Research
Research News
Recent Publications – early 2011
Some of my recent publications include:
- ‘The OECD in Global Economic Governance’ The Australian Journal of International Affairs. Vol 65, No. 2. March 2011
- ‘The evolution of Labor’s health reform agenda: A preliminary assessment.’ Public Policy. Vol.5, No. 2., 2010.
- ‘The Henry Tax Review, Cartel Parties and the Reform Capacity of the Australian State’ (with Ian Marsh), The Australian Journal of Political Science. September 2011.
- ‘Revolution or Evolution: Sovereignty, the Financial Crisis and the Governance of International Taxation’, Journal of Applied Law and Policy. November 2011
Feel Free to email me if you would like copies of any of these papers.
OECD Global Forum Meeting in Bermuda May31 and June 1
As part of my ARC research on international tax cooperation I attended the 3rd OECD Global Forum in Bermuda in late May and Early June to interview representatives of a range of jurisdictions involved in the Forum process. During my three days in Bermuda I interviews representatives of 14 states getting a wide range of views about the Forum process. The findings of this research are reported in the final chapter of my book ‘The Dynamics of Global Economic Goverance’ which will be published by Edward Elgar in 2012. More information on the Bermuda meeting of the Global Forum can be found here.
The National Tax Forum October 4th and 5th 2011
The Gillard Government agreed to host a national tax forum as part of its negotiations with balance-of-power independents in the aftermath of the 2010 federal election. The broad rationale is to discuss the reform priorities arising from the Henry Review published in early 2010 although it is clear the Government is concerned that the Forum may be used to promote reform proposals (such as increasing the GST rate to abolish inefficient State taxes) which it is politically reluctant to support. Despite this apprehension the Forum has the potential to test and perhaps build stakeholder support for the next round of national tax reform.
I was firtunate enough to be one of 19 experts invited to attend the October Forum. More information on the event is available here while my personal state of priorities is available here.
ISA Conference in Montreal and International Tax Research in DC and New York
During a busy two week trip to North America in March 2011 I presented a conference paper ‘Regime change in International Political Economy: The case of the OECD’s tax transparency ‘revolution’’ (with Richard Woodward, University of Hull) at the International Studies Association Annual Conference in Montreal before conducting a final round of interviews for my forthcoming book on the politics of international tax cooperation. Interviewees included advisors to members of the US Senate Finance Committee, a former Deputy Commissioner of the IRS as well as representative of the American Bar Association, The Tax Justice Network and the combined Brookings-Urban Institute Tax Policy Centre.
I’m now in the final stages of writing manuscript ‘The Dynamics of Global Economic Governance’ which will be published by Edward Elgar in late 2011 or early 2012.
Federalism Research
While my main research focus is on the regulation of offshore financial centres I try to contribute to Australian policy debates wherever possible. I am particularly interested in the reform of intergovernmental financial relations in the Australian Federation. I have recently published a paper on the proposed Health and Hospital Reform Network (with Adrian Kay, ANU – citation below) and am working on project with Neil Warren (ATAX, UNSW) exploring options for reforming the revenue equalisation for the Grants Commission model.
- ‘The evolution of Labor’s health reform agenda: A preliminary assessment.’ Public Policy. Vol.5, No1. (with Adrian Kay)
Research Grants
ARC Grant Success
Along with Aynsley Kellow I was fortunate enough to receive a $66,000 Australian Research Council Discovery Grant to fund my research on international taxation. The details of the funding are as follows:
DP1095946 Dr R Eccleston; Prof AJ Kellow
Project Title: Interdependence, transnational institutions and the governance of international taxation in the 21st Century
Project Funding:
2010 : $ 22,000
2011 : $ 22,000
2012 : $ 22,000
Primary RFCD: 3602 POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
Institution: University of Tasmania
Project Summary: The global financial crisis is placing national tax systems under unprecedented competitive pressures. In such an environment the need for international tax cooperation has never been greater. Using comparative analysis this project will seek to establish which transnational institutions and governance systems best support international tax cooperation. By doing so it will enhance both the ability of state and non-state actors to develop and refine strategies for participating in such systems and the prospects for achieving cooperation in this critical aspect of world affairs.
ARC Discovery Grant Application
February 2009 - ARC Discovery Application. In February 2009 Professor Aynsley Kellow and I submitted a grant application to the Australian Research Council to fund research on the governance of international taxation in the aftermath of the GFC over the next three years. The project is entitled ‘Interdependence, transnational institutions and the governance of international taxation in the 21st Century’ and successful projects the 2009 ARC funding round will be announced in November.
$73k UTAS ‘Rising Star’ Award
September 2008 – Awarded a University of Tasmania ‘Rising Stars’ research fellowship. The awards are to assist outstanding mid-career researchers at the University of Tasmania and I was fortunate enough to be granted $73,000 over the next three years to further my research on global economic governance.
$30k ARC ‘near miss’ grant
November 2007 – UTAS ARC ‘Near Miss’ Research Grant. Government funding for Australian research is now such that fewer than 1 in 5 applications for ARC discovery grants are successful. Given this I was relatively pleased that my 2007 application for ARC funding was ranked in the top 5% of unsuccessful grant applications. Give this ‘near miss’ I was awarded $30, 000 by the University of Tasmania to further develop the project.
Australian Research Council Info
For more information on the Australian Research Council click here
Research Publications: Books
Politics for Business Students: A Comparative Introduction
(with Robyn Hollander, Elizabeth van Acker and Paul Williams) 2009, Pearson Education, Sydney. 198pp.
ISBN 978 1 44251 0586
Politics for Business Students is an introductory text which offers a clear and concise account of how political institutions and practices in both Australia and abroad influence business in the 21st century.
http://www.pearson.com.au/Catalogue/TitleDetails.aspx?isbn=9781442510586
Regulating International Business
(with Peter Carroll) 2008, Pearson Education, Sydney. 250 pp.
ISBN 9780733986185
Regulating International Business examines how international business managers manage the impact of different sets of national and international policies and regulations on their business. The text details the implications of failing to manage these policies and regulations and shows students how to identify the range and type of regulations to which the international business is subject, how they develop and their purposes.
http://www.pearson.com.au/Catalogue/TitleDetails.aspx?isbn=9780733986185
Taxing Reforms
The comparative political economy of consumption tax reform in the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia. 2007. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham. 191 pp.
ISBN 978 1 84542 1205
‘Taxing Reforms is commendable both because it makes an important contribution to our substantive knowledge about the politics of consumption taxes and also because it is one of the rare attempts to systematically compare an important policy arena across four distinct democracies. Thus we learn both about the politics of consumption taxation and about how four different democracies address some of the most difficult policy choices any country can face. The book will be of great interest to students of comparative politics and public policy alike.’
– Sven Steinmo, European University Institute (EUI), Italy
http://www.e-elgar.co.uk/Bookentry_Main.lasso?id=3655
Foundations of Australian Politics
(with Paul Williams). 2006. Pearson Education, Sydney. vii + 134 pp.
ISBN 0 733978045
The Foundations of Australian Politics is a popular introductory text with over 2500 copies having been sold since publication. It provides an overview of the substantive features of the Australian political system so that students can better understand the impact of political processes on their field of study.
http://www.pearson.com.au/Catalogue/TitleDetails.aspx?isbn=9780733978043
The thirty year problem: The politics of Australian tax reform
2004. The Australian Tax Research Foundation, Sydney. ix + 206 pp.
ISBN 0 949482 81
‘Richard Eccleston’s fine book provides an original analysis of state capacity and the politics of Australian tax reform from Federation through to the introduction of a value added tax in the 1990s and the Australian tax system’s contemporary problems.’
Professor Len Seabrooke, (Professor of International Political Economy and Director of the Centre for the Study of Globalisation, University of Warwick)
Journal Articles
Recent Publications – early 2011
Some of my recent publications include:
- ‘The OECD in Global Economic Governance’ The Australian Journal of International Affairs. Vol 65, No. 2. March 2011
- ‘The evolution of Labor’s health reform agenda: A preliminary assessment.’ Public Policy. Vol.5, No. 2., 2010.
- ‘The Henry Tax Review, Cartel Parties and the Reform Capacity of the Australian State’ (with Ian Marsh), The Australian Journal of Political Science. September 2011.
- ‘Revolution or Evolution: Sovereignty, the Financial Crisis and the Governance of International Taxation’, Journal of Applied Law and Policy. November 2011
Feel Free to email me if you would like copies of any of these papers.
1. ‘Righting Australia’s Vertical fiscal Imbalance: Transferring Public Hospital Funding as an Option for reform’
Agenda. Vol 15, No.3. 2008. (Category ‘A’ journal in the ARC’s draft SBS rankings)
2. ‘‘The double edged sword’ Tax cut politics and the 2007 federal election campaign’
Social Alternatives. Vol 27, no.2, 2008.
3. ‘Macroeconomic stabilisation and its implications for personal income tax reform in the lead-up to the 2007 federal election’
Australian Tax Forum. Vo.22, No.3, 2007. (Category ‘A’ journal in the ARC’s final HCA rankings)
4. ‘The Howard Government, capital taxation and the limits of redistribution?’
The Australian Journal of Political Science. Vol 42, No.2, 2007. (Category ‘A’ journal in the ARC’s draft SBS rankings)
Book Chapters
1. ‘Political Economy’
‘Political Economy’ in R.A.W. Rhodes (ed) The Australian Study of Politics. Forthcoming 2009. Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire.
2. ‘Politics for Business Students: An introduction’
‘Politics for Business Students: An introduction’ in Politics for Business Students: A Comparative introduction. 2009, Pearson Education, Sydney.
3. ‘The Constitutional Foundations of Government’
‘The Constitutional Foundations of Government’ in Politics for Business Students: A Comparative introduction. 2009, Pearson Education, Sydney.
4. ‘Interest groups and business associations’
‘Interest groups and business associations’ in Eccleston, R. & Williams, P. (2006) Foundations of Australian Politics. Pearson Education, Sydney.
5. ‘Regulating Finance and Capital’
‘Regulating Finance and Capital’ in Regulating International Business. 2008, Pearson Education, Sydney. 250 pp. ISBN 9780733986185.