John Nightingale

Dr John Nightingale was born and brought up in Sydney, obtained two economics degrees from the University of New South Wales and a PhD, also in economics, from the University of New England. He worked at the UNE for nigh on 30 years, with a few breaks, including a couple of years helping out at Griffith University, and retired before it was too late to do anything else.

He has published in industrial economics (in particular, telecoms and technical change), evolutionary economics, history and philosophy of economic thought, and even agricultural economics. Telecommunications, or ICT, industries have been changing so rapidly that textbook economic theory has been left behind. This is where evolutionary economics comes in. Churn, big disparities between firms' rates of growth and decline, emergence of new market paradigms, and the shape of some distant long run stable state can all be described and, with effort, predicted, using these new theories.

John's interest in public policy comes from long involvement with issues facing commuting cyclists, not to mention recreational ones. Being a vulnerable road user, aware of issues of sustainability, and an economist, means that he doesn't want to stand idly by as a great city grows into what could be more greatness, but might end up as a nightmare.

Author's website: John Nightingale's home page