Committee for Economic Development of Australia

Encyclopedia : C : CO : COM : Committee for Economic Development of Australia

This article is about the Australian economic think tank. For other uses, see CEDA (disambiguation).

CEDA (the Committee for Economic Development of Australia) is an independent, bipartisan, non-profit forum and think tank. Its expressed aim is to "promote national economic development in a sustainable and socially balanced way." Sydney Morning Herald economics editor Ross Gittins has described CEDA as seeking to "inform the public debate without lobbying". It is financed by around 900 members drawn from business, universities, governments and community groups, and by a program of conferences and other events.

Contents

1 Foundation
2 Current Research
3 External links
4 References

Foundation

CEDA was formed in 1960 by Sir Douglas Copland, one of the most influential figures in Australian economics. It was modelled on the US CED (Committee for Economic Development), but is now organised along lines more similar to the US Conference Board and the Conference Board of Canada. It is Australia's second oldest think-tank, after the Institute of Public Affairs.

In 1979, after a debate on CEDA's involvement in lobbying, it established the Business Roundtable and then spun it off. The Business Roundtable soon became the Business Council of Australia.

Current Research

CEDA's research program today concentrates on long-term issues, including education, economic infrastructure (roads, ports, electricity systems et al), population ageing, management of water, and business innovation. Rather than identifying strongly with a particular ideological viewpoint in the style of the Centre for Independent Studies, the Institute of Public Affairs or the Australia Institute, it mostly offers conclusions that are near the centre of the policy spectrum. It tends to favour market-oriented solutions to issues such as water supply and infrastructure. However, a substantial amount of its social policy work - for instance, on transitional labour markets - is to the left of the political centre. It is respected for the quality of its research and its commitment to open debate as a means of identifying good policy outcomes.

External links

[CEDA]

References

The Bridge by CEDA Staff (1990), published by CEDA - the most recent history.
Problems & Progress, edited by Harvey Mitchell (1985), published by CEDA - with contributions by Neville Norman, Phil Ruthven, Dame Leonie Kramer and others.

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