Publications
Our publications are the most important means of contact between the Centre's ideas and its general readership. Since 1976, The Centre for Independent Studies has produced some of the most authoritative publications in Australasian academia. From the influential Lands of Shame to the authoritative Will China Fail? CIS has published hundreds of publications covering topics from the social policy to legal affairs to religion and education.
In addition to books, the CIS publishes a range of shorter publications: Issue Analyses deal with controversial and current issues and Policy Mongraphs investigate and offer policy solutions. Since 1984, Policy magazine has published feature articles and reviews authored by some of the foremost national and international thinkers on public policy and ideas. The quality of writing and the diversity of topics in Policy ensure its status as a 'must read' by leading politicans, businesspeople and academics.
Hard copies of our publications are available for purchase through the bookstore. Many of the smaller publications are also available for download.
CONTRIBUTIONS
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All Civil Society Publications
The Fraught Politics of Saying Sorry for Forced Adoption: Implications for Child Protection Policy in Australia
Many Australians will believe a national apology for forced adoption is overdue. But there is a danger that the apology will...
What’s New with Anti-Semitism?
Criticism of Israeli government domestic policy has intensified in Australia with the emergence of the international Boycott,...
When Prophecy Fails
In their 2009 book, The Spirit Level, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argued for the ‘benefits’ of income redistribution....
FEATURE: Beyond the Culture Wars - Arts Policy for a New Generation
Arts policy can learn from sport's bottom up approach.
FEATURE: Anti-Discrimination Law and the Attack on Freedom of Conscience
Anti-discrimination law is targeting belief as well as behaviour.
Alcohol Policy and the Politics of Moral Panic
New Zealand’s proposed liquor legislation marks a return to old attitudes towards alcohol regulation that perversely believe,...
FEATURE: The Use of Happiness in Society
Happiness is not just a feeling, it is a signal to others about what might make them happier.
BOOK REVIEW: Soccernomics
Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why The U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey—and Even Iraq—Are...
FEATURE: The Risks for High Migration
If the population of Australia reaches 36 million by 2050, it will be a direct consequence of migration policy. A growing...
FEATURE: The Great Firewall of Australia
Despite strong opposition and economic and political risks, the federal government continues to support mandatory filtering...
BOOK REVIEW: So Many Firsts: Liberal Women From Enid Lyons to the Turnbull Era
So Many Firsts: Liberal Women From Enid Lyons to the Turnbull Era by Margaret Fizherbert (The Federation Press, 2009.)
FEATURE: Slaves of the Bonus Culture
Regulation and incentives are replacing professionalism. The inner motivation of professional integrity becomes gradually...
BOOK REVIEW: Once Were Radicals: My Years As a Teenage Islamo-Fascist
Once Were Radicals: My Years As A Teenage Islamo-Fascist by Irfan Yusuf (Allen & Unwin, 2009).
Diminishing Democracy: The Threat Posed by Political Expenditure Laws
Electoral law reforms nearing a Senate vote risk making political activists inadvertent lawbreakers, deterring financial...
FEATURE: The Economies of Virtual Worlds: Lessons for the real world
Online computer games offer more than just entertainment. This article looks at the synthetic environments that encourage...
BOOK REVIEW:The Henson Case
The Henson Case by David Marr (Text Publishing, 2008).
In Defence of Civil Society: The Virtue of Prescribed Private Funds
The Commonwealth government is looking to change the rules governing charitable funds which may harm philanthropic giving...
OPINION: Won't Somebody Think of the Adults?
The Rudd government's proposed censorship regime will slow internet access and hand criminals a directory of illegal content.
Declaring Dependence, Declaring Independence: Three Essays on the Future of the Welfare State
In a time when governments are running up enormous welfare bills and intrusively regulating everyday life, this series of...
BOOK REVIEW: Australian Social Attitudes 2: Citizenship, Work and Aspiration
Australian Social Attitudes 2: Citizenship, Work and Aspiration edited by David Denemark, Gabrielle Meagher, Shaun Wilson,...
In Praise of Elitism
Australian society is frequently characterised as egalitarian: belief in a 'fair go' for all and a love for cutting down...
FEATURE: Cultural Nationalism: The Last Resort of Scoundrels
Protectionism has spread to culture.
BOOK REVIEW: Please Just F* Off: It's Our Turn Now- Holding Baby Boomers to Account
Please Just F* Off: It's Our Turn Now- Holding Baby Boomers to Account by Ryan Heath (Pluto Press, 2006).
FEATURE: Cultural Protection
Leave culture to the market.
FEATURE: Free Speech, Offence and Religion
Free speech is not a licence to disregard the sensibilities of others.
The Ethic of Respect: A Leftwing Cause
Frank Field argues that nineteenth century Christianity bequeathed us a "rich deposit of ethical values", which he summarises...
BOOK REVIEW: Australian Social Attitudes: The First Report
Australian Social Attitudes: The First Report Edited by S.Wilson, G.Meagher, R.Gibson, D.Denemark and M.Western (UNSW Press,...
FEATURE: Disliking Making a Fuss
Underlying racial prejudice in Australia is held in check by tolerance.
FEATURE: Restoration and Revolution: Understanding Post-totalitarianism
The totalitarian destruction of civil society left the nomenklatura in power.
BOOK REVIEW: Our Culture, What's Left of it: The Mandarins and the Masses
Our Culture, What's Left of It: The Mandarins and the Masses by Theodore Dalrymple (Ivan R. Dee, 2005).
REVIEW ESSAY: The Mystic Social Scientist
Affluenz: When Too Much is Never Enough By Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss (Allen & Unwin, 2005).
Clearing Muddy Waters: Why Vinnies are Wrong on Inequality
A recent St Vincent de Paul Society report claimed income inequality in Australia is dramatically widening. CIS suggested...
A Headlong Dash into the Chasm of Hyperbole
The St Vincent de Paul Society’s recent paper, The Reality of Income Inequality in Australia, warns of Australia’s ‘current...
COMMENT: The Muslim 'Marginal Man'
Understanding the pyschological and sociological state of Western Muslims will help integrate society and avoid terrorism.
FEATURE: Unfinished Business: Reforming Our Intelligence Agencies
Terrorism is not the only urgent issue our intelligence agents must face.
Australia's Welfare Habit and How to Kick It
Forty years ago only 3% of working age Australians depended on welfare payments as their main source of income. Today it...
Conspicuous Compassion: Why sometimes it really is cruel to be kind
This book by Patrick West challenges the trend towards dramatic public displays of 'concern' which have very little to do...
FEATURE: Punching Above Our Weight
If Australia wants to maintain its influence in the world, it needs to keep reforming its economy and increase its population.
DEBATE: Crime and Punishment
Are greater use of prisons and more police work needed to reduce crime rates?
FEATURE: What Is Fair About A 'fair go'?
Social affairs intellectuals who equate popular support for a 'fair go' with egalitarianism are out of step with what ordinary...
BOOK REVIEW: Death Sentence: The Decay of Public Language
Death Sentence: The Decay of Public Language by Don Watson (Random House Australia, 2003).
The Thinning Blue Line
The likelihood that a criminal will be caught after committing an offence is an important deterrent for potential offenders....
COMMENT: The Feminist Silence About Islam
Western feminists should be protesting about the oppression of Middle Eastern women, but this would reveal how little they...
Six Questions About Civility
Civility is a moral virtue and a social responsibility, contributing to the public good and the quality of life. Yet the...
Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers : A Global View
A worldwide excess of demand for immigration means that Western countries cannot accommodate more than a small proportion...
The Art of Corporate Governance: a return to first principles
Calls for big business to be more ‘ethical’ and ‘socially responsible’ have never been louder, nor more misguided. ...
Poor Statistics: Getting the Facts Right About Poverty in Australia
Some welfare organisations suggest that poverty statistics are unimportant and that the CIS critique of the Smith Family’s...
Poor Arguments: A Response to the Smith Family Report on Poverty in Australia
The welfare lobby, including The Smith Family and NATSEM, continues to inflate poverty statistics to advance a political...
COMMENT: The Case Against 'Corporate Social Responsibility'
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an appearling concept, but the current widely-held doctrine of CSR is deeply flawed....
FEATURE: The Right Trap
A bill of rights would unduly politicise the judiciary by turning judges into policymakers. The main benificiaries would...
COMMENT: The Crisis of Human Rights
The concept of human rights evolved to buttress liberty by protecting people from excessive state power. Now it is being...
BOOK REVIEW: The Politics of Australian Society
The Politics of Australian Society: Political Issues for the New Century edited by Paul Boreham, Geoffrey Stokes and Richard...
Playing with Fire: Churches, Welfare Services and Government Contracts
Striking a balance between state funding and religious autonomy is the latest challenge for church-based welfare agencies....
FEATURE: Gambling: Not The Worst Bet
Ever dogged by controversy, gambling has a long and colourful history and is once again under the microscope.
State of the Nation: Indicators of a Changing Australia 1999
The expanded and revised edition of State of the Nation: Indicators of a Changing Australia 1999 is a comprehensive guide...
Social Capital Stories: How 12 Australian Households Live their Lives
Social capital - the network of informal social connections that helps to hold communities together - is often reported to...
COMMENT: Polycentric Law in a New Century
The feasibility of privately produced law.
BOOK REVIEW: Measuring Progress: Is Life Getting Better?
Measuirng Progress: Is Life Getting Better? edited by Richard Eckersley (CSIRO Publishing, 1998.)
BOOK REVIEW: Asians in Australia: Patterns of Migration and Settlement
Asians in Australia: Patterns of Migration and Settlement edited by James E. Coughlan and Deborah J. McNamara (Macmillan...
COMMENT: Is Our Culture In Decline?
The 'culture wars' and recent debates over the National Endowment for the Arts reflect deep disagreements about the health...
BOOK REVIEW: Rethinking Law and Order
Rethinking Law and Order by Russell Hogg and David Brown (Pluto Press, 1997.)
FEATURE: Beyond Master and Servant
The new world of non-employment.
REVIEW: Community Rules
The New Golden Rule: Community and Morality in a Democratic Society by Amitai Etzioni (Basic Books, 1996.)
Rising Crime in Australia
Rising Crime in Australia provides a long-term perspective on crime. For much of the twentieth century crime rates were...
Social Capital: The Individual, Civil Society and the State
The concept of 'social capital' meaning roughly the network of conventions supporting trust and social co-oreration, has...
BOOK REVIEW: Class in Australia
Class in Australia by Craig McGregor (Penguin Books, 1997.)
BOOK REVIEW: The Retreat from Tolerance: A Snapshot of Australian Society
The Rereat from Tolerance: A Snapshot of Australian Society edited by Phillip Adams (ABC Books, 1997.)
BOOK REVIEW: On Toleration
On Toleration by Michael Walzer (Yale University Press, 1997.)
FEATURE: Undermining Rural Sustainability
The unintended consequences of the Drought Landcare Program.
State of the Nation: Statistical Indicators of Australia's Well-being
The first of a series of studies of the social condition of Australia in 1997.
BOOK NOTE: Borders in Cyberspace: Information Policy and the Global Information and Infrastructure
Borders in Cyberspace: Information Policy and the Global Information and Infrastructure edited by Brian Kahin and Charles...
BOOK REVIEW: Unhealthy Societies: The Affliction of Inequality
Unhealthy Societies: The Affliction of Inequality by Richard G. Wilkinson (Routledge, 1996.)
FEATURE: Politically Impossible?
How ideas, not interests and circumstances, determine public policy.
FEATURE: Character and Community: The Problem of Broken Windows
Informal controls and the reduction of crime.
REVIEW ARTICLE: Family, Education and Society
Family, Education and Society: The Australian Perspective edited by A. R. Barcan and P. O'Flaherty (Academy Press, 1995.)
COMMENT: Free to Cruise: Creating Curb Space for Jitneys
Public buses can't compete with private automobiles because bus rides usually involve long waits, slower commutes, limited...
FEATURE: Civics and Citizenship Education
The dangers of centralised civics education.
BOOK REVIEW: On the Cards: Privacy, Identity and Trust in the Age of Smart Technologies
On the Cards: Privacy, Identity and Trust in the Age of Smart Technologies by Perri 6 and Ivan Briscoe (Demos, 1996.)
REVIEW ARTICLE: From Welfare State to Civil Society
Towards Welfare that Works in New Zealand by David G. Green (New Zealand Business Roundtable, 1996.)
REVIEW ARTICLE: Desperately Seeking Community
Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity by Francis Fukuyama (Hamish Hamilton, 1995.)
Working Youth:Tackling Australian Youth Unemployment
Working Youth proposes reforms to the labour market and educationthat would begin the task of creating jobs for Australia's...
BOOK REVIEW: Tall Green Tales
Tall Green Tales edited by Jeff Bennett (Institute of Public Affairs, 1995.)
BOOK REVIEW: Civilizing Cyberspace: Policy Power, and the Information Superhighway
Civilizing Cyberspace: Policy Power, and the Information Superhighway by Steven E. Miller (Addison-Wesley/ACM Publishing,...
BOOK REVIEW: Values and the Social Order, Volume 2: Society and Order
Values and the Social Order, Volume 2: Society and Order edited by Gerard Radnitzky and Hard Bouillon (Avebury Publications,...
REVIEW ARTICLE: The Political Obsession Revisited: Eva Cox's Boyer Lectures
A Truly Civil Society: 1995 Boyer Lectures Eva Cox (ABC Books, 1995.)
FEATURE: Nationality, Utility, Liberty
Andrew Norton talks to Greg Melleuish and Chandran Kukathas about the nature of Australian Liberalism and the challenges...
FEATURE: The Strange Disappearance of Civic America
Why might social capital be declining?
BOOK REVIEW: Governing Prosperity: Social Change and Social Analysis in Australia in the 1950s
Governing Propserity: Social Change and Social Analysis in Australia in the 1950s by Nicholas Brown (Cambridge University...
FEATURE: Public Figures and The Press
Privacy and media accountability.
FEATURE: Why Employment Performance Differs
The effect of product market regulations on employment.
FEATURE: Sole Parents and Sole Parent Pensioners in Australia
The social anbd demographic context of government assistance to sole parents and trends in statistics on sole parent pensioners.
BOOK REVIEW: Social Networks and Job Acquisition in Ethnic Communities in South Australia
Social Networks and Job Acquisition in Ethnic Communities in South Australia by Edgar Carson (Australian Government Publishing...
SCHOOLS' BRIEF: Environmental Problems
Outlining systems of social coordination; the costs of social coordination; factors determining the costs of coordination...
FEATURE: Protecting Nature... Privately
Why the Private Sector can encourage nature conservation.
FEATURE: The Case for Competition Among Local Competitions
Governmental diversity as a means to more dynamic and democratic government.
BOOK REVIEW: Values and Social Order, Volume I: Values and Society
BOOK REVIEW: Values and Social Order, Volume I: Values and Society edited by Gerard Radnitzky and Hardy Bouillon (Avebury...
BOOK REVIEW: The War of the Words: The Political Correctness Debate
The War of the Words: The Political Correctness Debate edited by Sarah Dunant (Virago Press, 1994.)
CONTROVERSY: The Individual: A Suitable Case for Denationalisation
A discussion of euthanasia, following its legalisation in the Northern Territory and similar proposals for the ACT and NSW.
CONTROVERSY: Innocent Life and the Slippery Slope
The dangers of setting a precedent for the taking of life.
Civic Capitalism- An Australian Agenda for Institutional Renewal
A new political middle ground is forming around the idea that successful societies depend on ‘social capital’- the goodwill,...
FEATURE: The Ethics and Politics of Environmentalist Deception
The extinction 'crisis' as a case study in environmentalist exaggeration.
COMMENT: Sexual Harassment and HMAS Swan: A Case History
Sexual harrassment laws and regulations in the Australian Defence Force.
BOOK REVIEW: The Business of Ecology: Australian Organisations Tackling Environmental Issues
The Business of Ecology: Australian Organisations Tackling Environmental Issues edited by Leigh Cato (Allen & Unwin,...
BOOK REVIEW: Conditions of Liberty: Civil Society and Its Rivals
Conditions of Liberty: Civil Society and Its Rivals by Ernest Gellner (Hamish Hamilton, 1994.)
FEATURE: On The Road to Flexible Working Times
The impact of changing workplaces on our transport needs.
BOOK REVIEW: Australian Civilisation
Australian Civilisation edited by Richard Nile (Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1994.)
FEATURE: An Interview with Conor Cruise O'Brien
Nationalism, the Republic and what Edmund Burke would have thought of it all.
FEATURE: Australia's Information Infrastructure
Foundations of the information society.
FEATURE: Silk Purse or Sow's Ear: Canberra's Recent Approaches to Regional Development Policy
Now is not a golden age for regional policy.
BOOK REVIEW: Only Words
Only Words by Catharine MacKinnon (HarperCollins, 1994.)
The Moral Sense: An Essay
The distinctive feature of The Moral Sense: An Essay is that it uses the findings of modern science and social science to...
FEATURE: Australia's Long and Rocky Path to Pay TV
The government's other agendas reduced viewers' TV choices.
BOOK REVIEW: Adam Smith in His Time and Ours
Adam Smith in His Time and Ours by Jerry Z. Muller (The Free Press, New York, 1993.)
FEATURE: The Sanctuary Movement: Preserving Australia's Mammals
Private sanctuaries are the best protection against feral animals.
REVIEW ARTICLE: Living Decently: Material Well-being in Australia
Living Decently: Material Well-being in Australia by Peter Travers and Sue Richardson (Oxford University Press, Melbourne,...
NOTES AND COMMENTS: The Style Manual's Politics
The fifth edition of the Style Manual is interesting because it seeks to politicise and change many more areas of the language...
NOTES AND COMMENTS: The Volunteers' Movement
There are more than 100,000 not-for-profits organisations set up to help others or their own members, dealing with health...
REVIEW ARTICLE: Reviewing the Australian Legend
The Nervous Nineties: Australian Cultural Life in the 1890s by John Docker (Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1991.) Intruders...
NOTES AND COMMENTS: Drugs in Sport
The ban on drugs has failed to stop drug usage or to protect the lives and health of athletes.
BOOK REVIEW: The Idea of Civil Society
The Idea of Civil Society by Adam Seligman (The Free Press, New York, 1992.)
BOOK REVIEW: Forbidden Grounds: The Case Against Employment Discrimination Laws
Forbidden Grounds: The Case Against Employment Discrimination Laws by Richard A. Epstein (Harvard University Press, 1992.)
BOOK REVIEW: Black Suffering, White Guilt
Black Suffering, White Guilt? by Ron Brunton (Institute of Public Affairs, 1993.)
FEATURE: Animal, trees and Morals
Some modern advocates of species preservation argue that mankind has absolute moral responsibilities in this area and that...
Multicultural Citizens: The Philosophy and Politics of Identity
Although multiculturalism has been promoted for many years by Australia's main political parties, its meaning and implications...
FEATURE: Why Banning Drugs in Sport Does More Harm Than Good
The argument that the ban on drugs in sport fails all the tests that regulations must pass if they are to benefit society.
FEATURE: A Species Worth Preserving
Perspectives on animal treatment and the environment.
FEATURE: Reforming Australia's Railways: The Privatisation Option
The inefficiency of Australia's railway is estimated to cost $5 billion annually. An assessment of the potential role of...
FEATURE: Why Australia's Divorce Law Should Be Reformed
The law on divorce should be reformed to give effect to a 'democratic compromise' between liberal and conservative concerns.
BOOK REVIEW: Recurrent Anti-Capitalist Bias
The Selling of the Australian Mind by Stephen Knight (William Heinemann Australia, 1990) and The Temperament of Generations:...
NOTES & COMMENTS: Crimes of 'Racist Violence'
The report of the National Inquiry into racist violent in Australia.
FEATURE: Comparable Worth: An Evaluation Nightmare
Although the comparable worth method of wage-setting has so far made little progress in Australia, its chances of being adopted...
FEATURE: The Risks and Costs of Decriminalising Drugs: A Response to Robert Marks
In his article, 'The Case for a Regulated Drugs market' (Policy Autumn 1991), Dr Robert Marks argued that the costs of prohibiting...
REJOINDER: The Risks and Costs of Decriminalising Drugs
A rejoinder to David Hawks' article, The Risks and Costs of Decriminalising Drugs.
REVIEW ARTICLE: Some Recent Australian Studies of the Greenhouse Effect
Living in the Greenhouse by Ian Lowe (Scribe Publications, 1989.)
FEATURE: Business Ethics and the 'Social Audit'
In the first of two articles on business ethics, Norman Barry examines the argument that business corporations have 'social'...
FEATURE: The Rise of the State in Education: Part Two: The Abolition of Parental Fees
In the second of two articles on the growth of state involvement in education, Edwin West describes the defeat of attempts...
FEATURE: The Case for a Regulated Drugs Market
Social costs of prohibiting drugs far outweigh the social benefits, and supports the Cleeland Report's (1989) recommendation...
NOTES & COMMENTS: The Economic Case for an Open-Door Immigration Policy
A discussion of the Harrison rule and immigration.
NOTES & COMMENTS: Rejoinder to Clarke and Ng
A rejoinder to Clarke and Ng's The Economic Case for an Open-Door Immigration Policy.
BOOK REVIEW: Public Choice and Public Interest
Wealth, Poverty and Politics by Gordon Tullock (Basil Blackwell, 1988.)
FEATURE: Aid For Employment?
Lack of employment opportunities is a major source of poverty in many developing countries. A discussion of whether and how...
FEATURE: Criminal Choice: An Economic View Of Life Outside The Law
Unlike the dominant sociological approach to crime and punishment, the economic approach treats criminals as rational choosers...
FEATURE: Depoliticising Australia Post
The recent revelation of Australia Post's plans to close many uneconomic post offices and to replace them with post agencies...
Preventative Policing
In this companion paper to "Six Questions About Civility" (2002), Nicole Billante explores ways to combat the problem of...
