People have good reason to demand decent public education and a well-funded health system, to yearn for an economy that doesn't trash the environment or for a smaller gap between rich and poor. Almost without exception, sound economics is on their side.
We've grown used to public debates that pit people and the planet against an abstract, distorted image of 'the economy', but it doesn't have to be this way. Governomics shows that an emaciated state is bad for business, and that standing up for government means standing up for a public sector that truly serves the public.
'Everybody knows governments are wasteful, incompetent and a drag on the economy. But if you're not sure that's true, read this book.' Ross Gittins, Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
'Governomics shows that a market economy can only work when sustained by a strong and active public sector. It will inject some much-needed economic sanity into conversations on the role of government in Australia.'John Quiggin, Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, University of Queensland