Welcome to the eighth issue of Short Supply, an annual publication of the Economics Student Society of Australia. Launched in 2015, Short Supply serves as a platform for students and academics in the Monash community to share their views and insights on an annual theme of economic significance.

This year’s theme, ‘The Age of Empowerment’, brings a positive lens to some of the issues discussed in the past and present. As part of the prompt for this magazine, writers dove into the economics of different programs to “give power or authority to someone/a group to do something beneficial for themselves or the world around them”. Important discussions of minority groups in the workplace, addressing the poverty cycle with incentives and the shifting attitudes of packaging highlight our desire as humans to benefit not only ourselves but others and the world around us as well.

Short Supply 2022 would not have been possible without our amazing editors and writers. I would like to thank our contributors and editors for their hard work writing these articles; and a special thanks to Philip Mackay for designing this magazine.

Thank you for your interest in this year’s issue of Short Supply. I hope you will enjoy reading the magazine, and that it inspires you to be the change that not only benefits yourself but the world around us.

Les Kosem

Director of Publications (ESSA Monash Clayton)