Person

Justin O'Brien

Working paper

A question of trust: post-truth paradigms and the challenge to financial regulation

This resource provides an extended analysis of proposed changes to the Australian Bankers Association Code of Conduct. It argues that despite rhetorical commitment to a social licence to operate, the lack of an explicit normative dimension undermines authority and legitimacy.
Working paper

Sovereign Wealth Funds: the good guy investment actors

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) have been portrayed in some quarters as potential bad guys in global financial markets due to their supposed political as opposed to commercial intentions and influence. However, two key international developments during and since the 2008/2009 Global Financial Crisis have prompted...
Working paper

Foreign investment law and policy in Australia: a critical analysis

Under Australia’s foreign investment review framework all foreign governments and their related entities should notify the federal government and gain approval before making a direct investment in Australia regardless of the value of that investment. Yet can Australia’s current policy settings be maintained in their...
Working paper

China: investing in the world

It is clear that China has emerged as a key investment actor in the current global milieu. What is not so clear is why this is so. This paper adds an historical perspective to the state capital story by examining China’s trade and investment patterns...
Working paper

The global impact of state capital

This paper examines the nature of state capital, its increasing prevalence and impacts in the global economy, and the implications of current state capital trends for Australia. The paper classifies several key state capital actors and maps their scale, scope and investment strategies in both...