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COMMONWEALTH DROUGHT POLICY: 1989–1995. A CASE STUDY OF ECONOMIC RATIONALISM
Author(s) -
Gow Jeff
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
australian journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1839-4655
pISSN - 0157-6321
DOI - 10.1002/j.1839-4655.1997.tb01297.x
Subject(s) - commonwealth , project commissioning , phenomenon , rationalism , publishing , politics , natural (archaeology) , natural phenomenon , political science , economics , social science , political economy , public administration , sociology , law , epistemology , geography , philosophy , archaeology
Drought is a natural phenomenon that has particular implications for a primary industry, namely farmers. This paper examines the policy responses of the early 1990s. It is argued that these were driven more by political expedience than careful planning. In conclusion, it is suggested that drought policy shows one issue on which it was necessary to reverse, if only partially, the ‘economic rationalism’ that had dominated thinking in the 1980s.