The Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) is a rare example of an important, innovative, and imaginative policy instrument developed and applied within a relatively short time period. Looking back over Australian history, innovative policy instruments, with substantial tax revenue or...

The 25 years after World War II witnessed strong labour market institutions and beneficial labour market outcomes - high wage growth and integration of low-skilled immigrants. Then came the macro shocks of the mid-1970s. Labour market outcomes deteriorated as full-time employment-population...

Food price increases and the introduction of radical social welfare and enterprise reforms during the 1990s generated significant changes in the lives of urban households in China. During this period urban poverty increased considerably. This paper uses household level data from 1986 to 2000 to...

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution many schools stopped normal operation for a long time, senior high schools stopped student recruitment for up to 6 years, and universities stopped recruitment for an even longer period. Such large scale school interruptions significantly reduced the...