Private vs public sector jobs, consulting scandals & economics as an ‘imperialist discipline’ w/ UQPPES - EP209

Economics Explored

Show host Gene Tunny speaks with students from the University of Queensland Politics, Philosophy and Economics Society. They discuss topics such as private versus public sector jobs, the future of consulting, and the risks of outsourcing for government officials. Gene takes an historical perspective and goes back to the time of convict transportation to Australia. He also talks about, among other things, his time working in Treasury during the Rudd Government, and how psychology is relevant to economics. The students express concerns about the consulting sector in light of a recent scandal involving PwC partners misusing confidential government information.

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What’s covered in EP209

• Economics career paths and differences between public service and consulting. (3:04)
• Consulting industry challenges and scandals. (15:39)
• Outsourcing in government and potential mitigation of risks. (17:50)
• Greedflation. (28:30)
• Limits of economics as a discipline. (33:59)
• Public vs private sector work experiences. (38:22)
• Government consulting and ethics. (43:48)

Links relevant to the conversation

About UQPPES:

https://uqppes.com.au/about-us/

On how badly designed outsourcing of convict transportation created the ‘death fleet’, see:

https://www.themandarin.com.au/73989-contracts-and-convicts-how-perverse-incentives-created-the-death-fleet/