Austerity



At nearly 500 pages, Rick Morton’s Mean Streak provides a detailed account of the development and collapse of the robodebt scheme, which started in 2014… Read More ›

‘The Social Engineering of Shame’: Rick Morton’s Mean Streak Exposes the Populism Behind the Unlawful Robodebt Scheme

With all the talk of restraint and fiscal responsibility, you may have missed that this was also Australia’s first wellbeing budget. Measuring wellbeing reflects a… Read More ›

[October Budget 2022] Australia’s First Wellbeing Budget Leaves People Behind

The past decade has seen heightened salience for international tax policy, resulting in both increased public debate and a series of policy responses such as… Read More ›

What Drove Recent Civil Society Campaigning Around International Tax Justice in the UK and Australia?

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

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