Economists at Large

Victorian Carbon Comedy Continues!

Roderick — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:02:26 +0000

Last year I blogged about some of the Victorian government’s ridiculous claims relating to carbon pricing. I was upset that the Victorian government had made sensational claims without releasing their modelling. I was reminded to look back into this by the The Age today, claiming:

ENERGY Minister Michael O’Brien ignored his own department’s economic modelling

New report by Ecolarge. When the cows don’t come home – The economic impacts of losing livestock in a disaster

Tristan — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:21:57 +0000

Ecolarge-LivestockDisasterEconomics-Final.pdf

What happens when the cows don’t come home? This report was commissioned by the World Society for the Protection of Animals and investigates the “economic impact of losing livestock in a disaster”. It covers a wide range of material relating to the role of livestock in development, the economics of disasters, the treatment

Chew on this, Lynas – Daiwa sends correspondant to assess risks to LAMP project

Tristan — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:42 +0000

Back in September ’11 we posted about a mining-related project in Malaysia being proposed by the Australian rare-earths miner, Lynas Corporation Ltd. The point we tried to make in that post were that there is very little economic analysis of the impacts of the Lynas project and that the reasons for granting Lynas generous tax concessions

Moanin’ and whalin’ – Why markets aren’t the answer to whale conservation

Roderick — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:00:14 +0000

An article came out in Nature last week, titled “A market approach to saving the whales”. We’re always interested in whale-economics, having written reports such as Whale Watching Worldwide and What’s a Whale Worth, both commissioned by IFAW.

The Nature article proposes that a quota for whale hunting should be set by the International Whaling Commission

Jiggery Pokery – The economics of gambling in Australia and proposed pokies reforms

William — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:13:52 +0000

The ongoing debate over mandatory pre-commitment on pokies is big on hype, but at the heart of it all is the Productivity Commission’s (PC) inquiry into gambling. The report is an in-depth look at the economics of the gambling industry in Australia, and provides an insight into the sizeable benefits and costs of the industry.

Humpback Whale Watching in the Pacific

Tristan — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:16:55 +0000

Economic impact analysis of Humpback whale watching tourism in the Pacific

Tasmanian Round Table for Sustainable Industries Project

Tristan — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:59:53 +0000

An economic cost benefit study on Gunns’ proposed Bell Bay Pulp Mill

Whale Watching in Australia

Tristan — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:39:22 +0000

Economic impact analysis of whale watching tourism in Australia

Whale Watching in New Zealand

Tristan — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:34:36 +0000

Economic impact analysis of whale watching tourism in New Zealand

Whale Watching in the Kingdom of Tonga

Tristan — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:25:34 +0000

Economic impact of whale watching tourism in the Kingdom of Tonga