Australian trade, investment & economy

Economic diplomacy: Looking beyond a 30-year anomaly
Economic diplomacy: Looking beyond a 30-year anomaly
Joining the dotsTim Ayres is a little-known junior minister in the Albanese government. But Ayres nevertheless plays a symbolically significant role in bridging the traditional…
To pick winners, be willing to discard losers
To pick winners, be willing to discard losers
Mainstream economists are unenthusiastic about industrial policy, which is in crude terms seen as the government seeking to pick winners. But the Treasury department – the bastion…
What next for UK trade relations with the EU?
What next for UK trade relations with the EU?
In line with its cautious approach, UK Labour said very little of note on the European Union during the recent election campaign. However, Sir Keir Starmer did state unequivocally…
Economic diplomacy: Ringfencing the Lucky Country
Economic diplomacy: Ringfencing the Lucky Country
Rethinking globalisationBrad Setser brings a useful perspective to the deglobalisation debate in Foreign Affairs this month, chiding those worried that the world as we know it is…
Fibs, squibs, and trading digs
Fibs, squibs, and trading digs
Book review: Why Politicians Lie About Trade … and What You Need to Know About It, by Dmitry Grozoubinski (Canbury Press, 2024)Trade policy tends to fly under the radar most of…
Economic diplomacy: It’s nostalgists vs strategists
Economic diplomacy: It’s nostalgists vs strategists
New binaries Australian economic leaders have a double-edged history of trying to redefine their opponents out of the political debate from Paul Keating’s “straightmen, fixers…
Ensuring the “Future Made in Australia Act” doesn’t add to a global subsidy arms race
Ensuring the “Future Made in Australia Act” doesn’t add to a global subsidy arms race
The “Future Made in Australia Act” set out by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signifies a shift from a neoliberal to a mission-driven approach, aiming to tackle grand challenges…
Economic diplomacy: Made in Australia with new energy
Economic diplomacy: Made in Australia with new energy
Elbows out Is there a better case study in the curious politics of geo-economic fragmentation than Australia’s latest effort to revive manufacturing? Prime Minister Anthony…
Economic diplomacy: Hanging on in ASEAN
Economic diplomacy: Hanging on in ASEAN
Passing lane Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Southeast Asia is “where Australia's future lies” and Treasurer Jim Chalmers says even more enthusiastically that …
Reverse colonialism? India and Britain’s free trade agreements
Reverse colonialism? India and Britain’s free trade agreements
As elections loom, India is in free trade agreement mode. Hot on the heels of announcing the signing of a “landmark” deal with a group of non-EU European countries, India has also…