Professor Jonathan Pincus

Professor Jonathan Pincus
  • Biography/ Background

    Jonathan Pincus is Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Adelaide, and an independent economic researcher and consultant.

    He was educated in Brisbane, Australia, and at Stanford University, where he took his PhD in 1972 (which won the Columbia-Nevins prize awarded by the American Economic History Association). Jonathan is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, and is listed in the international Who’s Who in Economics, 1986 to date. In 2015, the Economic Society made him the second Distinguished Public Policy FellowFrom 2002 through 2007, Jonathan was Principal Adviser Research at the [Australian] Productivity Commission in both Melbourne and Canberra. At Adelaide University in the 1990s, he was Professor and Head of Economics and Convenor of Academic Board. Previously, Jonathan was Professor and Head of Economic History at Flinders University; Fellow in Economic History at the Australian National University; a researcher at the Center for the Study of Public Choice (Virginia, USA); and Visiting Associate Professor at Stanford. He was a member of the Priorities Review Staff of the Whitlam government. Upon leaving high school, his first job was with BP Australia for six years.

    He has published scholarly works mainly in public choice, fiscal federalism and economic history.  His paper with Henry Ergas and Mark Harrison on mining taxes won the prize for the best article in 2010 Economic Papers. He and Ergas followed up with a paper disputing the claim that royalties were very inefficient. With Graeme Hugo,  in 2010 he edited and contributed to a report for Committe for the Economic Development of Australia, CEDA, entitled A Greater Australia. With Henry Ergas, he co-authored a chapter on nineteenth century infrastructure in the Cambridge Economic History of Australia; and he co-supervised a PhD on techno-economic assessments of hybrid energy potential in some industrial process (2016). His recent publications are ‘Socialism in Six Colonies: The Aftermath’, in William Coleman (ed.) Only in Australia: The History, Politics  and Economics of Australian Exceptionalism (Oxford UP); two chapters in JR Nethercote (ed.), Menzies: the shaping of modern Australia (Connor Court); ‘Grattan Institute’s case for tax on sugary beverages is not proven’, Australian Economic Review, March 2018Access his papers at http://ssrn.com/author=1382920

    He was president of the SA Branch of the Economics Society of Australia 2010-12 and was a co-opted member of the Central Council of ESA. Jonathan is Chair of the Australasian Merkel Cell Patient Advocacy Group of ANZMTG.


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Entry last updated: Monday, 24 Sep 2018