Crony Capitalism and the East Asian Currency and Financial 'Crises' Helen Hughes
Japan's dismal performance in the 1990s and the East Asian collapses of 1997 indicate that dirigisme can only boost economies in the short run and at a high cost.

Civil Society and Development: the Missing Link Hadi Soesastro
Societies in East Asia are in a process of democratisation. The process of democratic consolidation and the nature of democracy that exists in a society are perhaps reflected in the strength of its civil society.

The Mont Pelerin Society Bali Meeting Greg Lindsay
The international society of liberal scholars and activists was founded in Switzerland in 1947. This year's meeting was held in Bali.

A Critique of Cultural Protectionism Imre Salusinszky
The protectionist mindset in Australia is so pervasive that it runs the risk of being destructive.

Gambling: Not the Worst Bet Guy Calvert
The morality is beside the point—if gambling is a vice then that is a matter forphilosphers of the clergy, and ultimately individual conscience.

The Awful Consequences of the CAP John Fisher
There are gross absurdities and paradoxes of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The unsustainability of the CAP over the long run is well-appreciated in Western Europe but, hitherto, the emphasis has been on containing a cost that rich countries could afford.

Family Policy for the New Millennium Kevin Andrews
The evidence of marriage and family breakdown is mounting though national prosperity has improved.

The Goods and Services Tax: Enforceable Guidelines Graeme S. Dorrance
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has established enforceable guidelines applicable from the elimination of some wholesale sales taxes (WST) and for two years after the imposition of the goods and services tax (GST).

Social Welfare and Individual Responsibility: For and Against by David Schmidtz and Robert Goodin - reviewed by Lucy Sullivan

States of Health: Health and Illness in Australia by Janet George and Alan Davis and Economics and Australian Health Policy edited by Gavin Mooney and Richard Scotton - reviewed by Steven Schwartz
The Great Disruption: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order by Francis Fukuyama - reviewed by Robert Clark
Destiny Will Out: The Experiences of a Multicultural Malayan in White Australia by Arasa - reviewed by Jason Soon

Australia's Prospects in the Global Economy Excerpts from State of the Nation 1999
Since the middle 1990s, Australian productivity and GDP per capita growth has improved, reflecting the reforms that began in the 1980s. Other industrial countries, however, have also accelerated their growth, so that AustraliaÍs ranking in the world performance tables is not improving.