SAUL ESLAKE

Economist

SAUL ESLAKE

‘Welcome to my website …
I’m an independent economist, speaker, company director
and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Tasmania’

Economics and Economists


The American actor Will Rogers once said (in 1932) that “an economist’s guess is liable to be as good as anybody else’s” (click here for more jokes about economists). More seriously, Paul Krugman (a Nobel Prize winning economist who these days is probably better known for his acerbic columns in the New York Times) wrote, “Economists may make lots of bad predictions, but they do have a method – a systematic way of thinking about the world that is more true than not, that gives them genuine if imperfect expertise. That is also, of course, why lay commentators and other social scientists tend to hate them”. Some of my thoughts about my profession and its practitioners are here.

Excerpt: Modern Monetary Theory

Economic Policies, Economics and Economists, QE & MMT, The Global Economy | 25th August 2021

Login or subscribe to view the full video and presentation slides Login Subcribe Some commentators seem to think that ‘QE’ is simply a variant of, or a step along the road to, something called ‘Modern Monetary Theory’ or ‘MMT’.  It isn’t: and so in the second part of this series Saul explains what MMT is […]


Video & Presentation Slides: Modern Monetary Theory

Economic Policies, Economics and Economists, The Global Economy | 25th August 2021

In this webinar Saul will explain what MMT is (and what it isn’t), what the historical record shows about how it might work in practice, and what some of the results might be if it were implemented in current circumstances.


Video & Presentation Slides: What is ‘QE’, and how does it work?

Economic Policies, Economics and Economists, QE & MMT, The Global Economy | 29th July 2021

In this webinar Saul will explain exactly what ‘QE’ is, how its done, why central banks are doing it, what its intended and unintended effects are, and how long central banks might keep doing it for.


Why study economics?

Economics and Economists | 23rd October 2017

A short video for the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, at the University of Tasmania


Choices, Luck and Forecasting

Economics and Economists | 18th May 2015

Address to’The Friendly Conference’, hosted by the Friends’ School, Hobart, 18th May 2015


Forecasting is more than just luck

Economics and Economists | 15th November 2014

Article published in ‘Management Today’, the magazine of the Australian Institute of Management, November 2014


Reflections on and lessons from a career as an economist

Economics and Economists, Publications | 10th November 2013

Article published in ‘Insights’, by the Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne, vol 14, Nov 2013, pp.45-51


On the Role of Economists, and Leaving Tasmania

Economics and Economists, Tasmania | 16th December 2012

Occasional Address at the University of Tasmania’s Graduation Ceremony for students of the Faculty of Commerce, 16th December 2002


SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

Speaking Engagement | Boardroom Advisory | Commissioned Report | Expert Witness



Saul Eslake online presentation


“You are the best economic thinker in the country hands down”

Sheryle Bagwell, recently retired Senior Business Correspondent (and sometime Executive Producer),
ABC Radio National Breakfast


“Just want to congratulate you Saul on the unbelievably good set of slides you just presented, possibly the best I have ever seen. You have set the bar very high.”

Dr Joe Flood, Adjunct Fellow, RMIT University, Pandemicia


“Thank you very much for your excellent presentation for the Economic Society today. It is always a great pleasure to hear your eloquent, up-to-date and comprehensive talks.”

Andrew Trembath, economist, Victorian and Australian Government agencies


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WHAT'S NEW

Most Recent Articles, Talks and Presentations


Productivity, Tax Reform and ‘Peak China’
Asian Economies, Economic Policies, Productivity, Taxation, The Australian Economy
13th March 2024


The Tasmanian Economy
Tasmania
29th February 2024


The worst public policy decision of the 21st Century
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview
20th February 2024


Is ‘price gouging’ a major contributor to inflation?
Recent Media Interview
19th February 2024


The massive $50bn GST revenue distribution blow out (with Andy Park)
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview
14th February 2024


The massive $50bn GST revenue distribution blow out (with Gary Adshead)
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview
14th February 2024


Tasmania’s senior secondary education reform
Recent Media Interview, Tasmania
13th February 2024


Distribution of GST Revenue: the Worst Public Policy Decision of the 21st Century to date.
Australian Society and Politics, Economic Policies, The Australian Economy
4th February 2024


Insights on Asian Elections 2024 mentioned in The Economist
Asian Economies
30th January 2024


Alternatives to interest rates
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
29th January 2024


Reflections on ‘Australia Day’
Australian Society and Politics
26th January 2024


‘Stage 3’ tax cuts
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
25th January 2024


The proposed changes to the “stage 3 tax cuts”
Economic Policies, Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
24th January 2024


Don’t count your chickens when it comes to an RBA rate cut
Recent Media Interview, The Australian Economy
23rd January 2024


Have we passed ‘peak China’?
Asian Economies
23rd January 2024


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Recent Presentations


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TESTIMONIALS

What Others Say


“You are one of the best at what you do in the world”
Gail Fosler, Chief Economist, The Conference Board, New York, December 2002

“I have never known an economist to have such a knowledge of world economic facts and to be able to bring to bear so much information in answering a question without notice”
Charles Goode, Chairman, ANZ Bank, July 2009

“Saul Eslake is … a highly regarded independent economist with the highest degree of integrity"
John Durie, Columnist, The Australian, July 2009

“… one of the few people in this world who can have so many oranges up in the air at the same time but still manage to catch them"
Andrew Clark, journalist, Australian Financial Review, November 2008

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