- Additional Authors
- Coleman, William Oliver, 1959-
- Description
- 1 online resource (xiii, 320 pages)
- Summary
- "This edited volume is about the Australian difference and how Australia's economic and social policy has diverged from the approach of other countries. Australia seems to be following a 'special path' of its own that it laid down more than a century ago. Australia's distinctive bent is manifested in a tightly regulated labour market; a heavy reliance on means testing and income taxation; a geographical centralization of political power combined with its dispersal amongst autonomous authorities, and electoral singularities such as compulsory and preferential voting. In seeking to explain this Australian Exceptionalism, the book covers a diverse range of issues: the strength and weakness of religion, democratic and undemocratic tendencies, the poverty of public debate, the role of elites, the exploitation of Australian sports stars, the politics of railways, the backwardness of agriculture, deviation from the Westminster system, the original encounter between European and Aboriginal cultures, and the heavy taxation of tobacco. Bringing together contributions from economists, economic historians, and political scientists, the volume seeks to understand why Australia is different. It offers a range of explanations from the 'historical legacy,' to material factors, historical chance, and personalities"--Publisher description.
- Uniform Title
- Only in Australia (Online)
- Subject
- Note
- Includes papers from a conference entitled The Australian Sonderweg : Between Choice, Chance and Destiny, held in 2014 on the Fremantle Campus of the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA).
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Access (note)
- Access restricted to authorized users.
- LCCN
- 2015959826
- OCLC
- ssj0001741973
- Title
Only in Australia [electronic resource] : the history, politics and economics of Australian exceptionalism / edited by William O. Coleman.
- Imprint
Oxford, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2016.
- Edition
First edition.
- Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Access
Access restricted to authorized users.
- Connect to:
- Added Author
Coleman, William Oliver, 1959-