Professor Ross Guest to hand over EMPA economics teaching after 22 years

The language of 21st century government is inseparable from the language of economics, and understanding the discipline is essential for public sector leaders. 

That’s why economics is a core part of ANZSOG’s Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA), and Griffith University’s Professor Ross Guest has led the Governing in a Market Economy (GME) subject since the EMPA began in 2003. 

Professor Guest will step back from the role of subject leader in 2026, handing over to James Cook University’s Associate Professor Taha Chaiechi who has assisted in the subject in recent years, although he may still teach into the program and maintain his connection with ANZSOG. 

He said that his time as a subject leader in the EMPA had been stimulating and rewarding, and had increased his respect for public sector managers. 

“I’ve learnt to have great respect for the quality of the managers working in government agencies, and I think sometimes they don’t get the respect and admiration that they deserve. I found them to be highly skilled, knowledgeable, conscientious and professionally dedicated,” he said. 

“The EMPA has been a learning experience for me. I’ve learned a lot from informal discussions with students about how government works and the process of government decision-making. I’ve done some consulting to governments and you learn a bit there, but I’ve actually learned more from teaching the EMPA.  

“Ross is very knowledgeable, patient, inclusive and has an exceptional ability to be able to break down concepts to provide a baseline understanding for those (me) who have had little prior exposure to economics.” – Governing in a Market Economy student, 2025 

Professor Guest said the way he taught economics into the EMPA was more of a conversation compared to the approach he would take with undergraduate or postgraduate students. 

“It’s a conversation among professional equals, and it’s a mature and high-level conversation. The EMPA students are keen to learn and understand, and to question assumptions in economics and challenge the ‘economic way of thinking’, as we call it.” 

Student evaluations have consistently shown EMPA students  finds Governing in a Market Economy a valuable learning experience which has helped lift their understanding of this crucial discipline. 

ANZSOG Dean and CEO Professor Caron Beaton-Wells thanked Professor Guest for his huge contribution to ANZSOG over more than two decades. 

“Ross has shaped the economic component of the EMPA since its inception in 2003, and has been an inspirational teacher for hundreds of EMPA students, and a keen leader and innovator in teaching methods and pedagogy,” she said. 

A/Prof Chaiechi said that teaching EMPA students – who had sharper questions and more grounded insights than undergraduates – was energising, and that working with Ross had been a privilege. 

“Ross has a remarkable ability to simplify complex economic ideas without diluting their power. His clarity of thought, deep commitment to pedagogy, and humility despite decades of expertise have left a lasting impression on me,” she said. 

“I’ve learnt from him how to balance intellectual depth with teaching clarity – something that’s essential in a program like EMPA where learners are time-poor but intellectually hungry. 

“As I take on a more central role in leading the subject, my approach will be to retain its core analytical rigour while making the content even more accessible and context-sensitive. I want to ensure that the economic frameworks we teach genuinely empower participants to make better policy decisions – not just on paper, but in practice.” 

“I really liked the real examples Ross provided in helping convert the theory into practical information. Ross’s approachability is also appreciated” – Governing in a Market Economy student, 2025 

Illustrating economic principles with contemporary examples

While basic economic principles have not changed, the public policy issues that Professor Guest focuses on have shifted over the last two decades. 

“I try to make the context I teach as contemporary as possible, and I’m always drawing on the most recent public policy issues of the day, which have had some changes over the 22 years that I’ve taught GME,” he said. 

“In 2003 there was no net zero energy transition, we obviously hadn’t had the COVID pandemic, the shortage of affordable housing wasn’t as acute a problem then as it is now.”  

“Productivity’s always been important. It was important 22 years ago, it was important 200 years ago. But productivity in Australia has been in decline in recent years.” 

“Although the core economic principles haven’t changed very much, economics is not an entirely settled science. Some economic propositions remain contentious and unresolved: for example, the debate about whether award wages cause unemployment. Does increasing inequality reduce productivity? How much should governments spend supporting emerging industries or try to pick winners? 

Professor Guest said the goal of Governing in a Market Economy was to familiarise students with the economic way of thinking, which looked at how government actions affected the rest of the economy over time.  

“The real-world examples, showing market forces in operation were helpful. As was Ross’s deep understanding of topics and willingness to discuss our thoughts on them.” –  Governing in a Market Economy student, 2025 

“We want students to understand that policies, programs and interventions have costs and they have benefits. Economics can give us some insights into how to measure those costs and benefits, because we should never be allocating scarce resources in society unless the benefits of doing so exceed the costs.”  

“People sometimes think economics has got nothing to say about fairness and equity in the distribution of income and wealth, or nothing to say about the value of protecting the natural environment, whereas it does.”  

Professor Guest said that public sector leaders needed to understand the language of economics, and how markets worked to successfully develop and implement policy. 

“When they finish the course, I want them to be better decision makers. To do that they’ve got to understand costs and benefits of government programs, and regulations and policies. They’ve also got to understand how markets work, because a lot of policies operate through markets – such as those around childcare and housing. They need to have a good understanding about what markets do well, and what they don’t do well, and how they can fill the shortcomings of markets.”  

“They need to have the ability and the confidence to make the economic case for or against government policies, programs and regulations, to be able to evaluate economic arguments and to spot the dodgy economic arguments, which we all too often see in the media and in public discourse.” 

Professor Chaiechi said that understanding economics gave public sector leaders a structured way of thinking about trade-offs, incentives, costs, and benefit.” 

“It helps them make the invisible visible: the opportunity costs, unintended consequences, and distributional impacts that might otherwise be overlooked,” she said. 

“But beyond the technical tools, economics offers a language for ethical decision-making. A well-designed economic framework can help us ask: who benefits? Who bears the cost? Are we valuing what truly matters? For those shaping public policy, these questions are essential.”