EmPr Glenn Withers

Glenn Withers is Emeritus Professor of Economics in the Crawford School of Public Policy, and was founding CEO of Universities Australia. Prior to that he was Professor of Public Policy at ANU and at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. He is a Monash graduate and Harvard PhD, as a Menzies, Knox and Fulbright Scholar, and has held academic posts in Australia and overseas including at Harvard and Cambridge. He is a Fellow and Past President of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, and of the Australian Council of Learned Academies. 

He has produced a significant number of books, academic papers and government and consultancy reports. He has worked in and for government, including as chair of various Australian government bodies such as the National Population Council and the Economic Planning Advisory Commission, and he has chaired public inquiries regarding population issues, immigration, and infrastructure financing and was a member of a federal inquiry into child care and Co-Commissioner of the Productivity Commission's Stocktake of Micro-economic Reform. He was Strategic Adviser on Employment Programs for the Federal Cabinet. He was a Board member of CEDA and founding Chair of CEDA's Council on Economic Policy. He also was Global Board Chair for the Global Development Learning Network and continues as a GDLN Board Member.

He is Co-Founder and Director of the Social Cyber Institute, Director of Applied Economics P/L and Board Chair of Blended Learning International. He is also a Board member of Phenomics Australia.

Professor Withers helped to establish the Productivity Commission, the Crawford School, ANZSOG and Universities Australia. He has been an adviser to government, private sector and community sector organisations in Australia and overseas, ranging from the Business Council of Australia to the OECD and UNDP. Professor Withers was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to applied economics, including for design of the Australian immigration points system.

AO, BEc (Hons 1st class, Monash), MA, PhD (Harvard), FASSA, FRSN

Policy Economics: microeconomic policy including competition policy, infrastructure provision and public expenditure analysis; privatisation and regulation of business activity; knowledge capital formation

Social, Labour and Cultural Policy: population and immigration, labour market policy, social and welfare state institutions, education and training and innovation,cultural policy, including arts and the media

Economics and Policy for Science: including science infrastructure, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, biological sciences especially phenomics.