The prosperity gospel – a uniquely American strand of Christian theology – creates a dilemma for its adherents.
It’s unfortunate that demographic shifts mean that young Australians will have to support a large number of older Australians. But it is not an injustice.
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Young people are not entitled to a life as comfortable as that of their parents, but they are entitled to expect that governments will not hinder them in that pursuit.
Most of us think we’re poorer than we actually are.
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Do you procrastinate about taking care of financial matters in your life? Recently a fascinating article about financial procrastination appeared online. The author publicly admitted that “after years…
Queen Elizabeth will often wear a scarf with a triangular fold to shield her hair.
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Bridging our growing divide: Inequality in Australia is an important report tabled without fanfare in the Senate by its Community Affairs References Committee. The report is clearly argued and well-buttressed…
The idea that data on happiness and well-being can be used to guide government policy has steadily gained popularity over the past decade. But as we seek ways to replace, or at least complement GDP as…
A closer analysis of ‘generation war’ debates reveals that inequalities within generations remain far more significant than those between them.
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The political debate over generational equity, which has been rekindled in the past week, now dominates discussions over wealth, government spending and fiscal sustainability. But a closer look at some…
Activists dressed as musicians and wearing masks depicting leaders of the members of the G7 protest against wealth inequality in Brussels in June.
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Wealth and income inequality have many causes, and it’s pretty much beyond dispute that any well-functioning capitalist society will have some degree of disparity between the richest and the poorest. It’s…
Has our use of economics language been a real driver of economic growth?
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Do the words we use to speak of economic matters, matter? I believe they do, but not by the propagation of textbookish jargon. Rather, the main way they matter is in shaping public ethics. Economics has…
Despite the fact that Australians are getting wealthier, financial literacy is not increasing at the same rate.
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The wealth profile of Australian households has changed phenomenally over the past 25 years, according to a recent paper from the Australian Centre for Financial Studies. Thanks to increases in asset prices…
Prior assumptions about the impact children have on wealth may need to be changed.
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Highly publicised estimates of the cost of raising a family in Australia suggest that parents must make hefty financial sacrifices to meet the needs of their children. In a recent paper, we challenge the…
Scrooge McDuck: a classic case of wealth addiction.
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News that many of the large banks will continue to pay large bonuses has sparked off another round of public anger. Even the beleaguered RBS hopes to offer some of its top bankers bonuses worth 200% of…
There are a record 168 billionaires in China, according to the most recent Forbes list.
Adam Nelson
“To get rich is glorious” – Deng Xiaoping’s famous aphorism has clearly been taken to heart by at least 168 people in China. That’s the number of billionaires identified in Forbes’ annual China Rich List…
The urban civilisation drawn to cities innovates and enriches. Even in Melbourne.
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When Isaac Newton produced his Laws of Motion in 1687, it led to speculation that his new gravitational force could explain the social forces between people. Thinkers put forward various arguments for…
Amid the “cash for causes” scandal currently unfolding in parliament, and the criticism of David Cameron’s “chumocracy” of elites at number 10, it’s worth remembering that degree to which politics is dominated…