Centre for Independent Studies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) is an Australian think tank, founded in April 1976 by Greg Lindsay (Executive Director). It is funded by private sector donations-from individuals, companies and charitable trusts. It advocates for neoliberal economic and conservative social policies. In 2005, it also opened offices in neighbouring New Zealand.

It is one of a number of Australian think tanks, and one of six recognised by the National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) in Tokyo, Japan.

The CIS has a focus on Australia and New Zealand and states that it supports a "free enterprise economy and a free society under limited government where individuals can prosper and fully develop their talents". It claims to have a focus on:

areas dealing broadly with social and economic policy
- the role of the free market in an open society
- voluntary processes in providing many of the goods and services normally supplied by the compulsory methods of government
Individual liberty and choice, including freedom of association, religion, speech and the right to property

1 Controversy
2 Research Programs
3 Lecture series and seminars
4 Publications (examples)
- 4.1 CIS Policy Monographs
- 4.2 Occasional Papers (OPs)
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Controversy

The CIS is often in controversy with other think tanks and welfare bodies, particularly centrist and Left-wing organisations such as the The Australia Institute, the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, the Smith Family and the Australian Council of Social Service. Most recently, the CIS has criticised the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul's research on the state of welfare in Australia.

[edit] Research Programs

The CIS has research programmes on:

Social Foundations
Taking Children Seriously
Liberalising Learning (higher education)
Economic Freedom Watch
Religion and Free Society

and with foreign policy research extends to the Pacific, Asia and the US.

[edit] Lecture series and seminars

John Bonython - annual
Acton Lecture on Religion and Freedom - annual
CIS Lectures
Bert Kelly
Consilium annual conference for leading policy makers and thinkers.
Liberty and Society annual conference for students and recent graduates

[edit] Publications (examples)

[edit] CIS Policy Monographs

Conspicuous Compassion: Why Sometimes it Really is Cruel to be Kind, Patrick West
Australia's Welfare Habit: and how to kick it, Peter Saunders (Director of Social Research)

[edit] Occasional Papers (OPs)

Issue Analysis series (recent)
- No. 57: The $85 Billion Tax/Welfare Churn, Peter Saunders
- No. 56: Universities In A State: The Federal Case Against Commonwealth Control Of Universities, Andrew Norton
- No. 54: A New Deal For Aborigines And Torres Strait Islanders In Remote Communities, Helen Hughes And Jenness Warin
- No. 51: Only 18% Why ACOSS Is Wrong To Be Complacent About Welfare Dependency, Peter Saunders