Austerity



The term austerity indicates a policy of sizeable reduction of government deficits and stabilisation of government debt, achieved by means of spending cuts or tax… Read More ›

Spending Cuts Versus Tax Increases: The Differential Effect of Austerity Plans on the Economy

Peter Fisher, Treasury under-secretary in George W. Bush’s administration, once memorably described the US government as “a gigantic insurance company (with a sideline business in national defense… Read More ›

Why Social Policy Counts

Unexpected bills can be a challenge for any household. But for people who rely on social security payments, the unexpected news of a significant debt… Read More ›

Timing It Wrong: Benefits, Income Tests, Overpayments and Debts

The European Union decided in October 2015 to establish a European Fiscal Board (EFB). The EFB is an “independent advisory board on fiscal matters,” with… Read More ›

The European Fiscal Board: Challenges and Opportunities

The financial hardship of poor working families represents a key policy challenge in many countries. Sue Regan interviews Jane Millar, Professor of Social Policy at… Read More ›

An Interview with Professor Jane Millar, OBE

Budgetary issues in Australia have dominated public policy discussion at the federal level since the 2008-10 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Governments at both national and… Read More ›

Tackling Australia’s Public Debt Problem

This post is the first of a four part series on the topic. The political and media storm about “zero net taxpayers” Following Duncan Storrar’s… Read More ›

Should We Be Worried About “Zero Net Taxpayers”?

Legislative Budget Offices (LBOs) are independent institutions staffed with economists that provide rigorous and non-partisan analysis to legislatures on matters pertaining to the budget. Their… Read More ›

How do we Measure the Success of Legislative Budget Offices?

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