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Andrew Norton

norton-andrewAndrew specialises in Higher Education and is the author of The Unchained University (CIS, 2002), which sets out the case for a more market-driven higher education system. Andrew has also written widely on classical liberalism and on liberal and conservative political movements in Australia.

He has also written extensively on public opinion, including attitudes to taxation, industrial relations, protection, race, and climate change. He is a regular contributor to newspapers and has written numerous CIS Issue Analysis papers.

Andrew worked at the CIS between the years of 1994 - 2011 with a break in the late 1990s, when he was Higher Education Adviser to Dr David Kemp, Federal Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs.

Andrew also has a personal website http://andrewnorton.info Please note that the views expressed on his website are not necessarily endorsed by the CIS.

Publications by Author

  1. FEATURE: A Limited Licence to Campaign

    Andrew Norton | 06 Feb 2012 | POLICY Magazine

    Restrictions on third-party campaigning will undermine Australian liberal democracy.

  2. BOOK REVIEW: Robust Political Economy: Classical Liberalism and the Future of Public Policy

    Andrew Norton | 20 Aug 2011 | POLICY Magazine

    Robust Political Economy: Classical Liberalism and the Future of Public Policy by Mark Pennington (Edward Elgar Publishing,... Read More...

  3. Democracy and Money: The Dangers of Campaign Finance Reform

    Andrew Norton | 02 Jun 2011 | Policy Monographs

    Campaign finance reform is presented as improving Australian democracy and government by limiting ‘undue influence’.... Read More...

  4. REVIEW ESSAY: Separating Marriage and State

    Andrew Norton | 01 Sep 2010 | POLICY Magazine

    Untying the Knot: Marriage, the State, and the Case for Their Divorce By Tamara Metz (Princeton University Press, 2010.)

  5. BOOK REVIEW: The Marketplace of Ideas: Reform and Resistance in the American University

    Andrew Norton | 17 Jun 2010 | POLICY Magazine

    The Marketplace of Ideas: Reform and Resistance in the American University by Louis Menand (W. W. Norton, 2010.)

  6. FEATURE: The Complex Politics of Climate Change

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 2009 | POLICY Magazine

    The public's aspirations for climate change policy are not matched by their willingness to act.

  7. FEATURE: What Do Economic Liberals Believe?

    Andrew Norton | 15 Sep 2009 | POLICY Magazine

    There is more diversity of opinion among economic liberals than terms like ‘free-market fundamentalism’.

  8. Diminishing Democracy: The Threat Posed by Political Expenditure Laws

    Andrew Norton | 31 Jul 2009 | Issue Analysis

    Electoral law reforms nearing a Senate vote risk making political activists inadvertent lawbreakers, deterring financial... Read More...

  9. OPINION: Can A Third of a Higher Education Reform Work?

    Andrew Norton | 04 Jun 2009 | POLICY Magazine

    The government's demand-driven higher education funding policy is only one of three market elements needed.

  10. REVIEW ESSAY: On Liberty at 150

    Andrew Norton | 04 Jun 2009 | POLICY Magazine

    On Liberty by John Stuart Mill (Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Penguin Books and many other publishers:... Read More...

  11. Fixing Prices: Why Vouchers Won't Work While Governments Set Fees

    Andrew Norton | 11 Feb 2009 | Issue Analysis

    The Bradley report is another chapter in the long story of pricing neglect in higher education. The report should have gone... Read More...

  12. BOOK REVIEW: The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies

    Andrew Norton | 15 Sep 2008 | POLICY Magazine

    The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies by Bryan Caplan (Princeton University Press, 2007).

  13. OPINION: The OECD Cringe

    Andrew Norton | 04 Jun 2008 | POLICY Magazine

    Australian policy should be judged by our own priorities and circumstances, not the OECD average.

  14. OPINION: The Chilling Effect of Political Expenditure Laws

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2008 | POLICY Magazine

    New laws requiring disclosure of political expenditure discourage debate and political participation.

  15. FEATURE: Six Social Policy Myths

    Andrew Norton, Jennifer Buckingham, Jeremy Sammut, Peter Saunders, Phil Rennie | 03 Mar 2008 | POLICY Magazine

    Policy experts often think alike, even when the evidence contradicts them. This is how billions of dollars get spent on government... Read More...

  16. FEATURE: The End of Industrial Relations Reform

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 2007 | POLICY Magazine

    WorkChoices polling revealed the political dangers of industrial relations reform.

  17. Mismatch: Australia’s Graduates and the Job Market

    Andrew Norton | 23 Mar 2007 | Issue Analysis

    The Commonwealth-directed higher education system has produced a mismatch between available graduates and jobs. Australia’s... Read More...

  18. FEATURE SUPPLEMENT: The Classical Liberal Constituency

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2007 | POLICY Magazine

    Is there a constituency for classical liberal or libertarian politics?

  19. EDITORIAL: POLICY Autumn 2007

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2007 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Autumn 2007.

  20. FEATURE: The Rise of Big Government Conservatism

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 2006 | POLICY Magazine

    The centre-right's policy agenda killed hopes of smaller government.

  21. BOOK REVIEW: Political Parties In Transition?

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2006 | POLICY Magazine

    Political Parties in Transition Edited by Ian Marsh (The Federation Press, 2006).

  22. INTERVIEW: In Defence of Global Liberalism

    Andrew Norton | 07 Jul 2006 | POLICY Magazine

    Andrew Norton talks to Johan Norberg, writer of In Defence of Gobal Capitalism and 'freelance free-marketeer'.

  23. FEATURE: Disliking Making a Fuss

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2006 | POLICY Magazine

    Underlying racial prejudice in Australia is held in check by tolerance.

  24. INTERVIEW: The CIS at Thirty

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2006 | POLICY Magazine

    Andrew Norton interviews Executive Director Greg Lindsay on the CIS' work and influence.

  25. HELPless: How the FEE-HELP Loans System Lets Students Down and How to Fix it

    Andrew Norton | 27 Feb 2006 | Issue Analysis

    Three new loans schemes were introduced in 2005 to fix omissions in the HECS system, but a more realistic FEE-HELP loan... Read More...

  26. REVIEW ESSAY: The Mystic Social Scientist

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2005 | POLICY Magazine

    Affluenz: When Too Much is Never Enough By Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss (Allen & Unwin, 2005).

  27. The Free Market Case Against Voluntary Student Unionism (But for Voluntary Student Representation)

    Andrew Norton | 31 Aug 2005 | Issue Analysis

    The federal government plans to introduce ‘voluntary student unionism’ (VSU) into Australia’s universities by banning... Read More...

  28. FEATURE: The Politics of industrial Relations Reform

    Andrew Norton | 07 Jul 2005 | POLICY Magazine

    The pragmatic Australia electorate will be convinced by workplace results.

  29. Universities in a State: The Federal Case Against Commonwealth Control of Universities

    Andrew Norton | 24 Mar 2005 | Issue Analysis

    The Commonwealth Education Minister, Brendan Nelson, has suggested that the federal government assume full legal responsibility... Read More...

  30. EDITORIAL: Spring 2004

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2004 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Spring 2004.

  31. BOOK REVIEW: The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2004 | POLICY Magazine

    The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse by Gregg Easterbrook (Random House, 2003.)

  32. Will You Still Vote for Me in the Morning? Why Politicians Aren’t Rushing to Increase Taxes

    Andrew Norton | 16 Jul 2004 | Policy Monographs

    Norton’s review of the evidence does not indicate the existence of a population keen to pay more tax. The politicians know... Read More...

  33. FEATURE: The Politics of Protection: Public Opinion Can Favour Liberalising Trade

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 2004 | POLICY Magazine

    Protectionist sentiment in Australia does not run as deep as it is commonly believed, for public attitudes to freer trade... Read More...

  34. FEATURE: Quality of Life

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 2003 | POLICY Magazine

    Opinion polls showing pessimism about the economic reforms of the past two decades should not be taken at face value.

  35. BOOK REVIEW: The Liberal Archipelago: A Theory of Diversity and Freedom

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 2003 | POLICY Magazine

    The Liberal Archipelago: A Theory of Diversity and Freedom by Chandran Kukathas (Oxford University Press, 2003.)

  36. REVIEW ESSAY: A Manifesto for Misery

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2003 | POLICY Magazine

    Growth Fetish by Clive Hamilton (Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2003).

  37. Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Dr Nelson Mixes Price Flexibility and Rigid Quotas

    Andrew Norton | 18 Jun 2003 | Issue Analysis

    Education Minister Dr Brendan Nelson’s proposed reforms of higher education will improve the quality of Australian higher... Read More...

  38. REVIEW ESSAY: The Impossible Pusey

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 2003 | POLICY Magazine

    The Experience of Middle Australia: The Dark Side of Economic Reform by Michael Pusey (Cambridge University, 2003).

  39. Michael in a Muddle: Michael Pusey’s Bungled Attack on Economic Reform

    Andrew Norton | 09 May 2003 | Issue Analysis

    Andrew Norton reveals many serious errors of fact and logic in his detailed critique of Michael Pusey's new book, The Experience... Read More...

  40. Student Debt: A HECS on Fertility?

    Andrew Norton | 02 Apr 2003 | Issue Analysis

    Opponents of university fees are tapping into concern about declining fertility levels by arguing that there may be a link... Read More...

  41. INTERVIEW: The Man With the Campus Keys

    Andrew Norton | 09 Mar 2003 | POLICY Magazine

    Now in his third country of residence, university Vice Chancellor Steven Schwartz explains how Australian reforms in higher... Read More...

  42. BOOK REVIEW: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2003 | POLICY Magazine

    The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker (Viking Penguin, 2002).

  43. BOOK REVIEW: Does Education Matter?

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 2002 | POLICY Magazine

    Does Education Matter? Myths About Education and Economic Growth by Alison Wolf (Penguin Books, 2002.)

  44. The Unchained University

    Andrew Norton | 19 Nov 2002 | Policy Monographs

    Australia's universities are not preparing students adequately for their futures.  Report author and higher education expert... Read More...

  45. INTERVIEW: Back To Human Nature?

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2002 | POLICY Magazine

    Francis Fukuyama, internationally renowned philosopher and author of the recently released book, Our Posthuman Future: Consequence... Read More...

  46. COMMENT: The Equality Project

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2002 | POLICY Magazine

    A steadfast commitment to equality of outcomes is one of the Left's defining characteristics. But it is politically unrealistic,... Read More...

  47. BOOK REVIEW: The Price of Prosperity: The Economic and Social Costs of Unemployment

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2002 | POLICY Magazine

    The Price of Prosperity: The Economic and Social Costs of Unemployment Edited by Peter Saunders and Richard Taylor (UNSW... Read More...

  48. BOOK REVIEW: Inspiring Economics: Human Motivation In Political Economy

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 2002 | POLICY Magazine

    Inspiring Economics: Human Motivation in Political Economy by Bruno Fey (Edward Elgar, 2001.)

  49. FEATURE: The Market For Tradition

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2002 | POLICY Magazine

    Creating markets in higher education would allow both a 'traditionalist' university education and more vocationally-orientated... Read More...

  50. BOOK REVIEW: The Wellbeing of Nations: The Role of Human and Social Capital

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 2001 | POLICY Magazine

    The Well-being of Nations: The Role of Human and Social Capital by Tom Healy and Sylvain Côté (OECD, 2001.)

  51. BOOK REVIEW: The Virtue of Prosperity

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2001 | POLICY Magazine

    The Virtue of Prosperity: Finding Values in an age of Techno-Affluence by Dinesh D'Souza (The Free Press, 2000.)

  52. BOOK REVIEW: Creating Unequal Futures: Rethinking Poverty, Inequality and Disadvantage

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 2001 | POLICY Magazine

    Creating Unequal Futures: Rethinking Poverty, Inequality and Disadvantage Edited by Ruth Fincher and Peter Saunders (Allen... Read More...

  53. INTERVIEW: Seeing the Bigger Picture: The Value of Economic History

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2001 | POLICY Magazine

    Andrew Norton interviews Eric Jones, one of the world's most prominent economic historians.

  54. COMMENT: The Market for Social Capital

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2001 | POLICY Magazine

    Is there creative destruction in society as well as in the economy, with the new driving out some of the old?

  55. BOOK REVIEW: Exasperating Calculators

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2001 | POLICY Magazine

    Exasperating Calculators: The Rage Over Economic Rationalism and the Campaign Against Australian Economists by William Coleman... Read More...

  56. BOOK REVIEW:The Enterprise University: Power, Governance and Reinvention in Australia

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 2000 | POLICY Magazine

    The Enterprise University: Power, Governance and Reinvention in Australia by Simon Marginson and Mark Considine (Cambridge... Read More...

  57. FEATURE: Getting Past The Cost

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2000 | POLICY Magazine

    Contrary to popular belief, deregulation of higher education would improve not reduce access to a university education for... Read More...

  58. BOOK REVIEW: Capitalism, Democracy and Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 2000 | POLICY Magazine

    Capitalism, Democracy and Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery by John Mueller (Princeton University Press, 1999.)

  59. Degrees of Difficulty: The Labour Market Problems of Arts and Social Science Graduates

    Andrew Norton | 19 Jul 2000 | Issue Analysis

    That the Australian higher education system is comprehensively rigged against students is evident from the current oversupply... Read More...

  60. COMMENT: The Struggle For Thought

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 2000 | POLICY Magazine

    Arts degrees are touchy subjects as Andrew Norton found upon the release of Degrees of Difficulty, a CIS paper examining... Read More...

  61. BOOK REVIEW: The Big Test: The Secret History of American Reritocracy

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 2000 | POLICY Magazine

    The Big Test: The Secret History of American Meritocracy by Nicholas Lemann (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.)

  62. SPECIAL FEATURE: Liberalising Learning: An Overview

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 2000 | POLICY Magazine

    Three Bert Kelly Lectures on higher education reform.

  63. COMMENT: The Welfare State- Depreciating Australia's Social Capital?

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1998 | POLICY Magazine

    Large-scale bureaucracies have difficulty providing highly personalised services; not just for reasons of their size but... Read More...

  64. BOOK REVIEW: Not Just for the Money: An Economic Theory of Personal Motivation

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    Not Just for the Money: An Economic Theory of Personal Motivation by Bruno S. Frey (Edward Elgar Publishing, 1997.)

  65. Social Capital: The Individual, Civil Society and the State

    Andrew Norton | 01 Dec 1997 | Policy Forum

    The concept of 'social capital' meaning roughly the network of conventions supporting trust and social co-oreration, has... Read More...

  66. EDITORIAL: Spring 1997

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Spring 1997.

  67. FEATURE: The Moral Habit

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    An interview with James Q. Wilson.

  68. BOOK REVIEW: Class in Australia

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    Class in Australia by Craig McGregor (Penguin Books, 1997.)

  69. EDITORIAL: Winter 1997

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine issue Winter 1997.

  70. FEATURE: Culture and Capitalism

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    Thomas Sowell speaks to Andrew Norton.

  71. BOOK NOTES: When Strangers Cooperate: Using Social Conventions to Govern Ourselves

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    When Strangers Cooperate: Using Social Conventions to Govern Ourselves by David W. Brown (The Free Press, 1996.)

  72. EDITORIAL: Autumn 1997

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Issue Autumn 1997.

  73. BOOK REVIEW: Unhealthy Societies: The Affliction of Inequality

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    Unhealthy Societies: The Affliction of Inequality by Richard G. Wilkinson (Routledge, 1996.)

  74. BOOK NOTES: Economic Socialization

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1997 | POLICY Magazine

    Economic Socialization: The Economic Beliefs and Behaviours of Young People edited by Peter Lunt and Adrian Furnham (Edward... Read More...

  75. EDITORIAL: Summer 1996

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine issue Summer 1996.

  76. INTERVIEW: Hayden: An Interview

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Bill Hayden, Governor-General of Australia from 1989 to 1996, speaks to Andrew Norton.

  77. Markets, Morals and Community

    A. Hamlin, Andrew Norton, Herbert Giersch | 10 Oct 1996 | Occasional Papers

    Markets, Morals and Community contains three essays. Alan Hamlin's 'The Moral of the Market' looks at various ways in which... Read More...

  78. Markets, Morals and Community

    Andrew Norton | 01 Oct 1996 | Occasional Papers

    Few people today doubt the market’s contribution to prosperity, but still there are powerful intellectual traditions opposing... Read More...

  79. EDITORIAL: Spring 1996

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Spring 1996.

  80. BOOK REVIEW: Moral Politics: What Conservatives Know That Liberals Don't

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Moral Politics: What Conservatives Know That Liberals Don't by George Lakoff (University of Chicago Press, 1996.)

  81. EDITORIAL: Winter 1996

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Winter 1996 edition.

  82. FEATURE: The CIS At Twenty

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Greg Lindsay talks to Andrew Norton on the 20th anniversary of the Centre for Independent Studies.

  83. BOOK NOTES: Winter 1996

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Liberalism and Community by Steven Kautz (Cornell University Press, 1995.) In an Age of Experts: The Changing Role of Professionals... Read More...

  84. EDITORIAL: Autumn 1996

    Andrew Norton | 09 Apr 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Autumn 1996.

  85. FEATURE: Nationality, Utility, Liberty

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Andrew Norton talks to Greg Melleuish and Chandran Kukathas about the nature of Australian Liberalism and the challenges... Read More...

  86. BOOK REVIEW: Capitalism: A Social Audit

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1996 | POLICY Magazine

    Capitalism: A Social Audit by Peter Saunders (Open University Press, 1995.)

  87. INTERVIEW: Can Individualism Survive In A Collectivist Age?

    Andrew Norton, Kenneth Minogue | 12 Dec 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    Kenneth Minogue, a political theorist with a long-time interest in liberalism, talks to Andrew Norton

  88. BOOK REVIEW: Social Networks and Job Acquisition in Ethnic Communities in South Australia

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    Social Networks and Job Acquisition in Ethnic Communities in South Australia by Edgar Carson (Australian Government Publishing... Read More...

  89. EDITORIAL: Spring 1995

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine issue Spring 1995.

  90. FEATURE: Brigitte Berger's Cautious Conservatism

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    After speaking with Brigitte Berger, the 1995 John Bonython Lecturer, Policy editor Andrew Norton analyses her distinctive... Read More...

  91. BOOK REVIEW: The War of the Words: The Political Correctness Debate

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    The War of the Words: The Political Correctness Debate edited by Sarah Dunant (Virago Press, 1994.)

  92. BOOK NOTES: Spring 1995

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    A Federal Republic: Australia's Constitutional System of Government by Brian Galligan (Cambridge University Press, 1995.) Common... Read More...

  93. EDITORIAL: Winter 1995

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Winter 1995 issue.

  94. FEATURE: Electronic Social Justice

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    Australian ideas about the information have-nots.

  95. BOOK NOTES: Winter 1995

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    The Australian Political System by David W. Lovell, Ian McAllister, William Maley and Chandran Kukathas (Longman, 1995.) Macroeconomics... Read More...

  96. FEATURE: Conservative Without A Cause?

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    Andrew Norton talks with Peter Coleman, a longtime observer of and participant in Australian intellectual, cultural and... Read More...

  97. BOOK REVIEW: Conditions of Liberty: Civil Society and Its Rivals

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1995 | POLICY Magazine

    Conditions of Liberty: Civil Society and Its Rivals by Ernest Gellner (Hamish Hamilton, 1994.)

  98. EDITORIAL: Summer 1994

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 1994 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Summer 1994 issue.

  99. REVIEW: Where to for Welfare?

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 1994 | POLICY Magazine

    Sustaining the welfare state remains a major problem. Welfare and Inequality: National and International Perspectives on... Read More...

  100. COMMENT: The Decline of Economics in Schools

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 1994 | POLICY Magazine

    The decline of economics in schools: the possible causes and implications of the decline, as wellk as strategies to increase... Read More...

  101. EDITORIAL: Spring 1994

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1994 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Spring 1994.

  102. FEATURE: An Interview with Conor Cruise O'Brien

    Andrew Norton | 09 Sep 1994 | POLICY Magazine

    Nationalism, the Republic and what Edmund Burke would have thought of it all.

  103. EDITORIAL: Policy Winter 1994

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1994 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for Policy Magazine Winter 1994.

  104. REVIEW ARTICLE: Civic Community and Modern Democracy

    Andrew Norton | 06 Jun 1994 | POLICY Magazine

    Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy by Robert D. Putnam, Robert Leonardi and Raffaella Y. Nanetti (Princeton... Read More...

  105. EDITORIAL: Policy Autumn 1994

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1994 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for Policy Magazine Autumn 1994 Issue.

  106. EDITORIAL: Summer 1993

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 1993 | POLICY Magazine

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Summer 1993 issue.

  107. BOOK REVIEW: The Idea of Civil Society

    Andrew Norton | 12 Dec 1993 | POLICY Magazine

    The Idea of Civil Society by Adam Seligman (The Free Press, New York, 1992.)

  108. BOOK REVIEW: The Scope of Spontaneous Order

    Andrew Norton | 03 Mar 1992 | POLICY Magazine

    Order- With or Without Design? Selections from F. A. Hayek's Contribution to the Theory and Application of Spontaneous Orders... Read More...

  109. EDITORIAL: Summer 1994

    Andrew Norton | 30 Nov -0001

    Editorial for POLICY Magazine Summer 1994.

Opinion & Commentary by Author

  1. Artful dodges

    Andrew Norton | 26 Jul 2011 | The Age

    Pragmatic politics alone suggest that Australian governments will rarely lift spending per higher education student, in the... Read More

  2. Paying for higher education is not popular

    Andrew Norton | 28 Jun 2011 | The Age

    Paying more for higher education is not popular but extra places could be provided in lower-cost teaching-only institutions.

  3. Donation disclosure a first step to intimidation

    Andrew Norton | 03 Jun 2011 | ABC News

    The donations disclosure threshold needs to balance competing policy considerations.

  4. Campaign xenophobia driven by foreign donations ban

    Andrew Norton | 03 Jun 2011 | Crikey

    Almost everyone in mainstream politics says they oppose xenophobia, but foreigners have few friends among advocates of campaign... Read More

  5. Campaign bans muzzle debate

    Andrew Norton | 02 Jun 2011 | The Australian

    Third-party campaigns are one of the checks and balances of a liberal democratic political system.

  6. Demand driven only if it suits

    Andrew Norton | 01 Jun 2011 | The Australian

    Gillard rightly denies that her demand-driven system was a voucher system but doesn’t push for choice and competition.

  7. Not all teaching is a qualified success

    Andrew Norton | 24 May 2011 | The Age

    Though formal education qualifications play an increasing role in labour markets, employer judgments remain critical in most... Read More

  8. When it comes to university funding, the important thing now is to ensure the price is right

    Andrew Norton | 12 Apr 2011 | The Age

    The federal government has introduced legislation for a Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, to replace a decentralised... Read More

  9. Bureaucracy threatens academic freedom

    Andrew Norton | 22 Feb 2011 | The Age

    A tertiary education regulator will directly involve a government agency in academic affairs for the first time. It puts... Read More

  10. Dangerous developments for democracy?

    Andrew Norton | 10 Feb 2011 | Online Opinion

    Depending on our own policy views, interest group successes can look like policy failures. But we should think very carefully... Read More

  11. Rewriting the formula on fairness

    Andrew Norton | 30 Nov 2010 | The Age

    In trying to help disadvantaged students get to uni are we making the system unfair?

  12. A buyer's market

    Andrew Norton | 02 Nov 2010 | The Age

    We should trust in the wisdom of the crowd to guide the direction of Australia's higher education.

  13. Let's avoid the OECD cringe

    Andrew Norton | 05 Oct 2010 | The Age

    Don't let international comparisons become the only benchmarks for our higher education funding policies.

  14. Graduates can afford to top up funding

    Andrew Norton | 08 Sep 2010 | The Australian

    In higher education, the key issue of funding rate per student remains unresolved.

  15. In search of that last small step

    Andrew Norton | 31 Aug 2010 | The Age

    In abolishing controls on higher education student numbers, the two parties are coming very close to a reform that combines... Read More

  16. Putting a case for fee deregulation

    Andrew Norton | 25 Aug 2010 | The Australian

    On the key issue of  funding per student, Julia Gillard's legacy as education minister is uncertain, says Andrew Norton... Read More

  17. Funding policy revamp a question of balance

    Andrew Norton | 20 Jan 2010 | The Australian

    Australian universities will face challenges to keep courses open while meeting funding criteria.

  18. Battle for ownership of broad non-Labour church

    Andrew Norton | 21 Dec 2009 | The Australian

    Malcolm Turnbull’s downfall as Liberal leader was an unusual event for right-of-centre Australian politics. A central cause... Read More

  19. Government is playing petty politics on foreign donations

    Andrew Norton | 03 Aug 2009

    This hasn’t been a good year for political donors with Chinese connections. Former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon’s... Read More

  20. New donation laws are bad news for NGOs

    Andrew Norton | 31 Jul 2009

    Talk of banning political donations, or banning corporate and union political donations, should have Australia’s non-government... Read More

  21. Threat to political minnows

    Andrew Norton | 31 Jul 2009 | The Australian

    Adam Smith, the great 18th century economist and philosopher, famously observed that people of the same trade rarely get... Read More

  22. The gap between us

    Andrew Norton | 20 May 2009 | The Australian

    At the budget lock-up for education last week, vice-chancellors and ministers enjoyed some rare moments of unity. Ministers... Read More

  23. No point in Bradley's vouchers

    Andrew Norton | 11 Feb 2009 | The Australian

    There is no point in the Bradley Review’s voucher scheme without deregulation. 

  24. Modest gains but at a price

    Andrew Norton | 07 Jan 2009 | The Australian

    The Bradley report is hardly a ringing call for transformation.

  25. Amenities return, wrapped in red tape

    Andrew Norton | 12 Nov 2008 | The Australian

    `Never choose a simple scheme when there is a complex alternative' seems to be the motto of Australian higher education policymakers.... Read More

  26. Supply and demand formula for universities is failing

    Andrew Norton | 06 Oct 2008 | The Age

    Around Australia, the first applications for next year's university places are now in. Unfortunately, for university applicants,... Read More

  27. Protectionist Ploy A Blast From The Past

    Andrew Norton | 11 Jun 2008 | The Australian

    Private providers of higher education have been assisted by the extension of the FEE-HELP loan scheme that lets their Australian... Read More

  28. Suitable jobs better for HECS debtors

    Andrew Norton | 23 Apr 2008 | The Australian

    Of all the suggestions coming out of the 2020 Summit's productivity stream, a community corps financed from HECS-HELP attracted... Read More

  29. Unis should kill their funding proposal

    Andrew Norton | 10 Mar 2008 | The Australian Financial Review

    The finance industry has long had its eye on student debt, which reached $14.5 billion last year. They wanted to buy this... Read More

  30. Labor may not get the revolution it was counting on

    Andrew Norton | 29 Nov 2007 | The Australian

    For universities, there is one crucial fact about the 2007 election campaign to remember: neither party promised to make... Read More

  31. Cost of New Loans Trivial

    Andrew Norton | 06 Aug 2007 | The Australian Financial Review

    In 2005, the system of income-contingent loans that began with HECS in 1989 was extended to Australian students in private... Read More

  32. Opening Go8s to the market benefits all

    Andrew Norton | 21 Jun 2007 | The Australian

    Call it the Telstra theory of higher education competition. According to Greg Craven from Curtin University, we shouldn't... Read More

  33. Places left untouched by reform

    Andrew Norton | 16 May 2007 | The Australian

    The $5 billion Higher Education Endowment Fund announced in last week's budget gives the Government what it has long lacked:... Read More

  34. University policy needs a free-market approach

    Andrew Norton | 07 May 2007 | The Australian Financial Review

    More than 50 years ago, the late American economist Milton Friedman proposed combining the dynamism of the market with the... Read More

  35. First class, but the fare's fair

    Andrew Norton | 05 Apr 2007 | The Age

    Overseas students pay tens of thousands of dollars to study at Victorian universities, but one expense, of up to $76 a month,... Read More

  36. Perverse incentives strip us of our skills

    Andrew Norton | 04 Apr 2007 | The Canberra Times

    If you have had trouble finding a dentist recently, or been affected by construction projects that cannot employ enough... Read More

  37. Graduate supply fails to match jobs demand

    Andrew Norton | 27 Mar 2007 | The Newcastle Herald

    THIS year more than 170,000 Australians will enrol in an undergraduate course, yet according to academics and politicians... Read More

  38. A degree of dissatisfaction

    Andrew Norton | 23 Mar 2007 | The Courier Mail

    The annual offers for university places bring joy for many but disappointment for others, whose applications find no takers.

  39. Rudd pins his faith on remissions

    Andrew Norton | 07 Feb 2007 | The Australian

    Labor is promising an "education revolution" but its higher education policy so far looks more like a counter-revolution.

  40. Howard a social democrat in disguise

    Andrew Norton | 29 Jan 2007 | The Courier Mail

    In his first speech to Parliament as Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd compared John Howard's government unfavourably with the... Read More

  41. PM should think small

    Andrew Norton | 13 Jan 2007 | The Weekend Australian

    Around the English-speaking world, right-of-centre parties have replaced small-government liberalism with big-government... Read More

  42. Funding system is broken

    Andrew Norton | 28 Aug 2006 | The Age

    The annual release of the Good Universities Guide, with its estimates of how much each full-fee course costs, is becoming... Read More

  43. Fees don't dictate uni choices

    Andrew Norton | 14 Aug 2006 | The Age

    Labor's higher education policy contains much that is new, but one proposal is a return to the past: to take most students... Read More

  44. Showcasing Unis when price is right

    Andrew Norton | 24 Apr 2006 | The Age

    Many critics of universities complain that commerce is put ahead of education. To them, generalist degrees are being replaced... Read More

  45. Loan help half baked

    Andrew Norton | 27 Feb 2006 | The Age

    Everyone agrees that there are too few doctors. So, two weeks ago, the Prime Minister and the premiers agreed on a plan to... Read More

  46. One cap does not fit all in HECS debt

    Andrew Norton | 27 Feb 2006 | The Australian Financial Review

    Any lender writing off 20 per cent of its loans has a serious problem. So it is not surprising that the federal government... Read More

  47. Comrade Nelson v Adam Nelson

    Andrew Norton | 25 Jan 2006 | The Australian

    That Brendan Nelson was a busy higher education policymaker nobody can doubt, but it is hard to be sure what his legacy will... Read More

  48. If there is prejudice, there is also tolerance

    Andrew Norton | 22 Dec 2005 | The Australian

    Has a riot revealed a racist nation? A poll published this week showed that three-quarters of us believe, contrary to what... Read More

  49. Fee hikes fit in with Libs' ideal

    Andrew Norton | 14 Dec 2005 | The Australian

    Last Friday's surprise passing of the voluntary student unionism legislation means that for at least 18 months - from the... Read More

  50. A neat strategy to save uni student services

    Andrew Norton | 04 Sep 2005 | The Canberra Times

    A round the country, student associations and universities are fighting hard against the Federal Government's voluntary student... Read More

  51. Blind to their Best Option

    Andrew Norton | 29 Aug 2005 | The Age

    In the voluntary student unionism (VSU) controversy, every student union in the country is passionately advocating a completely... Read More

  52. Parties in a state of voluntary confusion

    Andrew Norton | 13 Aug 2005

    `The Liberals are spending political capital to abolish a near redundant fee'

  53. Perth merger good for academics, not for students

    Andrew Norton | 02 Jul 2005 | The Australian Financial Review

    Fifteen years ago, driven by hoped- for economies of scale, a wave of mergers swept through Australian higher education.... Read More

  54. Smarter way to survive

    Andrew Norton | 22 Jun 2005 | The Australian

    Australia 's vice-chancellors love to complain. If it's not a lack of money it is too much red tape or, as John Mullarvey,... Read More

  55. Excessive bureaucracy stifles uni flexibility

    Andrew Norton | 18 Apr 2005 | The Australian Financial Review

    Brendan Nelson isn't pleased that, apparently, someone was admitted to a teaching course despite very poor Year 12 results.... Read More

  56. Leave uni governance in hands of the states

    Andrew Norton | 31 Mar 2005 | The Newcastle Herald

    With universities, the Commonwealth Government has itself an exceptional pay less, get more deal. While its share of university... Read More

  57. Scrap this outdated fee

    Andrew Norton | 23 Mar 2005 | The Australian

    As many media reports on voluntary student unionism have pointed out, supporters of the Government's legislation to abolish... Read More

  58. Raising tax threshold will restore incentives

    Andrew Norton | 21 Feb 2005 | The Australian Financial Review

    Parents choose private schools for many reasons, but among them is the belief that more private school students go to university,... Read More

  59. More options in full-fee places

    Andrew Norton | 31 Jan 2005 | The Age

    For seven years Australian universities have enrolled local full-fee under-graduates but the controversy surrounding them... Read More

  60. Relax, unis aren't short of students

    Andrew Norton | 07 Jan 2005 | The Australian

    Without overseas students, Australia 's universities would have shrunk last year. The total number of Australians at university... Read More

  61. Time to take the politicking out of pricing

    Andrew Norton | 23 Aug 2004 | The Australian Financial Review

    The ALP’s fiery attacks on Dr Nelson’s higher education reforms hide how similar their policies are. Both are interventionist... Read More

  62. Campuses at your service

    Andrew Norton | 11 Aug 2004 | The Australian

    As a final provocation to the leftist National Union of Students before the federal election, the government last week re-started... Read More

  63. Cautious route on a poll-driven tax bandwagon

    Andrew Norton | 23 Jul 2004 | The Canberra Times

    If opinion polls are to be believed, most voters are now willing to reject tax cuts or accept tax increases, so that the... Read More

  64. Support for spending spree won't last forever

    Andrew Norton | 22 Jul 2004 | The Australian

    At budget time, newspaper commentators puzzled over why, with polls showing voters preferred more health and education spending,... Read More

  65. Best and brightest can afford to pay more

    Andrew Norton | 19 Jul 2004 | The Australian Financial Review

    Natasha Stott Despoja is never slow to make the case against higher education contribution scheme (Hecs) charges. So it was... Read More

  66. Comparison shopping

    Andrew Norton | 16 Jun 2004 | The Australian

    The Coalition's packages offer a better deal for universities and students than Labor's proposals

  67. Uni reform package to benefit students

    Andrew Norton | 20 Jun 2003 | The Canberra Times

    In most political controversies, the Government exaggerates the benefit of its policies, and the Opposition exaggerates the... Read More

  68. Better than the status quo

    Andrew Norton | 21 May 2003 | The Australian

    The proponents of an unfettered free market in higher education would be somewhat disappointed,' Education Minister Brendan... Read More

  69. Higher fees will give students more choice

    Andrew Norton | 16 May 2003 | The Sydney Morning Herald

    During a budget night interview, The 7.30 Report's presenter, Kerry O'Brien, asked the Treasurer, Peter Costello, how he... Read More

  70. HECS not putting hex on parenthood

    Andrew Norton | 04 Apr 2003 | The Newcastle Herald

    Topical issues give new impetus to old agendas, and opponents of university fees are using concern over low and falling fertility... Read More

  71. Leaks look lousy for lingerers - reform starts with naughty students

    Andrew Norton | 26 Feb 2003 | The Australian

    If the leaks from Canberra are to be believed, the Government is planning to track university students through a centralised... Read More

  72. Outdated laws create problems for universities

    Andrew Norton | 21 Nov 2002 | The Courier Mail

    Gloom and Australia's universities are longtime companions. The National Library's catalogue records half a dozen publications... Read More

  73. Can't beat the market so just plunge in, fees first

    Andrew Norton | 09 Oct 2002 | The Australian

    Some years ago I had a left-wing acquaintance whose stock response to all my market-based policy suggestions was 'it's no... Read More

  74. Will higher funding really deliver higher education?

    Andrew Norton | 03 Sep 2002 | The Age

    A curious feature of the current higher education debate is that very little of it is about education as such. A few brief... Read More

  75. Students gain in change

    Andrew Norton | 29 Aug 2002 | The Courier Mail

    Are low-income young people more or less likely to go to university than they were 20 years ago? An article by Peter Spearritt... Read More

  76. Who says uni deregulation is politically unpopular?

    Andrew Norton | 20 Jun 2002 | The Age

    What a difference 2½ years make. In October 1999, after then education minister David Kemp's plans to reform Australia's... Read More

  77. Unfettered deregulation for varsities

    Andrew Norton | 29 Apr 2002 | The Australian Financial Review

    Reserve Bank Governor Ian Macfarlane created headlines recently with his remarks about Australia lacking a university in... Read More

  78. Independent research works best: A think tank within a political party walks a tightrope

    Andrew Norton | 16 Apr 2002 | The Australian

    There has been a media flurry since federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson swiftly rejected a new report on education... Read More

  79. Give choice a chance: Market phobia sees universities clinging to the stable penury of government funding

    Andrew Norton | 13 Mar 2002 | The Australian

    Five years ago, like today, there were signs that commonwealth higher education policy might be changing. On that occasion,... Read More

  80. Uni student quota system is unfair and inefficient

    Andrew Norton | 05 Dec 2001 | The West Australian

    Although the unlucky ones don’t yet know who they are, more young Western Australians than normal seem likely to miss out... Read More

  81. Set our unis free

    Andrew Norton | 21 Nov 2001 | The Australian

    It takes some imagination to describe Australia’s universities as showing ‘clear indications of market failure’, but... Read More

  82. Loss for education before polls closed

    Andrew Norton | 15 Nov 2001 | The Canberra Times

    Even before the polling booths closed on 10 November, the higher education interest groups had lost the election.

  83. Central control dilutes quality

    Andrew Norton | 14 Nov 2001 | The Australian

    The recent Senate report, Universities in Crisis, declared that our universities are experiencing an ‘unmistakable deterioration... Read More

  84. Why education free-for-all doesn't have the numbers

    Andrew Norton | 03 Oct 2001 | The Australian

    Reaction to last week’s Senate report, ‘Universities in Crisis’, shows how tenacious hope can be despite many years... Read More

  85. Knowledge is a costly affair

    Andrew Norton | 03 Jul 2001 | The Australian Financial Review

    The Knowledge Nation Taskforce's comprehensive agenda for upskilling Australia was widely welcomed yesterday. But the ultimate... Read More

  86. Pass the Bucks

    Andrew Norton | 12 Jan 2001 | The Courier Mail

    The idea that Australia’s universities are dumbing down is gaining currency. The latest argument is the widely reported... Read More

  87. Stop Subsidising a Failure

    Andrew Norton | 09 Aug 2000 | The Australian Financial Review

    John Quiggin is a well- known microeconomic reform sceptic, and in these pages last week questioned whether competition was... Read More

  88. A degree of uncertainty

    Andrew Norton | 19 Jul 2000 | The Courier Mail

    We often hear about a crisis in our universities, but the crisis is older and deeper in Arts faculties than elsewhere.

  89. What’s fair about defining disadvantage?

    Andrew Norton | 30 Nov -0001 | Melbourne University Campus Review

Ideas@TheCentre by Author

  1. Campaign finance reform restricts liberal democracy

    Andrew Norton | 03 Jun 2011 | Ideas@The Centre

    Limiting public criticism and accountability through campaign finance regulation puts too much trust in politicians’ good... Read More

  2. Rigging the campaign finance system

    Andrew Norton | 20 May 2011 | Ideas@The Centre

    Changes to Queensland’s campaign finance legislation are to Labor’s benefit.

  3. Dangerous developments for democracy?

    Andrew Norton | 04 Feb 2011 | Ideas@The Centre

    Restricting non-government spending without controlling government advertising would further imbalance the political system... Read More

  4. HELPing themselves to a free education

    Andrew Norton | 21 Jan 2011 | Ideas@The Centre

    Perpetual students living off the taxpayer is a great tabloid story. But the real HELP story is a perhaps one for the Australian... Read More

  5. Welfare double dipping

    Andrew Norton | 19 Nov 2010 | Ideas@The Centre

    Should welfare recipients be able to claim the expenses of making themselves eligible for welfare?

  6. The Danger of Disfavour

    Andrew Norton | 03 Sep 2010 | Ideas@The Centre

    With the Greens and independent MPs both pushing political donations reform, this looks like one certain outcome of an inconclusive... Read More

  7. Should governments choose their critics?

    Andrew Norton | 05 Feb 2010 | Ideas@The Centre

    Recently, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a law preventing corporations and unions from directly funding... Read More

  8. Technology and big government

    Andrew Norton | 21 Aug 2009 | Ideas@The Centre

    By historical standards, governments in every Western country are big. Most are at least five or six times as large as they... Read More

  9. When dollars defend democracy

    Andrew Norton | 31 Jul 2009 | Ideas@The Centre

    Earlier this week, I attended a forum on ‘dollars and democracy’. Its title reflects concern that political donations... Read More