Henry Ergas
Encyclopedia
Henry Ergas is a regulatory economist
who has worked at the OECD, Australian Trade Practices Commission
(now the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
) and the Australian Centre of Regulatory Economics (ACORE) Advisory Group. He chaired the Australian Intellectual Property and Competition Review Committee set up by the Australian Federal Government in 1999 to review Australia's intellectual property
laws as they relate to competition policy. He is Adjunct Professor of Economics at the National University of Singapore
and has taught at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
, the Centre for Research in Network Economics and Communications at the University of Auckland
, Monash University
and at the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Economique
in Paris
. He was an independent contributor to a paper submitted to the U.S. FCC which cautions against imposing regulations that, while aimed at net neutrality, may cause costs that exceed the expected benefits.
In recent years Henry Ergas' career has been controversial in a number of respects:
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
who has worked at the OECD, Australian Trade Practices Commission
Australian Trade Practices Commission
The Australian Trade Practices Commission was the agency responsible for monitoring and enforcement activities under the Trade Practices Act 1974. It was replaced by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in 1995....
(now the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent authority of the Australia government. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974...
) and the Australian Centre of Regulatory Economics (ACORE) Advisory Group. He chaired the Australian Intellectual Property and Competition Review Committee set up by the Australian Federal Government in 1999 to review Australia's intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
laws as they relate to competition policy. He is Adjunct Professor of Economics at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
and has taught at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, the Centre for Research in Network Economics and Communications at the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
, Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
and at the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Economique
École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique
The École nationale de la statistique et de l'administration économique or ENSAE is one of the French Grandes Ecoles of engineering and a member of ParisTech ....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He was an independent contributor to a paper submitted to the U.S. FCC which cautions against imposing regulations that, while aimed at net neutrality, may cause costs that exceed the expected benefits.
In recent years Henry Ergas' career has been controversial in a number of respects:
- as an expert witness - In the 2005 Qantas-Air New Zealand case, Ergas was criticised by the Australian Competition Tribunal for uncritically pushing a party line, avoiding challenging questions and seeking to obscure the real issues in contention. Additionally, in 2006 a Federal Court judge dismissed much of Ergas's evidence in the Queensland Rail-Pacific National case, stating "In my view, Mr Ergas's argument is pure economic theory unsupported by the facts of the case." The Australian Financial Review suggested that economists and lawyers are now questioning whether any litigant would risk calling Ergas again.
- because of the failure of his consulting business Concept Economics and the overt support for the Liberal Party of Australia.
Recent Publications
- 2010 - (with Franceso Paolucci, Terry Hannan and Jos Aarts) ‘The Effectiveness of Health Informatics’, in Healthcare and the Effect of Technology: Developments, Challenges and Advancements, Stefane M. Kabene (Ed.), Healthcare and the Effect of Technology: Developments, Challenges and Advancements
- 2010 - “New policies create a new politics: issues of institutional design in climate change policy” Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, April, Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics
- 2009 - ‘An Excess of Access’, Agenda: A Journal of Policy Analysis and Reform, vol 16, no 4, Agenda: A Journal of Policy Analysis and Reform
- 2009 - ‘Price Squeezes and Vertical Discrimination on Next Generation Access Networks’ (with Emma Lanigan and Eric Ralph), available at Price Squeezes and Vertical Discrimination on Next Generation Access Networks
External Appointments
- 2009 - Professor of Infrastructure Economics, SMART Infrastructure FacilitySMART Infrastructure FacilityThe SMART Infrastructure Facility is the national centre for infrastructure solutions in Australia. SMART stands for ‘Simulation, Modelling, Analysis, Research and Teaching’.-Overview:...
, University of WollongongUniversity of WollongongThe University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney... - 2009 - Senior Economic Adviser, Deloitte Australia
- 2005 - Member, Prime Minister’s Taskforce on Export and Infrastructure
- 2004 – Adjunct Professor, School of Economics, National University of SingaporeNational University of SingaporeThe National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
- 2004 – Member, Australian Centre of Regulatory Economics (ACORE) Advisory Board
- 2004 - Member, French Ordre National du MériteOrdre National du MériteThe Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
- 2002 – Editorial Board, The Review of Network Economics
- 2001 - Lay Member, New Zealand High Court
- 1999 - Chairman, Intellectual Property and Competition Review Committee, Attorney-General’s Department, Australia
- 1998 - Member, Commissione Scientifica, Telecom ItaliaTelecom ItaliaTelecom Italia is the largest Italian telecommunications company, also active in the media and manufacturing industries. Now a private concern listed on the Borsa Italiana, it was founded in 1994 by the merger of several state-owned telecommunications companies, the most important of which was...
, Rome, Italy - 1997 - Member, Advisory Panel on Telecommunications Reform to the Minister for Communications and the Arts, Australia