To safeguard future prosperity in an era of big and growing government, the CIS sees an increasingly urgent need for further and continuing economic reform. It is especially important that we rationalise the regulatory environment and reform the way services are provided by the public sector. The new policies we need should be based on the same kinds of fundamental economic principles that have underpinned reforms of the financial system and product markets.

The CIS is proud of its past contributions to informed public debate on a wide range of issues in the economic affairs of Australia and New Zealand. CIS advocacy is based on the firm conviction that freely functioning markets empower people to enhance their welfare by making decisions about how to spend and how to deploy their labour and other resources. It is equally important that freely functioning markets enhance welfare by giving entrepreneurs opportunities to put innovative ideas into practice, thus extracting greater value from scarce resources.

Australia and New Zealand have opened their financial system and other sectors of the economy to greater domestic and international competitive pressures. They have also improved the performance of public enterprises. These policies are based on fundamental economic principles. Freely functioning markets embedded in robust institutions underpin the strong economies that give Australians and New Zealanders the capacity and power, as individuals and through voluntary and public sector organisations, to help those who experience hardship and to play their part in maintaining our physical environments.

Current Areas of Research and Advocacy

• analysis and evaluation of the efficacy of state government expenditure

• reform of Australia’s healthcare system

• reform of labour market regulations

CIS research and publishing on welfare, education, Indigenous affairs, and foreign policy also involves consideration of economic
policy reform.

Research Staff
Robert Carling
Oliver Hartwich
Geoff Hogbin
Stephen Kirchner
[Click here] for more information on CIS research staff