Inclusive Growth in Australia: Social Policy as Economic Investment

Description

Inclusive Growth in Australia overturns two decades of assumptions that social policy is wasteful and a source of dependency. It reflects a global resurgence of the understanding that an active and effective social policy regime is vital not only for a flourishing society, but also for a strong economy. It explains this new paradigm of inclusive growth and shows how it can be implemented in Australia. Inclusive growth dismantles the idea that social development will automatically trickle down from untrammelled market-based growth. Rather, growth must be managed so that it is employment-centred, broad-based across sectors and with a social security system promoting sustainability and equality of opportunity. The editors argue that productivity is 'nearly everything' when it comes to raising living standards. So while social policies will be about goals other than the economy, they must demonstrate their compatibility with an economic growth strategy. With contributions from leading national and international experts in the field including Marian Baird, Grant Belchamber, Gerald Burke, Saul Eslake, Roy Green and Peter Whiteford, Inclusive Growth in Australia shows that 'welfare state' spending is as much an economic investment as a measure of social protection. Written for policy makers, industry and NGOs as well as students, Inclusive Growth in Australia locates Australian economic and social policy within the most important emergent themes shaping international debate.

PAUL SMYTH is Professor of Social Policy at the University of Melbourne, and General Manager of the Research and Policy Centre at the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Melbourne. This joint position involves leading research and the development of policy around partnership solutions to Australia's social problems. His work combines policy development and research at the BSL with teaching and research at the University's Centre for Public Policy. JOHN BUCHANAN is Professor and Director of the Workplace Research Centre (WRC) in the Sydney Business School. In recent years, John's research interests have focused on changes associated with the demise of the classical wage earner model of employment. He is especially interested in new approaches to integrating industrial relations, social and economic policies to achieve simultaneous improvements in productivity and fairness.