The pattern of boom and bust that characterised the Australian economy from the early 1970s to the early 1990s currently seem to be a thing of the past as Australia enters its sixteenth year of uninterrupted expansion. The expansion has lasted twice as long as those of the 1970s and 1980s, which...

Tuvalu is one of the five least developed Pacific island nations according to the classification of the United Nations. This article reviews the situation of Tuvalu in relation to its development generally but paying particular attention to: • Public and private finance; • Social issues such...

Vanuatu is one of the five least developed Pacific island nations according to the classification of the United Nations. This article reviews the situation of Vanuatu in relation to its development generally but paying particular attention to: • Public and private finance; • Social issues such...

Kiribati is one of the five least developed Pacific island nations according to the classification of the United Nations. This article reviews the situation of Kiribati in relation to its development generally but paying particular attention to: Public and private finance; social issues such as...

Samoa is one of the five least developed Pacific island nations according to the classification of the United Nations. This article reviews the situation of Samoa in relation to its development generally but paying particular attention to: public and private finance; social issues such as...

Growing economic globalisation (a means of market extension) may increase the economic vulnerability of firms in modern industries, especially those in which firms experience substantial economies of scale. The possibility is explored that globalisation activates competitive pressures that...

Small countries, such as Pacific islands countries (PICs), vary considerably in the extent and in the ways in which they are linked to the global economy. Particularly within PICs, households and families, and different social groups also differ in their dependence on markets, cash and foreign...

Outlines changes in Australian economic policies that have occurred in recent decades in response to growing economic globalisation. It considers microeconomic reforms in Australia and changes to its industry policy (including important changes in national competition policy) its financial...