Concept Economy Podcast

The Australian Government is determined to enrol more young people into university as a lever for achieving greater national productivity.But what’s the point of increasing the number of university students if we don’t help graduates find those productivity-boosting jobs at the end of their degrees?Sam is joined by Dr Jason Brown, now Director of Career Impact at Monash University. They discuss the flexible nature of employability, the benefits of hybrid work, and how internships unlock value for both students and industry. Get full access to Concept Economy at samkellahan.substack.com/subscribe

It’s been said that if money is the lifeblood of the economy, the financial system is a network of veins threaded through the nation.The financial system provides a place for people to invest and store their savings. It helps to channel funds into new businesses. It can also be used for speculation and in some cases, money-laundering. With such a range of functions, how can we create a financial system that caters to the needs of customers and promotes productivity?Sam is joined by Emeritus Professor Kevin Davis from the University of Melbourne to discuss who created our financial institutions and why; the surprising effects of financial regulation; and how Australia ended up with a few big, privately owned banks, and a huge decline in the number of mutually-owned credit unions. Get full access to Concept Economy at samkellahan.substack.com/subscribe

Public policy impacts almost every aspect of our lives. Policy sets constraints on the economy. Policy sets out the rules that we live by. Analysts, politicians, and policymakers from different backgrounds collaborate and compete to create policy. But who gets to decide what makes “good” public policy? What should “good” policy seek to achieve?Sam is joined by Professor Janine O’Flynn from ANU to step through two big ideas that have shaped public policy: New Public Management, and Public Value Theory. Get full access to Concept Economy at samkellahan.substack.com/subscribe

The creation of good public policy requires policymakers to solve complex problems. This is challenging work, especially because reliable methods for creating good policy are not always clear.Science, technology, and product development have made leaps and bounds in recent decades, in part thanks to advances in problem solving derived from fields of study such as design thinking and systems theory. Is it possible to apply the tools from these domains to solve complex policy problems?Systemic design and co-design offer strategies for enabling policymakers to develop better policy – a big part of the picture is simply listening to the people who are impacted. Sam is joined by coach and researcher, Dr Emma Blomkamp to find out more about how to design better policy and the challenges faced by policymakers. Get full access to Concept Economy at samkellahan.substack.com/subscribe

Does higher education hold the key to national prosperity?Universities are complex and ancient institutions, yet instrumentalists view them primarily as a means to achieving government goals. The workers of the future will require advanced skills – so it is reasoned – and universities are perfectly positioned to deliver the training.But does increasing the number of students at university automatically lead to a better educated workforce? Does it matter whether university educators have been trained to teach? And how can we know what the jobs of the future will be?Professor Andrew Norton joins Sam to discuss the many responsibilities of universities and whether higher education policy is taking teaching seriously. Get full access to Concept Economy at samkellahan.substack.com/subscribe