T H E C A M B R I D G E E C O N O M I C H I S T O RY
O F AU S T R A L I A
Australia’s economic history is the story of the transformation of an indigenous
economy and a small convict settlement into a nation of nearly 23 million people
with advanced economic, social and political structures. It is a history of vast lands
with rich, exploitable resources, of adversity in war and depression, and prosperity
and nation building. It is also a history of human behaviour and the institutions
created to harness and govern human endeavour.
The Cambridge Economic History of Australia provides a systematic and
comprehensive treatment of the nation’s economic foundations, growth, resilience
and future prospects, in an engaging contemporary narrative. It examines key
themes such as the centrality of land and its usage, the role of migrant human
capital, the tension between development and the environment, and Australia’s
interaction with the international economy.
Written by a team of eminent economic historians, The Cambridge Economic
History of Australia is the deinitive study of Australia’s economic past and present.
S i m on Vi l l e is Professor of Economic and Business History and Head of the
School of Humanities and Social Inquiry in the Faculty of Law, Humanities and
the Arts at the University of Wollongong.
G lenn Wi thers is Professor of Economics in the Arndt-Corden Economics
Department, Crawford School of Public Policy, and Visiting Fellow in the
Regulatory Institutions Network at the Australian National University.
Published online by Cambridge University Press
Published online by Cambridge University Press
THE CAMBRIDGE ECONOMIC
H I S TO RY O F AU S T R A L I A
Edited by
SIMON VILLE
and
GLENN WITHERS
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© Simon Ville and Glenn Withers 2015
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