1307th OGM and Open Lecture

“The Global Economy and Australia's Outlook: Geoff Harcourt's contribution to the theory of productivity growth”


Dr Don Russell (1)
Ms Jane Drake-Brockman (2)
Emeritus Professor Robert Marks FRSN (3)


1. Chair, AustralianSuper
2. Visiting Fellow, University of Adelaide
3. Emeritus Professor, UNSW (Sydney)

Date: Wednesday, 5 October 2022, 6.30 pm AEDT 
Venue: Gallery Room, Mitchell Building, State Library of NSW
Video presentation: YouTube video
All are welcome

Summary: Geoff Harcourt AC FRSN (1931-2021) was a very influential economist, in particular contributing to the profession's understanding of productivity growth with his work on the "Cambridge controversy."  In this session, two eminent economists, Don Russell and Jane Drake-Brockman, will discuss the global economic outlook, Australia's place in the world, and the issue of lagging productivity growth and lagging wage growth in Australia. Robert Marks, a friend and colleague of Geoff's for 45 years, will attempt to bring Geoff's ideas into the discussion.

Don Russell is currently the Chair of AustralianSuper, Australia’s largest superannuation fund. Don has extensive public and private sector experience and served as Australia’s Ambassador to the USA in Washington. He was Principal Adviser to the Hon Paul Keating both during his time as Treasurer and Prime Minister.   

Jane Drake-Brockman is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for International Trade at the University of Adelaide and one of Australia’s foremost experts on trade in services and digital trade. She has served with the International Trade Centre (Geneva), OECD Secretariat (Paris) and Commonwealth Secretariat (London). A former diplomat, she served for example as Chief Economist with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and as Minister/Charge d’Affaires at the Australian Delegation to the EU in Brussels. She is Founding Director of the Australian Services Roundtable, the peak business body for the services sector, Co-Convenor of the Asia Pacific Services Coalition and Co-Chair of the T20 Taskforce on Trade and Investment.

Robert Marks is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Economics, UNSW, and since 2016 the Editor of the Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of NSW. Previously, he was a researcher at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Stanford, and a founding lecturer in the Australian Graduate School of Management, where he edited the Australian Journal of Management for 13 years. In 1976 he consulted Geoff Harcourt at the University of Adelaide about future jobs in economics in Australia. In 1987 an algorithm of his won the Second MIT. Competitive Strategy Tournament.