The Australian Economy in 1983–84

This article was jointly prepared by the staff of the Review. A preliminary set of forecasts was presented to members of the Institute's Econometric Forecasting Project on 1 June 1983. The current set of forecasts, with revisions to include the March quarter national accounts and the details of the Loan Council meeting, were completed on 12 August 1983.     

Economies of Scale in Australian Banks 1978–1990

This paper examines economies of scale in Australian banks. A bank multi-product cost function is estimated using a translog functional form with data drawn from twelve banks spanning the period 1978 to 1990. Different formulations of the model are estimated. Results prove sensitive to estimation assumptions and data definitions however they support the presence of economies of scale for Australian banking in this period     

Intermediate Inequality and Welfare: The Case of Spain, 1980–81 to 1990–91

The 1990–91 household expenditures distribution in Spain dominates, in the relative ("rightist") Lorenz sense, the 1980–81 distribution, but the latter dominates the former in the absolute ("leftist") Lorenz sense. This situation constitutes a textbook case for intermediate or "centrist" notions of inequality and social welfare. This paper presents the first empirical application of this sort, using the intermediate inequality concept introduced in Del Río and Ruiz-Castillo (2000). The data reveal that there is a decrease in household expenditures inequality for a relatively small set of centrist attitudes.     

Richard Manning 1943–1989

The community of academic economists and professionals has suffered a great loss by Richard Manning's untimely death. He was barely halfway through his career and at the peak of his ability as a researcher, teacher and leader. Many students will no longer encounter his insight into economic theory, many colleagues will miss his ability to focus discussion into fruitful avenues and many good papers will not be written with the same clarity of thought The discipline of economics is poorer for it.     

E–Commerce and the Australian Economy

This paper considers the likely impact of e–commerce and the Internet on the Australian economy. It surveys literature on the extent and development of e–commerce in Australia and its impact on the shape of the Australian economy. Evidence for the 'renewal' of the Australian economy is presented and examined, especially the question of whether Australia has enjoyed increases in productivity as a result of the production and/or use of new information and communications technology. Australia is seen as broadly well placed to benefit from the Internet and e–commerce. Traditionally isolated from the world's main economic centres and reliant on commodities in international trade, the advent of the Internet is ideal for a country in transition to a service–orientated, knowledge–based economy. As the composition of Australia's exports becomes more service–orientated and knowledge–intensive, traditional trading links with Europe and North America may strengthen relative to those with Asia.     

Consumption and nutrition: Age–intake profiles for Czechoslovakia 1989–92

This paper provides non-parametric estimates of the relation between nutrient intake and age for Czechoslovak individuals, as a function of both the characteristics of the individual and of their household, on the basis of household purchases. Results show no significant difference between the age-energy intake profiles of men and women. The decomposition of this intake between carbohydrates, lipids (i.e., fats) and proteins shows a lack of balance in the diet in Czechoslovakia, but significant progress toward a more balanced diet has taken place over the period. Finally, household characteristics such as the woman's level of education, or household income, have at most a marginal impact on these profiles.