The Economics Society of Australia’s has gathered in Melbourne to consider questions and case studies of economics informing public policy

There is a poultice of papers to interest non-economists.  Daniel Melser from Monash U will surely get a call from the house-price focussed SMH about his paper on, “the impact of school characteristics” on NSW housing markets. Anybody who worries about maths pre-reqs for university study will want to read, Claire Thibout (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) on, “the importance of self-confidence in explaining subject choices in high school.”   And Gigi Foster (UNSW) asks, “do (behavioural) economists trust regulators to tame the banks? Should they?”

Inevitable is shop-talk. Joseph Hirshberg from the University of Melbourne, presents on the (much discussed) Australian Business Deans Council journal ranking. A new journal quality list is due in December.