Professor Glenn Withers AO, FASSA, FRSN
Professor Glenn Withers AO, FASSA, FRSN
BEc (1st Hons)(Monash), AM, PhD (Harvard), FRSN, FASSA
Economics
1988
Profile
Glenn Withers is an Emeritus Professor of the University at ANU. He was previously foundation Chief Executive Officer of Universities Australia and has held various earlier academic and government appointments, including as Professor of Public Policy at ANU, Head of the Economic Planning Advisory Commission under Prime Minister Keating and Co-Chair of the National Population Council under Prime Minister Hawke.
He has chaired a number of government inquiries including one into private finance of infrastructure and was co-chair for the Howard Government 's Stocktake of Micro-Economic Reform. He was awarded an AO in 1991 for contributions to applied economics, including for development of the Australian immigration points system.
He works on applied microeconomics, public economics, public policy and administration, population policy and cultural economics and has published books and papers on topics ranging from conscription to the economics of the performing arts. He is currently researching issues in social cybersecurity.
Appointments
- President, Australian Council of Learned Academies
- President, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
- Global Board Chair, Global Development Learning Network
- Co-Founder, Social Cyber Group, and Director, Social Cyber Institute
- Board Chair, Blended Learning International
- Strategic Review Chair, Department of Finance and Deregulation
- Chief Executive Officer, Universities Australia
- Professor of Public Policy, ANU
- Professor of Public Policy, Australia and New Zealand School of Government
- Commissioner, Economic Planning Advisory Commission
- Chair, Commonwealth Inquiries into Population; Immigration Selection; Infrastructure; and Co-Chair, Stocktake of Micro-Economic Reform
- Inquiry Member, Child Care in Australia.
- Professor of Economics, La Trobe University
- Associate Professor of Economics, Macquarie University
- Chief Economic Adviser, Department of Employment and Industrial Relations
- Research Fellow / Senior Research Fellow, Australian National University
- Teaching Fellow, Lecturer, Harvard University
- Senior Tutor, La Trobe University
Awards
Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
Selected Publications
Glenn Withers,Australia's Comparative Advantage. Final Report. Melbourne: Australian Council of Learned Academies (with Nitin Gupta, Natalie Larkins and Lyndal Curtis), 2015
Glenn Withers, “Ensuring Immigration Benefits All”, in CEDA, Migration: the economic debate, Melbourne: Committee for Economic Development of Australia, 2016, 80-99.
Glenn Withers, “Responding to Negative Public Attitudes towards Immigration through Analysis and Policy: regional and unemployment dimensions”, Australian Geographer, 2016 (with K. Golebiowska and A. Elnasri). 435-453
Glenn Withers, “Book Review: Education Matters: Global Schooling Gains from the 19th Century to the 21st Century, by R J Barro and J W Lee”, Asia Pacific Economic Literature, 30(2), November 2016, 127-128
Glenn Withers, “The Social Sciences Shape the Nation (Ed.), Canberra: Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, 2017.
Glenn Withers, “Inclusive Growth: Hybrid policies into the future” in R.Breunig and M.Fabian (eds), Hybrid Public Policy Innovations: Contemporary Policy Beyond Ideology, New York: Routledge, 2018, 235-252.
“An Australian Humanities Crisis?” in D.Ahlburg (ed), The Changing Face of Higher Education: Is there An International Crisis in the Humanities? New York: Routledge, 2019. 8-29.
Glenn Withers, 2019. "How Economics Shapes Science" The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 95 (309), pages 274-276, June.
Glenn Withers (2019), Social Science Research and Intelligence in Australia; Final Report, Canberra: Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. (with Greg Austin, Elizabeth Buchanan, Dylan Clements and Liz West)
Glenn Withers (2019), "Side constrained optimization to capture capacity of choices in the multinomial logit model; case study of the income tax policy of the United States prior to the 2009 economic crisis", International Journal of Operational Research, 36(1), 123-149. (with S. Bagloee)
Glenn Withers (2019), “Tradable Mobility Permit with Bitcoin and Ethereum – A Blockchain Application in Transportation,” Internet of Things, 8 (100103), 1-16. (with Asadi Bagloee, S., Tavana, M., Patriksson, M. and Asadi, M.
Glenn Withers (2019), The Community Value of Oublic Interest Journalism, Melbourne: Public Interest Journalism Initiative, 2019.
Glenn Withers (2020), “Broadcasting”, in Ruth Towse and Trilce Navarette (ed) A Handbook of Cultural Economics, third edition, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar,72-81. Also published in a Chinese edition.
Glenn Withers (2020), “Creating Social Cyber Value as a Greater Goal”, in G. Austin (ed), Education for Cyberspace Security, London and New York, Routledge, Routledge Studies in Conflict, Security and Technology,(with G. Austin).
Glenn Withers (2021). Massimo Florio, Investing in Science. Social Cost Benefit Analysis of Research Infrastructures.: Cambridge Mass. And London England, MIT Press, October 2019, xv 364pp, Review, Economic Record, 97 (317) June, 328-330
Glenn Withers (2022), “Economies of scale in supporting low socioeconomic status students in higher education: Findings from an Australian study”, Higher Education Research and Development, 41, (with M. Devlin, L. Zhang, D. Edwards, J. McMillan, L. Vernon, and S. Trinidad)
Glenn Withers (2022), “It is Time for a New Regional Compact”, Economic Record, 55(2), May, 281-289, (with R.Curtain, R.Edwards, and M.Tani).
Glenn Withers (2015), Australia's Comparative Advantage. Final Report. Melbourne: Australian Council of Learned Academies. (with Nitin Gupta, Natalie Larkins and Lyndal Curtis). www.acola.org.au
Glenn Withers (2015), Australia's Political Economic Future, Australian Journal of Political Science, 50(4), December, 735-744.
Glenn Withers (2015), 'Introduction: connecting past, present and future', in Simon Ville & Glenn Withers (ed.), The Cambridge Economic History of Australia, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne, pp. 1-8.(with Simon Ville).
Glenn Withers (2015), The Labour Market, in Simon Ville and Glenn Withers (eds), The Cambridge Economic History of Australia, Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press (with Tim Hatton).
Glenn Withers (ed) (2015), The Cambridge Economic History of Australia, Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press (with Simon Ville).
Glenn Withers (2014), “Future Directions for Income Contingent Loan Theory”, in Stiglitz, J. Chapman, B. and Higgins, T. (eds), Income Contingent Loans: Theory, Practice and Prospects, Palgrave Macmillan.
Glenn Withers (2014), Income Contingent Loans for Business Innovation”, in Stiglitz, J. Chapman, B. and Higgins, T. (eds), Income Contingent Loans: Theory, Practice and Prospects, Palgrave Macmillan (with N.Gupta).
Glenn Withers (2014), “Immigration in a Population Context”, Australian Economic Review, 47(2), 231-9
Glenn Withers (2014), The State of the Universities, in M.Thornton (ed.), Through a Glass Darkly. The Social Sciences Look at the Neoliberal University, Canberra: ANU Press, 103-117.
Glenn Withers (2014), Introduction”, in K.Barnes and P. Spearritt (eds), Drivers of Change for the Australian Labour Market to 2030, Canberra: Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, 1-15.
Glenn Withers (2014), “People Movements and the National Interest”, in J.Farrar, M.Hiscock and V.Lo (eds), The Australian ‘National Interest’ in the Asian Century: Trade, Investment and Security, Singapore: World Scientific, 2014.
Glenn Withers (2013), “Creating the New University”, in G. Bammer (ed), Disciplining Interdisciplinarity, ANU E-Press, 375-380.
Glenn Withers (2013), “Policy Innovation for Innovation: Income-Contingent Loans”, in V.Fitzgerald and N.Taylor (eds), Australia Adjusting : Optimising National Prosperity, Melbourne: CEDA, 123-131, (with N.Gupta).
Glenn Withers (2013), “Broadcasting” in R.Towse and C.Handke (eds), Handbook on the Digital Creative Economy, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Glenn Withers (2012), “The Future of Population Policy” in Jonathan Pincus and Graeme Hugo (eds), A Greater Australia: Population, Policies and Governance, Melbourne: CEDA, pp. 224-232.
Glenn Withers (2012), “Distance and Development” in Nestor Stancanelli (ed), Under the Southern Cross: Australia-Argentina-A Comparative Analysis, Buenos Aires, Eudeba.
Glenn Withers (2012), “International Education and Its Benefits” in Australian Bureau of Statistics, Population Flows.
Glenn Withers and Katrina Alford (2011), Broadcasting, in Ruth Towse, (editor), A Handbook of Cultural Economics, Edward Elgar, second edition.
Glenn Withers (2009), David Hewitt Pope: 1944-2007, Australian Economic History Review, 49(2).
Glenn Withers, Amanda Denniss, and Meng Yuan (2009), Financing Innovation through Income Contingent Loans, Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 12(2).
Glenn Withers and Tim Higgins (2009), Attitudes to Income Contingent Loans: A Survey Approach, Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 12(2).
Glenn Withers and Gary Saliba (2009), Scenario Analysis for Strategic Thinking, in G.Argyrous (ed.), Evidence for Policy and Decision-Making, Sydney: UNSW Press, pp.126-138.
Glenn Withers and Peter McDonald (2008), Population and Australia's Future Labour Force, Occasional Paper 1, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
Glenn Withers (2007), Can Distance be Defeated?, in Ian Marsh (ed.), Competing From Australia, Melbourne : CEDA, pp.18-27.
Glenn Withers and Anne Twomey (2007), Australia's Federalist Future, Melbourne: Council for the Federation
Glenn Withers (2006), “The Economics and Regulation of Broadcasting” in R.Towse (ed), Economics of the Mass Media, International Library of Critical Writings in Economics, Elgar
Glenn Withers and Ruth Neumann (2005) “Malaysian Education” in DFAT, Malaysia: An Economy Transformed Canberra: DFAT
Glenn Withers (2005), “Immigration Policy: Australia ’s Experience And Implications For Germany” in Russell West-Pavlov (ed.), Who’s Australia - Whose Australia? Contemporary Politics, Society and Culture in Australia, Trier: WVT
Glenn Withers (2003), Immigration, In The Cambridge Handbook of Social Sciences in Australia. I.McAllister, S.Dowrick, and R.Hassan (eds.). Cambridge: CUP.
Conscription: Necessity and Justice, Sydney and London: Angus and Robertson, 1972.
"Immigration and Economic Fluctuations: An Application to Late Nineteenth Century Australia", Australian Economic History Review, September 1977.
"Social Justice and the Unions: A Normative Approach to Co-operation and Conflict under Interdependence", British Journal of Industrial Relations, November, 1977.
"Welfare Effects of Salary Forecasting Error in Professional Labour Markets", Review of Economics and Statistics, May 1979 (with J.W. Freebairn).
"Economic Influences Upon Marriage Behaviour in Australia", Economic Record, June 1979. (Re-issued in Carolina Population Centre `Outstanding Articles` reprint series.)
"Private Demand for Public Subsidies: An Econometric Study of Cultural Support", Journal of Cultural Economics, June 1979.
Economics of the Performing Arts, London and Melbourne: Edward Arnold, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1979 (with C.D. Throsby). (reprinted in Modern Revivals in Economics series, Gregg Revivals, Surrey, 1993. Also, chapter 2 reprint in Rosewall, E. and Shane, R. (eds), Arts and Cultural Management: Critical and Primary Sources, London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017).
"Unbalanced Growth and the Demand for Performing Arts: An Econometric Analysis", Southern Economic Journal, January 1980. (Reprinted in R. Towse (ed.), Cultural Economics: The Arts, the Heritage and the Media, International Library of Critical Writings in Economics, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 1996).
"Efficiency Gains from Banking De-regulation", Australian Economic Review, 1st Quarter 1981. (Earlier version in Australian Financial System Inquiry, Commissioned Studies and Selected Papers, Part I, Canberra: AGPS.)
"The Australian Broadcasting Commission: A Case Study in Public Enterprise", in L.R. Webb and R.H. Allan (eds.), Industrial Economics: An Australian Study, Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1982.
"The 1916-17 Conscription Referenda: A Clio-metric Analysis", Historical Studies, April 1982.
"Economics of Regulation", in F.H. Gruen (ed.), Surveys of Australian Economics, Volume III, Sydney: Allen & Unwin (for the Australian Academy of Social Sciences), 1982 (with J.J. Pincus).
"The Cultural Influence of Public Television: An Econometric Analysis in W.S. Hendon and J. L. Shanahan (eds) Economics of Cultural Decisions, Cambridge Mass: Abt Books, 1983" (Reprinted in R. Towse (ed.), Cultural Economics: The Arts, the Heritage and the Media, International Library of Critical Writings in Economics, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 1996).
"Crime, Punishment and Deterrence in Australia: An Empirical Investigation", Economic Record, June 1984.
"Immigration and Unemployment", Economic Record, December 1985 (with D.Pope).
"Television Viewing and ABC Program Policy: An Econometric Study", Australian Journal of Management, 10(2), December 1985.
"Artists' Subsidy of the Arts", Australian Economic Papers, 25(47), December 1985. (Republished in R. Towse (ed.), Cultural Economics: The Arts, the Heritage and the Media, International Library of Critical Writings in Economics, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 1996).
"Wage Adjustments and Labour Market Systems: A Cross Country Analysis", Economic Record, 62(179), December 1986 (with D. Pitman and B. Whittingham); republished in J. King (ed.), Readings in Australian Labour Economics, Melbourne: Macmillan, 1991.
"Strategic Bias and Demand for Public Goods", Journal of Public Economics, 31(3), December 1986 (with C.D. Throsby).
"Labour", in R. Maddock and I. McLean (eds.), The Australian Economy in Retrospect, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
Report of the Expert Working Party on the Immigration Selection System, Canberra: National Population Council, 1988. (Chair).
"The Immigration Contribution to Human Capital Formation", in D. Pope and L. Alston (eds.), Australia's Greatest Asset: Human Resources in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Sydney: Federation Press, 1989.
"Living and Working in Australia", in K. Hancock (ed.), Australian Society, Cambridge University Press, 1989.
"Australasian Immigration, Economics and Interdependence", Australian Journal of International Relations, 1, 1991.
“Macro-economic Consequences of International Migration” in G.P.Freeman and J Jupp (eds), Nations of Immigrants: Australia, the United States and International Migration, Oxford: Oxford University Press,1992, 90-110 (with W. Foster).
Population Issues and Australia's Future, Final Report, Canberra AGPS, (Chair of Committee) (2 volumes) 1992.
"Do Migrants Rob Jobs? Lessons of Australian History, 1861-1991," Journal of Economic History, 53(4), December 1993. (with D. Pope)
"The Public Sector in Australia: A Quantitative Analysis" in N. Gemmell (ed) The Growth of the Public Sector: Theories and International Evidence, Aldershot: Edward Elgar, 1993. (with F. Hackl and F. Schneider)
Medium-Term Review: Opportunities for Growth, Canberra: AGPS, July 1993 (principal author).
"Human Capital Flows" in C.F. Bergsten and M. Noland (eds), Pacific Dynamism and the International Economic System, Washington: Institute for International Economics, 1993.
“Migration” in P.Kenen (ed), Managing the World Economy, Washington: Institute for International Economics, 1994.
"Wage Effects of Immigration in Late Nineteenth Century Australia" in T.J. Hatton and J.G. Williamson (eds), Migration and the International Labor Market, 1850-1939, London: Routledge, 1994. (with D. Pope)
Public Expenditure in Australia, EPAC Commission Paper No. 3, Canberra: AGPS, October 1994. (with C.D. Throsby and K. Johnston)
Final Report, Private Infrastructure Task Force, Report to the Prime Minister of Australia, Canberra: AGPS 1995, pp 195 (Chair)
“Productivity Growth and Policy” Asia-Pacific Economic Review, 1(3), December 1995.
Stocktake of Progress in Microeconomic Reform, Report to the Commonwealth Treasurer, Productivity Commission, Canberra: AGPS, 1996, pp240 (Co-Commissioner with G. Banks)
Future Childcare Provision in Australia, EPAC Task Force Final Report, Canberra: AGPS, 1996, pp149 (with P. Faulkner, W. McCarthy, B. Hartnett)
“The Just Economy,” in Economic Planning Advisory Commission, The Global Scenarios, Canberra: AGPS, 1996.
“Investing in Australia’s Infrastructure” in P. Sheehan et al (eds), Dialogues on Australia’s Future, Melbourne: Victoria University, 1996.
Immigration and Australia: Myths and Realities, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1998, (with S. Castles, R. Iredale, and W. Foster)
“Immigration and Australia Macro-economy,” Australian Economic Review, 31(4), December 1998 (with P.N. Junankar and D. Pope)
Policy for Australia’s Industrial Future, Melbourne: CEDA, 1998 (co-edited with M. Mead) pp. 94
“Creating Competitive Capability” in Mead and Withers, loc. cit.
“Changes in the Australian Public Sector Industrial System” in W. Jann and H-G. Petersen (eds) The Public Sector in Germany and Australia: from Hierarchy to Contract Management, Berlin: Berliner Debatte Wissenscheftsverlag, 1998
“Evaluating Policy Changes: the economic and social dimensions” in Productivity Commission, Structural Adjustment: exploring the policy issues, Canberra: AGPS, 1999
“Guidelines for the Review of the Professions Under National Competition Policy, Melbourne: COAG Committee on Regulatory Reform (with M. Powall), 1999
“Creating a Dynamic Australia” in J. Jupp (ed) Immigration and Multiculturalism: Global Perspectives, Melbourne, CEDA, 1999
“Australia’s Need for a Population Policy”, BCA Papers, 1(1), May 1999
“Creative Capability: combining economic and political rationalities in industry and regional policy”, in G. Davis and M. Keating (eds), The Future of Governance: Policy Choices, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 2000 (with J. Wanna)
“Population Issues and Options: Investing in People”, Australian Economic Review, 33(3),
September 2000
“Individual Preferences and Defence Expenditure”, Defence and Peace Economics, 12(2),
January 2001 (with C.D. Throsby)
“The Budget, the Election and the Voter”, Australian Social Monitor, 4(1), June 2001 (with L. Edwards)
“Economic Issues in Health Policy”, Australian Economic Review, 34(3), September 2001
“Human Capital Accumulation: Education and Immigration”, in P.Lloyd, J.Nieuwenhuysen, and M.Mead (eds), Reshaping Australia’s Economy: Growth with Equity and Sustainability,
Cambridge University Press, 2001 (with B.Chapman)
“Voting Patterns and Determinants” in M.Simms (ed), 1901: the Forgotten Election, Queensland University Press, 2001
“Economics of Immigration” in J.Jupp (ed), Encyclopedia of the Australian People, second edition, Cambridge University Press, 2001
“Demographic Ageing and Immigration”, Australian Economic Review, 35(1) March 2002: 104-112
“The Funding of National Broadcasting”, 35(1), Southern Review, 2002: 107-119
“Methods for Projecting Future Migration Levels: An Assessment”, People and Place, 10(1), March, 2002: 84-86
“Population Issues for Australia” in P. Duncan & R. Maddock (eds), Aspire Australia, Melbourne: Business Council of Australia, 2002: 55-68
“Re-Invent Population Growth”, National Business Bulletin, 12(1), March 2002: 22-23.
“Immigration”, in I McAllister et al (eds), Australian Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Cambridge University Press, 2003:74-93
“The Economics and Regulation of Broadcasting” in R.Towse (ed), The Handbook of Cultural Economics, Edward Elgar, 2003:102-113
“Population Issues for Australia” in P. Dawkins and P. Kelly (eds), Hard Heads: Soft Hearts: A New Reform Agenda for Australia, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 2003: 10-12
“The Core Issues in Immigration Economics and Policy”, Economic Papers, March 2003
Privatisation: The Australian Experience, Melbourne: CEDA, 2003, Margaret Mead and Glenn Withers (editors)
“Fundamentals of ABC” Dialogue, 22 (3), 2003, 75-82
Immigration and the Regions, Report for the Chifley Foundation, September 2003 (with Marion Powall)
“The Contours of the Debate: Agreements, Disagreements, and the Barriers to a Meaningful Population Policy” in S. Vizard, H.J. Martin, and T. Watts (eds), Australia’s Population Challenge, Camberwell, Vic., Penguin Books, 2003, 257-267.
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