Yesterday, I ticked a box on a computer screen and officially brought an end to 45 years of full-time employment. From 1 January next year, I’ll be on a half-time contract with the University of Queensland, continuing research and public outreach, but without any teaching or admin responsibilities. Since I’ve finished my teaching for this year, the change has already taken effect in practice.
For readers of my public work, there won’t be any obvious difference. I’ll keep on writing and talking on policy issues as I’ve always done. Since I don’t see much hope for progress in the next year or two, I will be shifting my focus to longer-term issues, like the future of work and the post-carbon economy.
I’m ending my teaching with mixed feelings. I really enjoyed teaching Politics, Philosophy and Economics, but, after four years, I don’t’t want to do the same thing again. Starting a new course would involve an immense amount of bureaucracy, which I could do without. So, thanks to all my students for a great time. Now that I’ve finished teaching PPE, I’m planning to publish my lecture notes as a book, planned to come out in 2024.
Continuing with books, Edward Elgar recently published my latest, with Bruce Headey and Ruud Muffels
Western Welfare Capitalisms in Good Times and Bad https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/western-welfare-capitalisms-in-good-times-and-bad-9781035312290.html
The hardback is pitched at university libraries, with a price to match, but there is an individual e-book option for £25 stg, which is a bit more reasonable.
I also had a chapter in a new book
Quiggin, J. (2024) Reaching for Utopia: opportunities for redistributing work and leisure, strengthening dignity and social justice. In The Future of Work and Technology, (Ed, Cebulla, A.) CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fl,
And, as usual, lots of text and electronic media
As gas-guzzlers dominate our roads, the queue to buy an EV in Oz just gets longer, Crikey 12 September
We don’t need a nuclear renaissance. We need a solid plan on renewables, Crikey 19 September
Living in the 70s: why Australia’s dominant model of unemployment and inflation no longer works. , The Conversation, 20 September.
Why the ‘drug dealers defence’ doesn’t work for exporting coal. It’s actually Economics 101. , The Conversation, 6 October.
My media report for September, password quiggin (Thanks to Alysha Hilevuo for preparing this)>
Could interest you J.Q.
The Decline of The West.
Brought courtesy of those Cultured Self-Appointed Ivy League Masters of The Universe.
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Interesting, indeed, to work through the declassified documents surrounding major events, like The War in The Pacific.
There may have been only one man in The Oval Office who was elected and accountable (FDR), at least theoretically, to the people but each and every Harvard-Yale-Princeton "product" surrounding FDR figured they were the true Masters of The Universe and conducted themselves accordingly.
They had a lot to answer for and never did. As of then, as of now.
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Militarized Western Foreign Policy and Mainstream Media sanitization programming, read brainwashing (an obsolete term), defines the present reality while the rest-of-them, read The 90% of The Globe, works through what to do with The West while working to avoid being destroyed on their way down.
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Congratulations on clicking the semi-retirement button John, more time for all the good stuff!!