Evidence-based’ policy is all the rage in Canberra, yet policymakers are not testing their ideas to see if they will work before rolling them out, unproven, at taxpayers’ expense. This author argues that randomised trials are the epitome of rational inquiry: they can establish whether a causal effect has occurred and thus prove whether government...

The islands of the Pacific are in some cases prsoperous with good economies and education systems while others experience widespread illiteracy and some of the highest population growth rates in the world.The Pacific is bipolar, on almost every available indicator, the Pacific’s development path is split in two. One group of Pacific islands, including Samoa...

Sinclair Davidson examines the arguments for corporate taxation and concludes that flawed assumptions are propping up Australia’s corporate tax rates. Australian corporate taxation is highly concentrated, with many corporates not paying any tax at all or paying very low rates of tax, while a small number pay a high level of tax. The corporate tax...

• Child care is said to be a public good because it supposedly has developmental and academic benefits for children, and increases female labour-force participation and therefore economic growth. Numerous reports state unequivocally—but often without providing supporting evidence—that more women would work if child care was cheaper and more easily available. • The 2007 CIS...

In a time when governments are running up enormous welfare bills and intrusively regulating everyday life, this series of essays reminds us that many people do not need to rely on the government to survive.In a time when governments are running up enormous welfare bills and intrusively regulating everyday life, a series of essays by...