Open markets play a pivotal role in supporting growth and job creation, says a new joint report by the OECD, the International Labor Organization, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. But, it adds, trade opening must be complemented by properly designed domestic policies, including employment and social protection policies to ensure that benefits...

International investment agreements in bilateral treaties or free trade agreements allow investors to bring compensation claims when their investments are hurt by new regulations addressing environmental or other social concerns. Compensation rules such as expropriation clauses in international treaties help solve post-investment moral hazard problems such as hold-ups, thereby helping to prevent inefficient over-regulation and...

This release presents summary statistics on R&D undertaken by Australian businesses during the financial year ended 30 June 2009. During 2008-09, expenditure on R&D by Australian businesses was $16,858 million. Business expenditure on R&D (BERD) increased by 13% in current price terms and 9% in chain volume terms from 2007-08. Business human resources devoted to...

This paper outlines five schools of thought or movements that are beginning to move beyond corporate responsibility (CR) informed by the emerging world view and ‘spiritual turn’ occurring in society.

Tax reform is once again squarely on the Australian policy agenda, with the review of Australia’s Future Tax System (the Henry Review or the review) now under consideration. Although personal income tax has been reshaped over many years and undoubtedly lightened over the past 10 years, those changes have left some of the major failings...