This course is concerned with the nature and development of economic and social policy in Australia since the establishment of the Commonwealth. It deals with policy issues in economic management such as fiscal, tariff, immigration, finance, employment and trade as well as those in social development such as education, health, housing and welfare. It aims to analyse the formulation of policy, the growth of State intervention in economic and social activities and the recent trends towards deregulation. Attention will be paid to the impact upon Australian policy development of outside forces such as the two world wars, the Great Depression and fluctuations in the international economy. Finally, this course considers the ideological underpinnings of economic and social policy formation in Australian society and places economic rationalism in a historical perspective.