Name Frank Stilwell | Role Economist | |
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Books Political Economy: Political E, Political Economy: The Cont, Who Gets What?: Analysing, Normative Economics: An Introd, South East: Study of Sub‑divisi | ||
The morality of capitalism frank stilwell debates tom palmer
Franklin "Frank" J.B. Stilwell (born 1945) is an influential Australian political economist and professor emeritus. He is known for establishing, with Evan Jones, Gavan Butler and Ted Wheelwright, an independent political economy department at the University of Sydney. His research interests include theories of political economy, urbanisation and regional development, Australian economic policy and the nature of work. His textbooks on the subject are standard teaching material for all university students in Australia studying the field of Political Economy. Stilwell's contribution to heterodox economics makes him a central figure of the Australian New Left.
Contents
- The morality of capitalism frank stilwell debates tom palmer
- Early life
- Disputes within the University of Sydney Economics Department
- Academic career at the University of Sydney
- Public influence
- References
Early life
Frank Stilwell was born in Southampton, in 1945. His mother was an infant school teacher, and his father was a junior clerk in the department of Customs and Excise. His father enjoyed local politics and later became mayor. As Stilwell claimed in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald: "[My father] was initially an independent... but he later joined the Conservative Party as a Conservative councillor. That was after the Conservatives threatened to stand a candidate against him … he was pragmatic till the end."
Disputes within the University of Sydney Economics Department
Stilwell arrived at Sydney University in 1970, to an economics department that was deeply divided on the teaching of the qualitative and quantitative methods in economics. Students and teacher in the faculty of economic had claimed that the economics being taught was too narrow, too technical and neglected consideration of current world problems. In 1975, students protested outside the Sydney University Senate, because the senate had decided to appoint a conservative economist from Britain to chair, over radical Ted Wheelwright. Ted Wheelwright had argued that mainstream economist had ignored the issue of power, and this was undermining the transparency of economics at University of Sydney. The political economy dispute, which started in 1973 would continue until 1980s. Anthony Albanese was involved in the 1983 protests to protect the first year political economy unit. Future Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull were involved in the dispute as undergraduate students.
Academic career at the University of Sydney
Frank Stilwell's research interests centre on Australian economic policies, urban and regional development and economic inequality. He is the author of eleven books, is coordinating editor of the Journal of Australian Political Economy, and is on the editorial boards of Regional Studies, Social Alternatives, Australian Options and Industry and Innovation. He was a colleague of Edward Lawrence Wheelwright, who was also a prominent political economist who taught at the university until 1986. Some of the topics in Stilwell's works include urban and regional development, economic inequality, Australian economic policy and the contest of political economic ideas.
Public influence
With a lecturing career spanning 40 years, many of Frank Stilwell's students have come to occupy prominent positions in Australian public life. In politics, these include: Mark Latham, Anthony Albanese, Greg Combet, Carmel Tebbutt, Michael Costa, Morris Iemma, Peter Kell (ASIC), and professors Steve Keen and Clive Hamilton. In Journalism: Stephen Long, Eleanor Hall, Jessica Irvine and Michael Janda. Stilwell estimated that he had taught 15,000 students by the time of his retirement.