Australia's leading applied economic and social research institute
The Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research has worked for over 60 years to advance opportunity, equity, and prosperity in Australia and our region. Our world-class economists conduct rigorous, independent research and analysis, providing an evidence base for effective policy reform. We are a trusted partner for governments, industry, and communities, working to solve the complex challenges of our time.
News
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For the first time, we’ve mapped where Australia's innovation really thrives
A new index charts Australian innovation across nearly two decades. It shows a country with real potential, and where we need to focus to realise it.
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New Innovation Index maps Australia’s business innovation strengths
New research draws on 18 years of data to show where innovation activity is strongest across industries and regions and compares selected emerging technologies.
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Reform wasn’t meant to be easy. Here’s how the battles for Medicare and child support defeated vested interests
Can you imagine Australia without Medicare, the age pension, or with 50% tariffs on imported goods such as cars, clothes and shoes? Institutions we take for granted now took many decades of agitating, fighting vested interests and staring down passive resistance to be created. This is the realpolitik of economics.
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Consumer inflation expectations unchanged in September
The expected inflation rate (30-per-cent trimmed mean measure) was unchanged in September at 4.9 per cent.
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Why health insurance cuts for the over‑65s won’t swamp public hospitals after all
The controversy surrounding the federal government’s plan to scrap extra private health insurance rebates for the over-65s continues. Not everyone agrees on the impact of the higher premiums, whether that’s the number of people set to cancel their cover or the impact on the public health system.
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Carrot or stick? What separating Australia’s health insurance penalty from its subsidy reveals about smarter tax design
The Australian government uses both a carrot and a stick to encourage people to buy private health insurance (PHI). The carrot is a premium subsidy for people who buy PHI (the PHI Rebate), costing $7.6 billion a year. The stick is a tax penalty (the Medicare Levy Surcharge, or MLS) applied to higher earners who don’t purchase it.
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Monthly inflation rose in August
The Melbourne Institute Monthly Inflation Gauge increased for a second consecutive month in August, after falling in May and June.
