AustLit

'Dow commemorates the 40th anniversary of Social Alternatives by discussing his hopes and disappointments of the past forty years in terms of the politics of economic policy in Australia. He has written in the first issue of Social Alternatives, together with Jon Stanford, the economic crisis then emerging (unemployment and inflation, signaling the end of the long postwar boom) was driven more by policy mistakes, institutional belligerence and political error than by global forces over which Australia had insufficient domestic or deliberative control. Over the ensuing four decades, he haven't altered his diagnosis much; although it does need to be augmented now to reflect his realization that ideas and analyses are insufficient for policy critique.'  (Introduction)