under the Rudd-Gillard … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

One of the challenges facing Greece

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Peter Whiteford

In 2007 Greece spent 9.9% of GDP on age pensions.  This was the fourth highest level of spending on pensions in the OECD (after Austria, Spain and Italy).  Australia spent 3.2% of GDP, the fifth lowest level of spending in … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Politics - international, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Minor Blog Wars – my part in their genesis

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Peter Whiteford

As a regular reader of Brad DeLong I was slightly alarmed at a recent post reporting an outbreak of unpleasantness about which OECD country has the most progressive tax system.

Posted in Economics and public policy, Politics - international | 25 Comments

Inequality in Australia – are the rich getting richer and the poor poorer?

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Peter Whiteford

Cross posted from Inside Story Australians like to think of themselves as egalitarian, and in the past Australians also liked to believe that we had a relatively equal distribution of income and wealth.  As early as the 1880s, visitors to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy | 18 Comments

The clean energy plan: compensation or redistribution?

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Peter Whiteford

A major component of the government’s clean energy plan is a package of assistance measures to compensate households for higher prices. The government will provide assistance through increases in pensions, allowances and family payments, as well as through income tax … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Economics and public policy | 14 Comments

How fair is Australia’s welfare state?

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Peter Whiteford

Cross posted from  Australian Policy Online http://inside.org.au/how-fair-is-australia%e2%80%99s-welfare-state/ IN ITS 28 May edition the Economist carried a long feature about Australia, praising our resilient economy, criticising the quality of our political discourse, and highlighting our social egalitarianism. “The Evolving Platypus: A Distinct … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy | 16 Comments

Could we abolish poverty if we didn’t spend so much on public servants?

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Peter Whiteford

In the Sydney Morning Herald of 1 June, Julie Novak of the Institute of Public Affairs criticised an article by Gavin Mooney and Alex Wodak, writing in the previous day’s Herald, which argued for higher taxes , in part based … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and public policy, Politics - national, Society | 46 Comments