What is econobabble?

We hear it every day, when public figures and commentators use incomprehensible economic jargon to dress up their self-interest as the national interest, to make the absurd seem inevitable or the inequitable seem fair. This book is designed to expose the stupid arguments, bizarre contradictions and complete lack of evidence upon which much ‘common sense’ about the economy rests in Australia.

Econobabble is for those who, deep down, have never believed that it makes sense, economic or otherwise, to help poor people by slashing public spending on the services they need. It’s for those who have a sneaking suspicion that it would be cheaper to avoid the effects of climate change than to let them happen and then ‘adapt’. And it’s for those who think it would be more efficient to reduce unemployment than to ship jobs offshore or blame those who are out of work.

With acuity and precision, Richard Denniss demolishes the tired and misleading arguments of right-wing economic ‘experts’, empowering you to cut through the babble and reach the truth.

About the author

Dr Richard Denniss was until recently the head of the Australia Institute, and is now its Chief Economist. He is co-author of Affluenza, An Introduction to Australian Public Policy and Minority Policy and is a regular columnist with the Australian Financial Review, the Canberra Times and the Monthly. He has spent the last twenty years moving between policy-focused roles in academia, federal politics and think tanks.