The relative merits of different systems of property rights to allocate water among different extractive uses are evaluated for the case where variability of supply is important. Three systems of property rights are considered. In the first, variable supply is dealt with through the use of water...

The central claim of this paper is that the state-contingent approach provides the best way to think about all problems in the economics of uncertainty, including problems of consumer choice, the theory of the firm, and principal-agent relationships. This claim is illustrated by recent...

The Australian unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since 1989, and looks likely to fall further, perhaps even reaching the rate of 5 per cent, widely regarded as “full employment”. However, this relatively favourable outcome has been achieved only after a cyclical expansion so...

Reviews the discount rate controversy, and examines sustainability theory and optimal growth theory, tracing the rise in prominence of the former and the decline of the latter. Presents the rule‐of‐thumb interpretation of sustainability criteria, and proposes a utilitarian approach,...