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 Education Publications
TARGET30: Reducing the burden for future generations
TARGET30 is a campaign promoting smaller government and cutting government spending to less than 30% of GDP in the next 10...
Tax Welfare Churn and the Australian Welfare State
The welfare state currently consumes $316 billion a year; however, much of this spending is not targeted at those who need...
TARGET30 SNAPSHOT: Tax Welfare Churn and the Australian Welfare State
The welfare state currently consumes $316 billion a year; however, much of this spending is not targeted at those who need...
TARGET30: Towards smaller government and future prosperity
TARGET30 is a campaign promoting smaller government, supported by a series of research reports providing policy solutions...
TARGET30 SNAPSHOT: Towards smaller government and future prosperity
TARGET30 is a campaign promoting smaller government, supported by a series of research reports providing policy solutions...
Australia and the Asian Ascendancy: Why Upskilling is Not Necessary to Reap the Rewards
Government programs to upskill the Australian workforce for the Asian Century are a solution to a non-problem. With more...
Keeping PISA in Perspective: Why Australian Education Policy Should Not Be Driven by International Test Results
International student assessments such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International...
Australia's Asia Literacy Non-Problem
New large-scale Asia literacy programs are not necessary for Australia to prosper in the Asian Century. There are approximately...
Indigenous Education 2012
Indigenous Education 2012 reviews the lack of progress by states and territories in improving Indigenous literacy and numeracy....
Overcoming a Culture of Low Expectations
The most important thing we can do to encourage disadvantaged Australians into work – including people with disabilities,...
NSW Community Discussion Paper: Improving Educational Outcomes for Aboriginal People
By ending the raft of current discriminatory, costly and ineffective Indigenous education policies, the New South Wales Coalition...
Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Australia has a serious problem in low participation in higher education by students from low socio-economic backgrounds....
School Funding, Choice and Equity
CIS Research Fellow Jennifer Buckingham says the three main goals of school funding – equity, efficiency and excellence...
The Rise of Religious Schools in Australia
Growth in the non-government school sector in Australia has been driven by religious schools, with the largest increases...
BOOK REVIEW: The Marketplace of Ideas: Reform and Resistance in the American University
The Marketplace of Ideas: Reform and Resistance in the American University by Louis Menand (W. W. Norton, 2010.)
Indigenous Education 2010
The 2009 NAPLAN literacy and numeracy tests confirm the continued failure of Indigenous education. The government's 'closing...
REVIEW ESSAY: The New Middle Class and Education
School Choice: How Parents Negotiate the New School Market in Australia by Craig Campbell, Helen Proctor & Geoffrey Sherington...
Educating The Disadvantaged
Every child can succeed at school if education providers take the right approach. Educating the Disadvantaged, a collection...
In Defence of Non-Government Schools
Non-government schools are providers of public education and deserve adequate public funding. The purposes and functions...
Schools of Thought: A Collection of Articles on Education
Over the last decade, schools policy in Australia has undergone significant changes. Jennifer Buckingham has been a significant...
OPINION: Can A Third of a Higher Education Reform Work?
The government's demand-driven higher education funding policy is only one of three market elements needed.
Indigenous Participation in University Education
The government’s use of race-based ‘average’ educational performance measures denigrates Indigenous achievement, ignoring...
Revisiting Indigenous Education
Aboriginal and Torres Islander children in remote communities must not be viewed as ‘different’ from other Australian...
BOOK REVIEW: Why Not The Best Schools? What We Have Learned From Outstanding Schools Around The World
Why Not The Best Schools? What We Have Learned From Outstanding Schools Around The World By Brian Caldwell and Jessica Harris...
Fixing Prices: Why Vouchers Won't Work While Governments Set Fees
The Bradley report is another chapter in the long story of pricing neglect in higher education. The report should have gone...
FEATURE: Politics and the University
Claims of academics bias raise deeper questions about the nature of universities.
Making the Grade: School Report Cards and League Tables
International research shows that students in schools that publish their results publicly perform better than students in...
Child Care and the Labour Supply
This report investigates whether child care is unaffordable and if government funding is contributing to its affordability...
OPINION: A 'Fair Go' in Schools
More money alone cannot overcome educational disadvantage.
Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory
The causes of failing education—inequitable school facilities, inappropriate curriculums, and inadequate teaching—in...
BOOK REVIEW: School Choice: The Findings
School Choice: The Findings by Herbert J. Wahlberg (Cato Institute, 2007).
REVIEW ESSAY: The Predictive Power of Statistics
Data crunching may soon be more important than intuitive decision-making.
What are Low Ability Workers To Do When Unskilled Jobs Disappear? Part 2
Despite low unemployment, working-age welfare dependency remains high, partly because demand for unskilled labour is in decline....
BOOK REVIEW: Which School? Beyond Private vs Public
Which School? Beyond Private vs Public by Joanna Mendelssohn (Pluto Press, 2007).
FEATURE: The Finn Red Line
Chester E Finn Jr talks to Jennifer Buckingham about tensions between school autonomy, parental choice and the need for better...
BOOK REVIEW: Dumbing Down: Outcomes-Based and Politically Correct- The impact of the Culture Wars on Our School
Dumbing Down: Outcomes-based and politically correct- the impact of the Culture Wars on our schools by Kevin Donnelly (Hardie...
COMMENT: National Curriculum: A Bipartisan Bad Idea
A national curriculum involves more risks than benefits.
What Is Working in Good Schools in Remote Indigenous Communities?
School‑side and community‑side interventions with which good schools are trying to break the cycle of low attendance,...
Mismatch: Australia’s Graduates and the Job Market
The Commonwealth-directed higher education system has produced a mismatch between available graduates and jobs. Australia’s...
REVIEW ESSAY: Ten Views on Vouchers
School choice causes controversy, even among its supporters.
Teachers and the Waiting Game: Why Decentralisation is Vital for Public Schools
Centralised staffing systems, which fiercely protect regulations that shelter poor teachers and privilege longevity over...
Tackling Literacy in Remote Aboriginal Communities
Literacy rates among children and adults in remote Aboriginal communities are appallingly low, and cannot be reversed without...
School Autonomy: A Key Reform for Improving Indigenous Education
The government school model is failing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and urgently needs reform. School...
FEATURE: Choice matters: What Needs to Change to Make Schools Competitive?
Despite increasing private school enrolments, school policy does not foster compeitition.
FEATURE: Shares in People
Students could finance their studies through selling equity in their future income.
HELPless: How the FEE-HELP Loans System Lets Students Down and How to Fix it
Three new loans schemes were introduced in 2005 to fix omissions in the HECS system, but a more realistic FEE-HELP loan...
Education and Learning in an Aboriginal Community
The principal reason why so many Aboriginal people are unable to find jobs is that children in remote areas, such as the...
Good Teachers Where They Are Needed
Allowing qualified professionals to become teachers through school-based education has the potential to reduce Australia’s...
FEATURE: Forced To Be Free? Compelling Voluntary Student Unionism
The ossified politics of an earlier era are behind the VSU bill.
FEATURE: Science in the Service of the Nation State
Universities are the wrong place to look for sources of business innovation.
FEATURE: Welcome the Edupreneurs
For-profit education would benefit students and teachers.
The Free Market Case Against Voluntary Student Unionism (But for Voluntary Student Representation)
The federal government plans to introduce ‘voluntary student unionism’ (VSU) into Australia’s universities by banning...
Universities in a State: The Federal Case Against Commonwealth Control of Universities
The Commonwealth Education Minister, Brendan Nelson, has suggested that the federal government assume full legal responsibility...
FEATURE: Is Life-long Learning Worth the Effort?
Beware of further study mature workers.
FEATURE: Parent Power
The free market, rather than the centralised bureaucracy, should decide what children learn at school and how they learn...
REVIEW ESSAY: In Pursuit of Truth and Beauty
Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950 by Charles Murray (Harper Collins...
BOOK REVIEW: Motivation, Agency and Public Policy: Of Knights and Knaves, Pawns and Queens
Motivation, Agency and Public Policy: Of Knights and Knaves, Pawns and Queens by Julian Le Grand (Oxford University Press,...
State of the Nation: An Agenda for Change 2004
This book is now in its fourth edition. It offers independent views on Australia’s progress across a range of indicators...
Schools in the Spotlight. School Performance Reporting and Public Accountability
Buckingham calls for a consistent, fair and meaningful system of reporting and publishing comparative school performance,...
REVIEW ESSAY: The Idea of the University
Off Course: From Public Place to Marketplace at Melbourne University by John Cain and John Hewitt (Scribe Publications, 2004).
Valuing Education: A Response to the Australia Institute Report 'Buying an Education'
The Australia Institute, in publishing this report, has done nothing to advance serious and constructive debate on education...
Boys' Education - Research & Rhetoric
There is significant evidence that boys have been experiencing educational disadvantage. In this paper, Jennifer Buckingham...
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Dr Nelson Mixes Price Flexibility and Rigid Quotas
Education Minister Dr Brendan Nelson’s proposed reforms of higher education will improve the quality of Australian higher...
Student Debt: A HECS on Fertility?
Opponents of university fees are tapping into concern about declining fertility levels by arguing that there may be a link...
Reflections on Class Size and Teacher Quality
The statistical evidence showing that boys have lower literacy levels and lower average performance than girls in almost...
INTERVIEW: The Man With the Campus Keys
Now in his third country of residence, university Vice Chancellor Steven Schwartz explains how Australian reforms in higher...
The Missing Links: Class Size, Discipline, Inclusion and Teacher Quality
The Vinson Report is let down by a lack of rigour and an apparent partiality in its analysis of reforms that have important...
FEATURE: Reforming School Education: Class Size and Teacher Quality
Research shows that effective teaching is far more important than the number of children in the classroom, suggesting that...
The Unchained University
Australia's universities are not preparing students adequately for their futures. Report author and higher education expert...
Getting it Right Some of the Time: An Appraisal of the Report on the Inquiry into the Education of Boys
The 2002 parliamentary inquiry and report into the education of boys has failed to recognise that boys from single parent...
Families Freedom and Education: Why School Choice Makes Sense
Parents have been demonstrating their increasing lack of faith in the public education system for decades, as reflected in...
The Importance of Teacher Quality
When all other sources of variation in performance are taken into account – including socioeconomic background and differences...
The Social Foundations of a Free Society
A look at five main areas where current trends may be eroding the free society - family life, schooling, community relations,...
Public Education in New South Wales: Submission to the ‘Vinson’ Inquiry
The most effective way of improving school performance without increasing recurrent funding is to enable schools to respond...
State of the Nation 2001: A Century of Change
This major report finds that Australia is in the midst of profound social and economic change sometimes for the better, sometimes...
State of the Nation 2001: A Century of Change (CD ROM)
A CD version of a major report that finds Australia is in the midst of profound social and economic change sometimes for...
BOOK REVIEW:The Enterprise University: Power, Governance and Reinvention in Australia
The Enterprise University: Power, Governance and Reinvention in Australia by Simon Marginson and Mark Considine (Cambridge...
School Funding for All: Making Sense of the Debate over Dollars
Public debate over school funding is characterised by misinformation and misunderstanding, making any agreement or compromise...
Code of Silence: Public Reporting of School Performance
The refusal of state governments to release any comparative school data means the public and parents are powerless to combat...
Beyond the Classroom : how parents influence their children's education
Parents are crucial to the academic success of their children. The report, Beyond the Classroom: How Parents Influence Their...
The Truth about Private Schools in Australia
The evidence strongly suggests that private schools offer their students something that goes beyond financial resources and...
Degrees of Difficulty: The Labour Market Problems of Arts and Social Science Graduates
That the Australian higher education system is comprehensively rigged against students is evident from the current oversupply...
Trailing the Class: Sole Parent Families and Educational Disadvantage
The association between family structure and educational performance has been the focus of much research in recent years....
Boy Troubles: Understanding Rising Suicide, Rising Crime and Educational Failure
Australian boys are at greater risk of doing badly at school, participating in juvenile crime, and committing suicide. The...
COMMENT: The Idea of a University Beyond 2000
To survive in the increasingly competitive higher education sector, Australian universities must either 'change or die'....
FEATURE: Academic Freedom and the Well-Managed University
Higher education is poised to become one of the biggest and most lucrative industries in the new knowledge economy. Can Australia's...
SPECIAL FEATURE: Liberalising Learning: An Overview
Three Bert Kelly Lectures on higher education reform.
FEATURE: The Trouble With Boys
Boys are falling behind at school at alarming rates while girls continue to improve. What is causing this gender gap? Has...
The Puzzle of Boys’ Educational Decline: A Review of the Evidence
Although research has attempted to explain the decline in boy's performance at school, lack of empirical evidence has precluded...
FEATURE: 'League Tables' of School Performance
A legitimate tool of public policy.
BOOK REVIEW: The Future of Schools
The Future of Schools: Lessons from the Reform of Public Education by Brian Caldwell and Don Hayward (Falmer Press, 1998.)
Taking Education Seriously - A Reform Program for Australia's Schools
Australia's schools are much criticised by students, parents and employers. Despite significant increases in educational...
REVIEW ARTICLE: Back From the Brink
Shaping Their Future: Recommendations for Reform of the Higher School Certificate by Barry McGaw (Australian Council for...
FEATURE: Charter Schools: A New Paradigm For Public Education
Charter schools can bring diversity and choice to public education.
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.
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.)
FEATURE: Civics and Citizenship Education
The dangers of centralised civics education.
A Private Education for All
Mark Harrison argues in A Private Education for All that public education suffers from a lack of competition and a political...
BOOK REVIEW: Sociological Theory and Educational Reality
Sociological Theory and Educational Reality: Education & Society in Australia since 1949 by Alan Barcan (UNSW Press,...
FEATURE: Autonomy and School Achievement
Independent schools are the key to better academic performance.
FEATURE: Fees, Subsidies and the Market for Higher Education
Mark Harrison argues that despite major reforms since 1988, the continuing absence of price signals and market incentives...
FEATURE: America's Bureaucratic Crisis of Education
American education can be revitalised only by abandoning the trend towards central bureaucratic planning and returning to...
BOOK REVIEW: The Threat to Liberal Education
Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus by Dinesh D'Souza (The Free Press, 1991.)
NOTES & COMMENTS: Disestablishing Public Education
C/CSA is a working example of a market solution to the national education crisis. While public education remains mired in...
BOOK REVIEW: The Ecology of Knowledge
Unfathomed Knowledge, Unmeasured Wealth: On Universities and the Wealth of Nations by William Warren Bartley III (Open Court,...
FEATURE: Student Fees and The Demand For University Places
Higher student fees need not be inconsistent with equity considerations.
BOOK REVIEW: Beyond The Information Society
Beyond Universities: A New Republic of the Intellect by Douglas Hague (Institute of Economic Affairs, 1991.)
BOOK REVIEW: Missing the Major Villains
The Decline of the University by Philip de Lacey and Gabriel Moens (Law Press, 1990.)
FEATURE: The Forgotten Consumer: The Distorted Delivery of Child-Care Services
The persistences of informal child care in the face of increasing governent subsidies for child-care services suggests that...
FEATURE: The Rise of the State in Education: Part One: The Intellectual Background
In the first of two articles documenting the growth of state involvement in education, Edwin West traces the decline of the...
The Education Monopoly Problem
Professor Edwin West explores the various mechanisms that have evolved in several countries for enhancing choice both within...
