As Monash’s Director of Publications for 2016 I have been tasked with overseeing various projects. Our orientation week magazine, ‘Irrational Expectations,’ was a successful venture, a testament to the hard-work of our writing staff, editors, committee members, and graphic design team. We have continued to produce high-calibre pieces for our website, ranging from the housing market, to superannuation, and even the economics of Game of Thrones. Our efforts culminated in election coverage with our partners at Melbourne University on election eve.

The second edition of Short Supply promises to be as entertaining and informative as the first. This year’s theme, History of Economic Thought, touches on the contributions of many great economists throughout the last 500 years – some well-known, others often overlooked. The aim of this edition is to highlight the progress of economic thought, as well as to document the origins of the field as we know it today.

We are excited to have contributions from two leading academics at Monash University – Dr. Elias Khalil and Dr. Simon Angus. These academics complement our capable team of budding economics writers, who have worked tirelessly to create the articles in this publication. If writing about economics interests you then we would love to hear from you! Relevant details for potential applicants can be found on the back page of this magazine.

Finally, I would like to express my thanks to a few key contributors to this magazine. First, the ESSA committee (past and present) for its assistance in producing this publication. Secondly, the department of economics at Monash for its continued support of the publications department and ESSA as a whole. Last, but certainly not least, our graphic design team, particularly Marion Cristobal who has designed this magazine (among others) and the illustrators who have contributed. A full list of contributors can be found on the inside front cover of this year’s Short Supply.

We look forward to continued support from all our stakeholders so that we can maintain our high standards for publications in the future.

David Hurley

Director of Publications (Monash University) 2016