Occasional Papers
Occasional Papers (OP) are short publications usually based on a lecture or presentation given at the CIS. Our annual John Bonython and Acton Lectures are part of the OP series.
Categories
Population Growth: Curse or Blessing?
Population growth is widely regarded as self-evidently a cause of poverty and backwardness in Third World countries. In this Occasional Paper, Lord Bauer challenges this belief and argues that population...... Read More
Socialism Is Dead But Leviathan Lives On
In the seventh John Bonython Lecture, James Buchanan observes that the death of socialism has not been accompanied by the rise of any widespread faith in the free enterprise system, even though that system...... Read More
Are We Winning?
Although classical liberal ideas are at present in the ascendancy, there is no guarantee that they will succeed in the long run in substantially reducing the size and power of the state. In this Occasional...... Read More
The Third World Debt Crisis: Can’t Pay or Won’t Pay?
In this Occasional Paper, Lord Bauer questions the widely held belief that debt service is a major cause of poverty in Third World countries. He points out that: Almost all debtor countries restrict...... Read More
Economic Control or Economic Development
P.T. Bauer argues that wide-ranging state controls hinder the development of Third World economies.... Read More
The Education Monopoly Problem
Professor Edwin West explores the various mechanisms that have evolved in several countries for enhancing choice both within state school systems and between state and private schools.... Read More
The Egalitarian Conceit: False and True Equalities
Professor Kenneth Minogue traces the roots of modern egalitarianism to the Greek and Christian culture from which Western civilisation springs.... Read More
The Crisis in Law
Professor Norman Barry argues that the current crisis in the law stems from the demise of the common law (which consists of general rules of conduct guiding individuals in the pursuit of their self chosen...... Read More
Endangered Freedom
In the fifth John Bonython Lecture, Thomas Sowell argues that public life in Western countries is blighted by an ‘unconstrained vision’ of man and society. This vision treats all social evils as curable:...... Read More
The Long Debate on Poverty
In The Long Debate on Poverty, Professor Hartwell analyses the debate on poverty and its historical roots; demonstrates the remarkable similarity between earlier and modern discussions on the subject;...... Read More
Social Welfare: The Changing Debate
David D. Green’s monograph Social Welfare: The Changing Debate, summarises the research findings and arguments of several recent studies of welfare dependency. ... Read More
Ideas, Interests and Experience: Some Implications for Policy Advice
Economists are increasingly called upon by bureaucrats and government official for policy advice. But economists have not always been able to present their ideas effectively. Many basic concepts of economics...... Read More
Law and Liberty
In the Fourth John Bonython Lecture, Shirley Letwin analyses the way in which the rule of law sustains individual liberty and a free society. Because the law provides a framework of rules for general cases,...... Read More
Beyond the Current Pessimism
Professor Ray Ball gives a personal interpretation of the historical roots of Australia’s economic malaise. ... Read More
The Enemies of Progress
In the third John Bonython Lecture, Ralph Harris recounts the advances that economic freedom and entrepreneurship have brought the world and reminds us that all this good has been an ‘unintended consequence...... Read More
Ideas about Freedom: A Discussion
Kenneth R. Minogue and John Gray, in separate essays, examine the history and assumptions behind liberalism and conservatism. They place the two doctrines squarely in the world of toady and recommend more...... Read More
The Anti-Capitalist Mentality: Post Mortem for an Ideology
In the Second John Bonython Lecture, Professor R. M. Hartwell traces the history of the anti-capitalist mentality back to myths surrounding the Industrial Revolution in England.... Read More
Trial Without Error: Anticipation vs Resilence as Strategies for Risk Reduction
Safety regulations are proliferating at a great rate in society today, attempting to protect us from hundreds of known and unknown dangers. It is the unknown dangers that Aaron Wildavsky addresses here....... Read More
Enterprise: Free, Dependent or Captor?
The relationship between government and business is the theme of this essay. Each depends on the other, and each uses the other for its own purposes. Business seeks favours from government in the form...... Read More
The Case Against the Arbitration Commission
The Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission is the main obstacle to much-needed reform of industrial relations according to the author of this essay.... Read More
