Using a comprehensive dataset of Australian superannuation funds, we examine the relationship between investment fees and fund performance. We find that the most expensive funds produce significantly higher after-fee raw returns than the cheapest funds. The findings suggest that retirement balances will not be worse off if superannuation investors are to hold the more expensive...

In the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, independent operational evaluations focus on individual aid investments. These evaluations are generally managed by DFAT's country and regional programs. This Review of Operational Evaluations examined 35 such evaluations completed in 2014. It is the second Review of Operational Evaluations. The first one examined 87 operational evaluations completed...

The proposed reporting framework is intended to enable the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Services to enhance its performance monitoring work on government service provision (the Report on Government Services) with complementary reporting on what works to improve outcomes for these services.

All education programs are well-intentioned and many of them are highly effective. However, there are usually more ways than one to achieve good educational outcomes for students. When faced with this scenario, how do educators and education policymakers decide which alternative is likely to provide most ‘bang for buck’? There’s also an uncomfortable truth that...

Education ministries throughout the world are integrating educational assessment into their education reform processes. Education reform is not a straight-line activity, and assessment can both inform the discussion on policy reform and give an indication of the effectiveness of policies that have been implemented.