Excessively Cruel and Costly Prison-Like Regime on Manus Island, 11 December 2013. Available at: http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/33594/. The report gives details as to how asylum seekers are being held in a prison-like regime, in extremely cramped compounds in stifling heat, while being denied sufficient water and medical help. Most have fled horrific situations and risked their lives in their efforts to reach Australia.

Brookings Institution

Unversity Start-Ups: Critical for Improving Technology Transfer, by Walter D Valdivia, 20 November 2013. Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2013/11/university-start-ups-technology-transfer-valdivia. The report examines how universities and the broader economy can best benefit from inventions generated within their laboratories and classrooms. One of the major findings is that universities should focus on creating spin-offs and offering support for entrepreneurship rather than following the business model of patent licensing.

A New Chapter Begins in “Too Big to Fail,” by Martin Neil Baily and Douglas J Elliott, 19 November 2013. Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/11/19-new-chapter-too-big-to-fail-baily-elliott. The authors review recent legal and regulatory changes that are intended to remove the unfairly low funding costs of big banks resulting from assumptions in financial markets that governments will rescue them in a crisis. The authors conclude that these changes seem to be working.

Global Cities Initiative: A Joint Project of Brookings and JPMorgan Chase:

Metro Freight: The Global Goods Trade that Moves Metro Economies, by Adie Tomer, Joseph Kane, and Robert Puentes. October 2013. Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Reports/2013/10/21%20metro%20freight/SrvyMetroFreight.pdf. Metropolitan areas need physical access to markets and metropolitan freight connectivity enables this access, as well as further access to contemporary global value chains. Without these trade cannot occur.

Metro-to-Metro: Global and Domestic Goods Trade in Metropolitan America,” by Adie Tomer, Rober Puentes and Joseph Kane, October 2013. Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Reports/2013/10/21%20metro%20freight/SrvyMetroToMetro.pdf. An exclusive ocus on national trade obscures trading relationships among places as different as New York City and Wyoming and overlooks important variations in metropolitan economies. This study is intended to begin filling that oversight.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

2015: A World Confused - US Foreign Policy in a More Difficult, Intrusive World, by Jessica Tuchman Mathews Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January 2015. Available at: http://carnegieendowment.org/2014/12/10/2015-world-confused/hw8x. The author considers geopolitical events during 2014 and attempts to determine which are likely to remain consequential during 2015.

Russia’s Breakout from the Post-Cold War System: The Drivers of Putin’s Course, Dmtri Trenin, Carnegie Moscow, 22 December 2014. Available at: http://carnegie.ru/2014/12/22/russia-s-breakout-from-post-cold-war-system-drivers-of-putin-s-course/hxsm. Moscow’s new course is laid down first and foremost by President Vladimir Putin, but it also reflects the rising power of Russian nationalism. The new period of rivalry between the Kremlin and the West is likely to endure for years.”

A New Ambition for Europe: A Memo to the European Union Foreign Policy Chief, by Daniel Keohane, Stefan Lehne, Ulrich Speck, Jan Techau, Carnegie Europe, 28 October 2014. http://carnegieeurope.eu/2014/10/28/new-ambition-for-europe-memo-to-european-union-foreign-policy-chief/hszg.

US-China Security Perceptions Survey: Findings and Implications, Michael D Swaine, Rachel Esplin, Odell, Luo Yuan, Liu Xiangdong, Report, 12 December 2013. Available at: http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/12/12/u.s.-china-security-perceptions-survey-findings-and-implications/gvqk. Comment by William Wan, “Chinese Don’t See United States as an enemy study finds, but they distrust its government,” The Washington Post, 11 December 2013. Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/chinese-dont-see-united-states-as-an-enemy-study-finds-but-they-distrust-its-government/2013/12/10/3d05d122-61b5-11e3-bf45-61f69f54fc5f_story.html

Winter Has Come, by Andrew S Weiss, Op-Ed, 2 September 2013. Available at: http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/09/02/winter-has-come/glac. “Moving away from the standard agenda may help the United States and Russia exit the current impasse in bilateral relations and avoid a long period of stagnation and hostilities.”

Rethinking Urban Mobility: Sustainable Policies for the Century of the City, by Shin-Pei Tsay, Victoria Herrmann, 31 July 2013. Available at: http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/07/31/rethinking-urban-mobility-sustainable-policies-for-century-of-city/ggzk. In order to accommodate the movement of people from rural areas to cities around the world “multiple actors, including national and local governments, must work together to create environmentally and financially sustainable urban transport systems.

Carnegie announces expansion of Democracy and Rule of Law program, 28 June 2013. Details of newly appointed experts are available at: http://carnegieendowment.org/topic/?fa=1286 (see right-hand panel). Comments by Michael C H Jones at: http://www.accci.com.au/JonesCommentonCarnegie.pdf.

Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)

Climate Change, a Dead Horse and Realpolitik, by Barry Carin, CIGI Policy Brief No. 31, December 2013. Available at: http://www.cigionline.org/sites/default/files/CIGI_PB_31.pdf. The author suggests that the UN climate change negotiation process in broken and a new incremental approach – congruent with national self-interest – is needed.

Chatham House
(also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs)

Learning from the Past: The Relevance of International History, by David Stevenson, Feature Article, 2014. Available at: http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/International%20Affairs/2014/90_1/INTA90_1_01_Stevenson.pdf.

Conflict and Coexistence in the Extractive Industries, by Paul Stevens, Jaakko Kooroshy, Glada Lahn and Bernice Lee, November 3013. Available at: http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/Research/Energy,%20Environment%20and%20Development/chr_coc1113.pdf. A decade of high prices and fast-growing global demand has triggered a new generation of mineral mega-investments and in many parts of the world conflicts are likely to escalate. “At the heart of the problem is the absence of a practical formula or a benchmark to determine an equitable distribution of revenues between the state and companies in extractive ventures.”

The Conference Board

International Comparisons of Manufacturing Productivity and Unit Labour Costs Trends, 2012, 17 December 2013. The full report is available at: https://www.conference-board.org/retrievefile.cfm?filename=ilcproductivityulc2012.pdf&type=subsite, an separate components can be selected at: https://www.conference-board.org/ilcprogram/index.cfm?id=20992. The report confirms what many analyst have been saying for some time: Australia’s productivity growth has been lagging behind most other developed nations.

Credit Suisse Research Institute

Global Wealth Report 2013, October 2013. Available at: https://publications.credit-suisse.com/tasks/render/file/?fileID=BCDB1364-A105-0560-1332EC9100FF5C83. This is Credit Suisse’s annual report on global wealth. Of special interest to Australia is the rapid rate of growth in household wealth between 2000 and 2013 of about 13 per cent per annum, about half o which is due to exchange rate appreciation. “Despite a recent slowdown in this growth rate, Australia’s wealth per adult in 2013 is USD 402,600, the second highest in the world after Switzerland. Even more strikingly, its median wealth of USD 219,500 is the highest in the world.”

Grattan Institute

Fair Pricing for Power, by Tony Wood and Lucy Carter, July 2014. Available at: http://grattan.edu.au/static/files/assets/4a7d6de9/813-fair-pricing-for-power.pdf. The study concludes that “Australians are paying too much for power. In the five years to 2013, the average household power bill rose 70 per cent: from $970 to $1660 a year. The prices we pay are also unfair: some people are paying more than their fair share. […] To get fairer and cheaper prices, network tariffs need urgent reform.”

Balancing Budgets: Tough Choices We Need, by John Daley, 24 November 2013. Available at: http://grattan.edu.au/publications/reports/post/balancing-budgets-tough-choices-we-need/. The report indicates that governments in Australia face deficits of up to $60 billion an year by 2023 unless they take brave decisions to balance budgets. The author outlines a way to do this. Comments on the report are available at: Ross Gittins, “Will Abbott Be Deficient on Deficits,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 November 2013. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/will-abbott-be-deficient-on-deficits-20131124-2y3wg.html.

Productive Cities: Opportunity in a Changing Economy, by Jane Frances Kelly, 3 May 2013. Available at: http://grattan.edu.au/publications/reports/post/productive-cities-opportunity-in-a-changing-economy/. “The rise of the knowledge-intensive economy is reshaping our cities and leaving too many residents living too far from jobs. Increasing housing in existing urban areas and improving transport systems will increase opportunity and national prosperity.”

Mapping Australian Higher Education, 2013, by Andrew Norton, 20 January 2013. Available at: http://grattan.edu.au/publications/reports/post/mapping-australian-higher-education-2013/. This is Grattan Institute’s annual assessment of the state of Australian higher education and it shows that both numbers of students and costs are rising sharply following the abolition of most enrolment controls in 2012. The report concludes that “the system is mostly in good health and graduates continue to earn well.”

Human Rights Watch

Australia: Refugee Stance Mars Rights Record, News Release, 22 January 2014. Available at: http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/01/21/australia-refugee-stance-mars-rights-record. Full statement is contained in Human Rights Watch, World Report 2014, pages 292-298. Available at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/wr2014_web_0.pdf.

Russia, Others Should Tread Snowden’s Asylum Claim Fairly, Statement on Meeting in Moscow, 12 July 2013. Available at: http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/07/12/russia-others-should-treat-snowden-s-asylum-claim-fairly.

China: End Involuntary Rehousing, Relocation of Tibetans: Lack of Consultation Violates Human Rights, Undermines Culture, Introduces a 115-page report entitled: “They Say We Should Be Grateful”, 17 June 2013. Available at: http://www.hrw.org/node/116642/.

Laws of Attrition: Crackdown on Russia’s Civil Society after Putin’s Return to the Presidency, 24 April 2013. The full 78-page report, or parts thereof, are available at: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2013/04/24/laws-attrition-0.

Barely Surviving: Detention, Abuse and Neglect of Migrant Children in Indonesia, an 86-page report detailing Indonesia’s poor treatmtne of migrant and asylum-seeking children, 24 June 2013. Available at: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2013/06/23/barely-surviving.

Lowy Institute for International Peace

Lowy Institute Poll 2014, by Alex Oliver, 2 June 2014. Available at http://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/lowy-institute-poll-2014. An interactive feature allows readers to track the survey results on specific issues over a 10-year period. Comment on the survey is available at: Anthony Loewenstein, “The Lowy Institute’s Poll: No Surprises in Australian Behaviours,” The Guardian, 13 June 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/13/the-lowy-institutes-poll-no-surprises-in-australian-behaviours.

A Larger Australia, Address to the National Press Club of Australia, by Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of Lowy Institute for International Peace, 12 March 2014. Available at: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/files/drmichaelfullilove-alargeraustralia.pdf, and reprinted in The National Interest, 20 March 2014, at: http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/time-larger-australia-10088. Also available in video at: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/speech-larger-australia. Comment by Nicholas Stuart, “A Bigger Australian Population Will Not Guarantee More Prosperity,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 31 March 2014.

Australia and the 1951 Refugee Convention, by Kalid Koser, Lowy Institute for International Policy, April 2015. The author argues that the implementation of the 1951 Refugee Convention is failing the interests of both states and refugees and Australia is well placed to lead an international effort for reform. Available at: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/australia-and-1951-refugee-convention.

National Bureau of Economic Research

Behaviour Economics of Education: Progress and Possibilities, by Adam M Lavecchia, Heidi Liu and Philip Oreopoulos, NBER Working Paper 20609, October 2014. Available for purchase at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w20609.

A Model of Secular Stagnation, by Gauti B Eggertsson and Neil R Mehrotra, NBER Working Paper No. 20574, October 2014. Available for purchase at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w20574. Also available from Brown University at: http://www.econ.brown.edu/fac/Gauti_Eggertsson/papers/Eggertsson_Mehrotra.pdf.

Asiaphoria Meets Regression to the Mean, by Lant Pritchett and Lawrence H Summers, NBER Working Paper No. 20573, October 2014. Available for purchase at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w20573. Also available from Harvard Kennedy School and Centre for Global Development at: http://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/events/2013/november/asia-economic-policy-conference/program/files/Asiaphoria-Meet-Regression-to-the-Mean.pdf. Note: the title suggests that the economic growth of China and India may continue to slow until it reaches the average for developing countries of about 4 per cent per annum.

Open Knowledge Foundation

Open Data Index, 2013. Available at http://geography.oii.ox.ac.uk/#open-data-index. The foundation calculates and published an index to denote the openness of various databases for 70 countries. Each country is evaluated on a variety of topics, which, in turn, is assessed on nine criteria, ranging from the existence of data on a given topic to online availability and up-to-datedness. Australia and New Zealand rank well among the 70 countries, but note that both have zero ratings for the openness of information on government spending.

Pew Research Centre

“Amid Criticism, Support for Media’s ‘Watchdog’ Role Stands Out,” Pew Research Centre for People and the Press. 8 August 2013. Available at: http://www.people-press.org/2013/08/08/amid-criticism-support-for-medias-watchdog-role-stands-out/.

“Living to 120 and Beyond: American’s Views on Ageing, Medical Advances and Radical Life Extension”, Pew Research Religion and Public Life Project, 6 August 2013. Available at: http://www.pewforum.org/2013/08/06/living-to-120-and-beyond-americans-views-on-aging-medical-advances-and-radical-life-extension/.

Public Library of Science (PLOS)

PLOS is a non-profit organisation of scientists and physicians committed to making the world’s scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource.

Yield Trends Are Insufficient to Double Global Crop Production by 2050, by Deepak K. Ray, Nathaniel D. Mueller, Paul C. West and Jonathan A. Foley, PLOS One, June 19, 2013. Available at: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0066428. “Several studies have shown that global crop production needs to double by 2050 to meet the projected demands from rising population, diet shifts, and increasing biofuels consumption. Boosting crop yields to meet these rising demands, rather than clearing more land for agriculture has been highlighted as a preferred solution to meet this goal,” but that may not be possible.

Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI)

China’s Fifth Generation Leadership: Growth Policy and Implications by Om Jung-Myung, SERI Quarterly, 7 September 2013. Available at: http://www.seriquarterly.com/03/qt_Section_list.html?mncd=0302&pub=20130220&Falocs=03&dep=2&pubseq=318. “China’s top leadership has entered its fifth generation since 1949, and significant changes are set to ensue. China’s rushed development under previous generations has resulted in significant imbalances in the economy, including income and regional inequality. The new leadership hopes to change this by shifting growth to domestic consumption and urbanizing its population.”

New Trends among Young Chinese Consumers, by Qio Jing and Lin Ruiming, Seri Quarterly, 7 September 2013. Available at: http://www.seriquarterly.com/03/qt_Section_list.html?mncd=0302&dep=2&year=2013&pub=20130220&pubseq=318&page=1. “China’s young consumers are the first to grow up amidst prosperity and widespread digital technology and represent a significant change for the world’s second largest economy. Shaped by demographic factors like the one child policy and urbanization, China’s young consumers are embracing individuality and social concerns along with their love for famous brands.”

Abenomics, Finally a Solution to Revive Japan? by Koo Bon-Kwan, SERI Quarterly, 7 September 2013. Available at: http://www.seriquarterly.com/03/qt_Section_list.html?mncd=0302&pub=20130220&Falocs=03&dep=2&pubseq=318. “Shinzo Abe’s new economic policy, dubbed ‘Abenomics,’ consists of three arrows, monetary expansion, government spending, and structural reforms aimed at reviving Japan’s economy. While monetary expansion has resulted in an immediate boost to stock prices, many of the goals of Abenomics will be challenging to attain.

Directions and Tasks for Park Geun-Hue’s Economic Policies, by Kim Sun-Bin, SERI Quarterly, 7 September 2013. Available at: http://www.seriquarterly.com/03/qt_Section_list.html?mncd=0302&pub=20130220&Falocs=03&dep=2&pubseq=318. “The Park Geun-Hye administration has just marked its first 100 days, during which the new President’s economic plans have evolved from campaign promises to concrete policy. What has emerged is a new focus on a creative economy, job creation, revival of the real estate market, and alleviation of Korea’s high household debt.”

New Governments and Economic Models in NE Asia by Hwang Inseong, SERI Quarterly, 7 September 2013. Available at: http://www.seriquarterly.com/03/qt_Section_list.html?mncd=0302&pub=20130220&Falocs=03&dep=2&pubseq=318. “Asia’s new leadership has brought with it new ways of thinking about the economy, including ‘Abenomics,’ a ‘creative economy,’ and’common prosperity.’ This will induce a number of changes, including the transformation of China from the ‘world’s factory’ to the ‘world’s market,’ as well as intensifying competition for Korea.

Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program

The 2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index, from the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, International Relations Program, University of Pennsylvania, 22 January 2015. Available at: http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=think_tanks.

The 2013 Global Go To Think Tank Index, from the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, International Relations Program, University of Pennsylvania, 23 January 2014. Available at: http://gotothinktank.com/dev1/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/GoToReport2013.pdf. This is an annual ranking of think tanks according specified criteria.

Transparency International

“Corruption Pervades Fast-Growing Economies of China, Turkey and Angola, “by Mark Anderson, The Guardian, 3 December 2014. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/03/corruption-china-turkey-rise. “Corruption Perceptions Index 2014: Results” can be obtained from Transparency International at: http://www.transparency.org/cpi2014/results.

“Corrupting Perceptions: Why Transparency International’s Flagship Corruption Index Falls Short,” by Alex Cobham, Foreign Policy, 22 July 2013. Available at: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/07/22/corrupting_perceptions.

“Global Corruption Barometer 2013,” Transparency International. Available at: http://www.transparency.org/gcb2013.

VOX (Centre for Economic Policy Research)

Deleveraging, What Deleveraging? The 16the Geneva Report on the World Economy, by Luige Buttiglione, Philip Lane, Lucrezia Reichlin, Vincent Reinhard, “, Centre for Economic Policy Research, 29 September 2014. Available at: http://www.voxeu.org/content/deleveraging-what-deleveraging-16th-geneva-report-world-economy.

Secular Stagnation: Facts, Causes and Cures, by Coen Teulings and Richard Baldwin, Centre for Economic Policy Researcj, 15 August 2014. Available at: http://www.voxeu.org/content/secular-stagnation-facts-causes-and-cures.

World Economic Forum

Benchmarking Inclusive Growth and Development, Discussion Paper by Richard Samans, Jennifer Blanke, Gemma Corrigan and Margareta Drzeniek, 19 January 2015. Available at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Inclusive%20Growth%20and%20Development_2014.pdf.

Global Risks 2015, World Economic Forum Insight Report, 15 January 2015. Available at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_2015_Report.pdf.

Maximising Healthy Life Years: Investments that Pay Off, World Economic Forum Insight Report, January 2015. Available at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Maximizing_Healthy_Life_Years.pdf.

Building Foundations Against Corruption: Recommendations on Anti-Corruption in the Infrastructure and Urban Development Industries, prepared by the Project Task Force of the Infrastructure and Urban Development Industries in collaboration with Partnering Against Corruption Initiative, January 2015. Available at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_PACI_IU_Building_Foundations_Against_Corruption_.pdf.

Leveraging Entrepreneurial Ambition and Innovation: A Global Perspective on Entrepreneurship, Competitiveness and Development, World Economic Forum Study, January 2015. Available at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEFUSA_EntrepreneurialInnovation_Report.pdf.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014, World Economic Forum Insight Report. Available at: http://reports.weforum.org/the-global-competitiveness-report-2013-2014/.

The Global Gender Gap Report 2013, World Economic Forum Insight Report. Available at: http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2013.

Other NGOs

Annual Australia-India Trade and Investment Forum, Australia India Business Council, 16-17 May 2016, Swissotel Sydney. Details at: http://www.informa.com.au/conferences/financial-services-conference/engaging-india-conference/agenda.

Call for Papers, Australian-US Comparative and Transnational Labour History Conference, 8-9 January 2015. Additional information is available from: Greg Patmore (greg.patmore@sydney.edu.au) and Shelton Stromquist (shelton-stromquist@uiowa.edu).

921a5996-fdf4-11e2-96a8-d3b921c0924a_story.html?hpid=z5, from an announcement by scientist Mark Post at the Maastricht University in the Netherlands that the first ever laboratory-grown beef hamburger was cooked and eaten in London.