Balancing act: Taiwan cross-strait challenge
In the last decade, Taiwan's society has changed rapidly in ways that are challenging the cross-strait status quo
Tuesday 28 Sep 2021 | 19:38 | SYDNEY
What's happening on 
The sustainability of growth: history and prospects
This is Chapter 1 in the book, edited by Ross Garnaut and Ligang Song, entitled China: Is Rapid Growth Sustainable, Asia Pacific Press, Canberra, 2004
By Ross Garnaut
The emergence of substantive Sino-Australian relations, 1983-88
A paper by Ross Garnaut, Professor of Economics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University
By Ross Garnaut
Australians speak 2005: public opinion and foreign policy
The 2005 Lowy Institute Poll was, at the time, the most comprehensive single survey ever taken of Australian public opinion on foreign policy. The report, Australians Speak 2005: Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, contains insights on issues ranging from Australian defence policy to relations with
By Ivan Cook
Lowy Institute Poll Data Book 2005
Data book 2005 contains the raw data collected by the Lowy Institute Poll. It supports the report of the first edition of the Poll, entitled Australians Speak 2005: Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, which is also available for download
By Ivan Cook
Joining the caravan? The Middle East, Islamism and Indonesia
September 11 2001 and the Bali Bombing in November 2002 evoked images of a militant Islamist wave sweeping the globe from the Middle East, radicalising once peaceful Muslim communities around the world
Asset markets and financial flows in general equilibrium models
This paper discusses the importance of asset markets and financial flows in general equilibrium models. Asset markets and financial flows play an important role in the adjustment process to economic shocks and policy changes.
Indonesia in a changing global environment
Indonesia faces a number of important challenges both in the short run and in the longer run. The world economy is currently growing robustly but a number of uncertainties cloud the economic outlook. A strong global economy is being challenged by higher oil prices.
Sensible climate policy
In Sensible climate policy Professor Warwick McKibbin criticises the Kyoto Protocol that had just entered into force in February 2005. He predicts that the policy would not succeed in reducing emissions and argued that it was a mistake to continue to follow the ‘targets and timetables’ approach
India energy needs
India's exploding demand for energy is confronting New Delhi with two important dilemmas. India's internal dilemma is that to satisfy its energy needs, it must balance reform and expansion of its energy sector with the need to avoid alienating key domestic constituencies.
By Nick Hordern
Energy insecurity: China, India and Middle East oil
Anthony Bubalo and Mark Thirlwell examine China and India's growing thirst for imported oil, particularly from the Middle East, and consider some of the possible longer term strategic implications associated with this trend.
The 'Khmer Islam' community in Cambodia and its foreign patrons
Dr Milton Osborne, Australia's pre-eminent Cambodia expert, in a new Lowy Institute Issues Brief, looks at the revival of Cambodia's Islamic minority in the post-Pol Pot period.
Diaspora: the world wide web of Australians
In this Lowy Institute Paper, Dr Michael Fullilove and Dr Chloë Flutter argue that the community of Australian expatriates is a great asset for this country.
Unsheathing the Samurai sword: Japan changing security policy
Japan emerged from World War II as the only country in the world to completely renounce war as a sovereign right. Despite this proscription, Japan’s self-defence forces form a large, technologically advanced military power
By Alan Dupont
Beyond Arafat
Anthony Bubalo, research fellow, argues that Yasser Arafat's death could have longer term positive implications for both Palestinian political reform and efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but in the short term the impact will be more limited. Arafat's immediate successors will not
Bush is from Mars, Kerry is from Mars too
Although there are significant differences in style and substance between George Bush and John Kerry, the similarities in foreign policy terms are more striking than is sometimes understood. From Australia's perspective, the fundamentals of our relationship with the US are excellent and the alliance
Transpacific trade imbalances: causes and cures
This Issues Brief by Professor Warwick McKibbin and others explores the causes of the transpacific trade imbalances using an empirical global model. It also evaluates the impact of various policies to reduce these imbalances.
Parallel worlds
Depending on the way we look at the world at present it is possible to see the international system as unipolar or multipolar, as intensely inter-connected or deeply divided. Each of these angles of view reveals important truths about the global environment.Allan Gyngell looks at the lessons
River at risk: the Mekong and the water politics of China and Southeast Asia
The Lowy Institute Paper by Dr Milton Osborne critically analyses one of Southeast Asia's gravest social and environmental challenges, the damming and dredging of the Mekong River system.
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: China in the limelight
John Bowan, a former senior Australian foreign policy official, and consultant to Beijing's successful Olympic bid, examines how Beijing and China won the 2008 Games and what this will mean for China and its position in the world.The 2008 Olympics will open China to unprecedented international
By John Bowan
India: the next economic giant
This Lowy Institute Paper by Mark Thirlwell assesses the emergence of India as a major new player in today's global economy.
Israel withdrawal from Gaza: a role for Australia?
This paper explores the possibility that further Australian military forces will be sought for the Middle East, in this case for a peacekeeping force in the Gaza Strip.
Modelling global demographic change: results for Japan
In earlier papers, we introduced demographic features into the MSG3 model of the world economy, following the approach of Bryant and McKibbin.
Long run projections for climate change scenarios
The prediction of future temperature increases depends critically on the projections of future greenhouse gas emissions. Yet there is a vigorous debate about how these projections should be undertaken and how reasonable is the approach of the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) published by
Climate change policy for India
While the global environment waits for the world to reach some form of agreement on climate policy, developing countries such as India are entering a phase of higher economic growth. The decisions on investment in energy systems that will be made in India in coming years will have an important
Election Watch. Japan party system: shifting the political axis, releasing economic reform
This Issues Brief examines how changes to the Japanese political system, reflected in the November 9 election results, offer new hope for structural economic reforms that would benefit Australia
By Malcolm Cook
The Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement: a preliminary assessment
On 8 February Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile concluded an agreed text for an Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement. This Issues Brief provides a preliminary assessment of the agreement, based on the limited information now available
Globalization and disease: the case of SARS
The outbreak of SARS in late 2002 has alerted the world to the potential economic costs of epidemics. The purpose of this paper is to provide an assessment of the global economic impacts of the SARS disease as well as provide a more comprehensive approach to estimating the global consequences of
The international economy in 2003…
This Issues Brief suggests that a key theme over the past year has been the management of external imbalances in a world economy that is not only increasingly integrated but which is simultaneously undergoing a sustained geographic shift in the distribution of economic weight towards Asia
Revaluing the renminbi...
There are strong parallels between today’s US-China tensions over trade and US-Japan economic relations in the 1980s
Are Australian policymakers operating in a new global economy?
Developments including the rise of vertically specialised trade and the growing internationalisation of production, broader and deeper goods and financial market integration, the extension of international trade to the previously “non-tradeable” services sector, and the spread of international
Is the international trading system fragmenting? The dilemma for Australian trade policy
The post-World War II international trade policy framework is being challenged by a proliferation of bilateral and regional trading arrangements. Australia faces a choice over whether to join this preferential trade bandwagon and risk collateral damage to the multilateral trading system, or to go no
The consequences of China WTO accession on its neighbours
Southeast Asian industrial exports are now facing intense competition from Chinese industrial exports. How much more would competition increase with China's recent accession to the World Trade Organization? Would Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand (the ASEAN-4) de-industrialise and return
Estimates of the costs of Kyoto-Marrakesh versus the McKibbin-Wilcoxen Blueprint
In this paper we update our earlier estimates of the cost of the Kyoto Protocol using the G-Cubed model, taking into account the new sink allowances from recent negotiations as well as allowing for multiple gases and new land clearing estimates.
Changes in equity risk perceptions: global consequences and policy responses
The current weakness in the global economy has generated a debate on the likely outlook for the world economy and the appropriate response for monetary policies.
Pages