Programs & Projects
The International Economics Program
The International Economics program aims to explain developments in the international economy, and influence policy. It does so by undertaking independent analytical research.
The International Economics program contributes to the Lowy Institute’s core publications: policy briefs and policy analyses. For example, the program contributed the Lowy Institute Paper, John Edwards’ Beyond the Boom, which argued that Australia’s transition away from the commodities boom will be quite smooth.
Experts
Latest publications
News and media
The other income-equality debate
Rock-star economist Thomas Piketty is getting headlines for his book on income distribution, mainly focused on disparities within advanced economies. This might be the moment to…
Currency manipulation and quantitative easing: Rajan vs Bernanke
The long running international squabble about China's management (or 'manipulation') of its exchange rate, quiescent over the past couple of years, has sprung to life again.
The…
The income inequality story: Reviewing Piketty's 'Capital in the Twenty-first Century'
Thomas Piketty's 700-page tome on world income distribution has landed with a resounding thud in the middle of the already noisy debate on income distribution, to unanimous praise…
G20 gives US an ultimatum on IMF reform: But is it a bluff?
The IMF/G20 meetings in Washington last week were not good for the US. And things may get worse.
Instead of focusing on the possibility of additional economic sanctions on Russia,…
Free trade deal: Did Australia just breach Japan's protectionist fortress?
For a trade deal that Prime Minister Abbott says is the most significant since the 1957 post war-trade pact with Japan, there seems to be a lot of whinging.
The trade minister…
What Abbott's business delegation can learn in Japan, Korea and China
Prime Minister Abbott's team for his current visit to Japan, South Korea and China is certainly business-heavy. So too was his warm-up speech, which one observer suggested might…
The three arrows of Abenomics: A report card
Today the Japanese value-added tax (VAT: what Australians call the GST) rises from 5% to 8%. This seemingly mundane event is a key part of the 'Abenomics' program, the effort to…
How not to bail out a country: Bankers still skewing debt debate
One of the many lessons of the 2008 financial crisis is that emergency bailout funding (such as an IMF-orchestrated rescue) seriously distorts the operation of financial markets…
The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Where economics and geopolitics meet
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), repeatedly described as the 21st century platinum-standard trade agreement, is in trouble.
The latest round of negotiations has ended in…
Why Asian economies are not about to repeat the 1997-98 financial crisis
The business press is full of dire predictions about sudden capital outflows from emerging economies, with a growing list of 'fragile' countries. Few commentators can resist…