No more free beer tomorrow? Economic policy and outcomes in Australia and New Zealand since 1984

Bibliographic Data

ID6233940
AuthorsTim Hazledine (University of Auckland), John Quiggin (0000-0003-0398-8280, The University of Queensland)
Year2006
Volume41
Issue2
Pages145-159
Publication date2006-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAustralian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1036-1146 • E-ISSN: 1363-030X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10361140600672402
OpenAlexW2005437535
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited6

There are no controlled experiments in macroeconomic policy, nor in systematic programs of microeconomic reform, but a comparison between New Zealand and Australia over the period since 1984 provides as close an approach to such an experiment as is ever likely to be possible. From quite similar starting points the two countries pursued liberal reform programs that differed sharply, mainly as a result of exogenous differences in constitutional structures and the personal styles of the central actors. Australia followed a more cautious, piecemeal, consensus-based approach, whereas New Zealand, in contrast, adopted a radical, rapid, ‘purist’ platform. The NZ reform package was generally seen by contemporary commentators as representing a ‘textbook’ model for best practice reform. However, Australia since 1984 has performed much better than New Zealand, whose per capita GDP growth indeed ranked at or near the bottom of the OECD. In this paper, we assess a variety of explanations for the divergences in policies and outcomes

Economics · Per capita · Political science · Sociology · Variety (cybernetics · Australian History and Society · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · New Zealand Economic and Social Studies

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