Committee for Economic Development of Australia
Encyclopedia
CEDA is an independent, bipartisan, non-profit forum and think tank
. Its expressed aim is to "promote national economic development in a sustainable and socially balanced way." Sydney Morning Herald economics editor Ross Gittins
has described CEDA as seeking to "inform the public debate without lobbying". It is financed by around 900 members drawn from business
, universities, governments and community groups, and by a program of conferences and other events.
, one of the most influential figures in Australian economics
. It was modelled on the US CED (Committee for Economic Development
), but is now organised along lines more similar to the US Conference Board and the Conference Board of Canada
. It is Australia
's third-oldest think-tank, after the Institute of Public Affairs
and the Australian Institute of International Affairs
.
In 1979, after a debate on CEDA's involvement in lobbying, it established a 'Business Roundtable' as an independent entity which in 1983 was merged into the Business Council of Australia
.
(roads, ports, electricity systems et al.), population ageing, management of water, and business innovation. Rather than identifying strongly with a particular ideological viewpoint in the style of the Centre for Independent Studies
, the Institute of Public Affairs
or the Australia Institute
, it mostly offers conclusions that are near the centre of the policy spectrum. It tends to favour market-oriented or at least price-oriented solutions to issues such as water supply and infrastructure. However, a substantial amount of its social policy work - for instance, on transitional labour markets - is sympathetic to government intervention in appropriate circumstances. It is respected for the quality of its research and its commitment to open debate as a means of identifying good policy outcomes.
Australia's Broadband Future - Four doors to greater competition (2009) offers a competition-based approach to delivering broadband services to customers in different situations across the country.
Competing From Australia, an eight-paper volume examining Australia's engagement with the world economy. Two papers in Competing From Australia, by Professor Geoffrey Blainey
and Professor Glenn Withers, examine the continuing effects of distance on the Australian economy. These papers develop an investigation of the so-called "New Economic Geography" begun in Australia by researchers from the Federal Treasury in the early 2000s. They also revive in a new context the "tyranny of distance" concept made famous by BlaineyBold text in the 1960s. Other papers in Competing From Australia examine industrial innovation and the rise of global supply chains.
A controversial CEDA paper published in December 2006 argued that Australia does not need a single national high-speed broadband network. The paper, authored by the University of Melbourne's Professor Joshua Gans
, claimed that Australia would do better to create a regulatory system that enabled appropriate local-scale solutions. This argument has been rejected by Telstra
, Australia's largest broadband provider.
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
. Its expressed aim is to "promote national economic development in a sustainable and socially balanced way." Sydney Morning Herald economics editor Ross Gittins
Ross Gittins
Ross Gittins AM is an Australian political and economic journalist and author.-Early Life and Education:Ross Roderick Gittins was born 13 February 1948 in Newcastle, New South Wales where his family were living at New Lambton. His parents, Salvation Army officers moved to Sydney and Ross started...
has described CEDA as seeking to "inform the public debate without lobbying". It is financed by around 900 members drawn from business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, universities, governments and community groups, and by a program of conferences and other events.
Foundation
CEDA was formed in 1960 by Sir Douglas CoplandDouglas Copland
Sir Douglas Copland was an Australian academic and economist.He was born in New Zealand in 1894, the thirteenth of sixteen children. In 1920, at the age of 26, he became Professor of Economics at the University of Tasmania...
, one of the most influential figures in Australian economics
Economy of Australia
The economy of Australia is a developed, modern market economy with a GDP of approximately US$1.23 trillion. In 2011, it was the 13th largest national economy by nominal GDP and the 17th largest measured by PPP adjusted GDP, representing about 1.7% of the World economy. Australia was also ranked...
. It was modelled on the US CED (Committee for Economic Development
Committee for Economic Development
The Committee for Economic Development is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan think tank based in Washington, DC. Its membership consists of some 200 senior corporate executives and university leaders...
), but is now organised along lines more similar to the US Conference Board and the Conference Board of Canada
Conference Board of Canada
The Conference Board of Canada is a not-for-profit Canadian organization dedicated to researching and analyzing economic trends, as well as organizational performance and public policy issues....
. It is Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's third-oldest think-tank, after the Institute of Public Affairs
Institute of Public Affairs
The Institute of Public Affairs is a public policy think tank based in Melbourne, Australia. It advocates free market economic policies such as privatisation and deregulation of state-owned enterprises, trade liberalisation and deregulated workplaces, climate change skepticism , and the...
and the Australian Institute of International Affairs
Australian Institute of International Affairs
The Australian Institute of International Affairs is a non-profit think tank based in Australia. Established in 1924 and formed as a national body in 1933, the organisation endeavours to promote interest in and understanding of international affairs...
.
In 1979, after a debate on CEDA's involvement in lobbying, it established a 'Business Roundtable' as an independent entity which in 1983 was merged into the Business Council of Australia
Business Council of Australia
The Business Council of Australia represents the chief executives of approximately 100 large Australian corporations. It was formed in 1983 by the merger of the Business Roundtable - a spin-off of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia - and the Australian Industry Development...
.
Research approach
CEDA's research program today concentrates on long-term issues, including education, economic infrastructureInfrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
(roads, ports, electricity systems et al.), population ageing, management of water, and business innovation. Rather than identifying strongly with a particular ideological viewpoint in the style of the Centre for Independent Studies
Centre for Independent Studies
The Centre for Independent Studies is a libertarian think tank founded in April 1976 by Executive Director Greg Lindsay. The CIS is one of six think tanks recognised by the National Institute for Research Advancement in Tokyo, Japan...
, the Institute of Public Affairs
Institute of Public Affairs
The Institute of Public Affairs is a public policy think tank based in Melbourne, Australia. It advocates free market economic policies such as privatisation and deregulation of state-owned enterprises, trade liberalisation and deregulated workplaces, climate change skepticism , and the...
or the Australia Institute
The Australia Institute
The Australia Institute is a left wing Australian think tank conducting public policy research, funded by grants from philanthropic trusts, memberships and commissioned research....
, it mostly offers conclusions that are near the centre of the policy spectrum. It tends to favour market-oriented or at least price-oriented solutions to issues such as water supply and infrastructure. However, a substantial amount of its social policy work - for instance, on transitional labour markets - is sympathetic to government intervention in appropriate circumstances. It is respected for the quality of its research and its commitment to open debate as a means of identifying good policy outcomes.
Recent research
A Taxing Debate: Climate policy beyond Copenhagen (2009) is an 11-chapter volume on the practicalities of a consumption-based carbon tax and its potential to deliver economic and international certainty. It includes papers by Yale University's William D Nordhaus and leading Australian economist Professor Warwick McKibbin.Australia's Broadband Future - Four doors to greater competition (2009) offers a competition-based approach to delivering broadband services to customers in different situations across the country.
Competing From Australia, an eight-paper volume examining Australia's engagement with the world economy. Two papers in Competing From Australia, by Professor Geoffrey Blainey
Geoffrey Blainey
Geoffrey Norman Blainey AC , is a prominent Australian historian.Blainey was born in Melbourne and raised in a series of Victorian country towns before attending Wesley College and the University of Melbourne. While at university he was editor of Farrago, the newspaper of the University of...
and Professor Glenn Withers, examine the continuing effects of distance on the Australian economy. These papers develop an investigation of the so-called "New Economic Geography" begun in Australia by researchers from the Federal Treasury in the early 2000s. They also revive in a new context the "tyranny of distance" concept made famous by BlaineyBold text in the 1960s. Other papers in Competing From Australia examine industrial innovation and the rise of global supply chains.
A controversial CEDA paper published in December 2006 argued that Australia does not need a single national high-speed broadband network. The paper, authored by the University of Melbourne's Professor Joshua Gans
Joshua Gans
Joshua Gans holds the Jeffrey Skoll Chair in Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Until 2011, he was an economics professor at Melbourne Business School in Australia. His research focuses on competition policy and intellectual...
, claimed that Australia would do better to create a regulatory system that enabled appropriate local-scale solutions. This argument has been rejected by Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, Australia's largest broadband provider.