Arndt's Story: the Life of an Australian Economist

BOOK REVIEWS their targets? Will Australia meet ignored. It is unlikely that Scorcher Arndt’s Story: The life of an its Kyoto target? Will it come will convince people of the need Australian economist close to meeting its target? Clearly, to take action to reduce our by Peter Coleman, Selwyn the fairness of Australia’s Kyoto greenhouse gas emissions unless Cornish and Peter Drake target can be debated. they were already predisposed with Bettina Arndt Dr Hamilton is of the view that to this position. As a result, Dr Asia Pacific Press Australia’s emission cap under the Hamilton fails where Mr Gore Canberra, 2007 Kyoto protocol is too generous. and Professor Stern succeeded. $45, 338pp Nonetheless, when analysing the impact of Australia’s decision Reviewed by Damien ISBN 9780731538102 not to ratify the Kyoto protocol, S Eldridge. Damien einz Arndt was a fortunate it seems reasonable to compare has worked for two man. He escaped the fate of actual Australian emissions with organisations mentioned H most of those of Jewish extraction the target emissions for Australia in Scorcher, the Australian born in the Germany of 1915 by in the fi rst commitment period. Greenhouse Office and If Australia is closer to meeting being able to move to Oxford in Charles River Associates 1933 for his university education. its target than some countries International. that did ratify the protocol, why Australia was a fortunate country would the fact that Australia because in 1946 Arndt, just married didn’t ratify the protocol be and embarking on a career as an particularly significant? Maybe economist, accepted a lectureship it sent a particularly bad signal at Sydney University. to other countries. But would Heinz was brought up in the this be a worse signal than that mores of the enlightenment that sent by countries that ratifi ed the combined humanity with rational protocol and do not come close behaviour and inquiry, and the to meeting the target, if any such values of equality, freedom and countries exist? democracy that were all brutally Ultimately, it is the emission crushed by fascism in his youth reductions that matter, not the and by communism until his ratification of international late middle age. He was also treaties. Dr Hamilton does discuss fortunate because he not only saw how Australia is performing in the values he cherished triumph terms of meeting its Kyoto target throughout Europe, but was also briefl y in chapter 6 of Scorcher. He able to take part in seeing these gives the impression that Australia values established in developing will go close to meeting its Kyoto countries. target, although it might slightly Heinz moved from the early exceed it. However, Dr Hamilton communitarian socialist infl uences notes that Australia will go close to of his youth to join his wife in active meeting its target largely because support of social democracy in his emissions from land-clearing have middle years. However, unlike declined substantially from their her, his experience in developing 1990 levels. countries pushed him onto a more The fact that Scorcher reads like liberal and conservative stance. He a conspiracy theory reduces its joined the academic board of The credibility. This is unfortunate Centre for Independent Studies. because it means that the valid His courtesy, civility, urbanity and points it makes in places about the lively sense of humour made him impact of special interest groups a valuable contributor to many on public policy will be probably academic and public forums in this be either missed, dismissed or long journey. 58 POLICY • Vol. 23 No. 3 • Spring 2007 BOOK REVIEWS Heinz’s daughter Bettina in the established economist opposed knowledge of Asian and South ‘prelude’ and ‘postlude’ to the to Heinz. John Jewkes did not Pacifi c economies, the links with book writes about the centrality support Heinz’s reappointment Asian economists and the teaching of family in Heinz’s life. In an age at Manchester University after of Asian graduate students after before dishwashers and men in the World War II; JR Hicks would he joined Sir John Crawford in kitchen, Heinz was regularly to be likely also have been opposed the School of Pacifi c Studies. His seen doing the washing-up. Yet had Heinz applied. Facing contacts throughout the region Heinz was always formal. Among diffi culties fi nding employment and among those with an interest the delightful photographs is one in the United Kingdom, Heinz in the economics of development of Heinz, dressed in slacks, shirt, applied successfully for a job at grew to be world wide. Although tie and sports coat with two of his the University of Sydney. Heinz’s main focus was Indonesia, grandchildren on the beach. The Selwyn Cornish has covered his staff and students ranged widely Arndt family’s language facility, Heinz’s early years in Sid in South East Asia. He laid the familiarity with literature, art Butlin’s idiosyncratic Economics foundations for work on Japan, the (Heinz’s own sketches of European Department at the University of Koreas, China and India. He was cities were delightful) and music Sydney when the Heinz Arndts working on an issue of Asian and brought new norms to Canberra and the Noel Butlins shared a Pacific Economic Literature when of the 1950s. house in the post-war housing he died. Heinz’s wonderful gift of making shortage and started the Fabian Excellent editing has made the and maintaining friends started in Society. When Heinz moved to the work of what were in effect four rambling Oxford lanes, continued foundation chair of economics in writers into a seamless account of in London and Manchester and Canberra University College (now a remarkable life. Heinz’s many flourished throughout his life. the Faculties (undergraduate) friends and even those who knew Playing chess was his instrument Economics Department of the him only peripherally will enjoy of friendship. When distance Australian National University) it. Only a very few economists intervened, Heinz’s letters were he not only contributed to the like Keynes and Friedman have so stimulating and constant that building of that Department and made seminal contributions to literally hundreds of otherwise College, but for years joined Dick the subject. Economics does not lazy correspondents, many noted Downing editing The Economic progress by leaps and bounds but in the book, kept in close touch. Record and otherwise contributing by steady empirical research and Peter Coleman has written to the growth of the economics theoretical reasoning. This progress of Heinz’s early years profession. In spite of has enabled the management of in Breslau, Oxford this workload Heinz also economies and their components and wartime England. contributed to public to provide, with technological Heinz was swept up debates and to local advances, the high standards of as a German ‘enemy government in Canberra. living we enjoy today. Heinz Arndt’s alien’ into a camp in He used his sabbaticals at many contributions to the progress Canada’s north. Later he the University of South of the economics discipline are used to reminisce with Carolina and in Geneva noted without making the book an Gerry Gutman and Fred for the United Nations economic text. Historians will fi nd Gruen, who had baked in Economic Commission a rich source for many aspects of the Tatura sun while he for Europe to refresh and Australia’s intellectual development had frozen in the snow, about the further his professional contacts. in the second half of the twentieth university courses they mounted The attractions of the work for the century. Perhaps no book could while detained. On his return to Commission and life in Geneva convey Heinz’s sweetness, but for England Heinz made a mark in at the centre of Europe almost those in search of a life well lived, writing The Economic Lessons of lost him to Australia. Luckily, here is a model. the 1930s for Chatham House. It his children refused to migrate to was infl uential in ‘development Europe. Reviewed by Helen Hughes economics’, though unfavourably Peter Drake has written reviewed by Friedrich Hayek. about Heinz’s transition to the Hayek was not the only building of Australia’s economic POLICY • Vol. 23 No. 3 • Spring 2007 59.

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