Andrew Charlton: Oxford University Press

Andrew Charlton is a businessman and economist from Australia who has served as a representative of his country as global conferences such as the G20 Leaders Summit and the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Conference. He was the Senior Economic Adviser to former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd; and now he works in the corporate offices of Wesfarmers, helping Cole’s department stores. 

But before all of that, he had established himself as a writer with genuine ideas to help battle poverty and climate change while also pushing innovation and economic growth. Below is a short bio written by one of his publishers, Oxford University Press.

“How can the poorer countries of the world be helped to help themselves through freer, fairer trade? In this challenging and controversial book, Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and his co-author Andrew Charlton put forward a radical new solution to the problems of world trade, a solution that restores balance to the trading relationships between the richest and the poorest countries. 

Vividly written, highly topical, and packed with insightful analyses,”Fair Trade for All” is a must read for anyone interested in globalization and development in the Third World.”

Andrew Charlton: Rise in Parliament

Andrew Charlton’s political career got off to an early start as an economic adviser to former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. It wasn't long before he moved his way up to being the Senior Economic Adviser and going on to represent his country at global events such as the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Conference as well as the G20 Leaders Summit. 

Below is an excerpt from a write up the Sydney Morning Herald did in 2010 on him and his rise in parliament.

“All the while, the prime minister's personal office had become more and more influential as a source of advice, and that was adding to the anger and fear in the ministry and caucus. The prime minister's staff were capable but, according to the critics, they were politically inexperienced and often given jobs far above their station.

Particularly influential was Rudd's economics adviser, Andrew Charlton, who became so close to his boss some insiders called him "the muse".”

Andrew Charlton now has stepped away from government, and is working in the private sector in the corporate offices of Wesfarmers, and is now a director of Alpha Beta Advisors.

Andrew Charlton: Ozonomics Author

Andrew Charlton has written many articles and essays that have appeared in some of the most widely-read journals and publications in the economic academic world. In 2005, he teamed up with frequent collaborator and veteran economic mastermind Joseph Stiglitz to write Free Trade for All, a book that was eventually translated into thirteen languages and is still sold all over the world. Charlton and Stiglitz’s work has appeared in such publications as the World Trade Review and elsewhere.

In 2011, Andrew Charlton authored a book by himself called Ozonomics, a clear explanation of the Australian economy for interested lay people. Eschewing the dense language he is accustomed to using for his scholarly articles, Charlton lays out the key economic issues of the day and explains why they matter to all Australians. He tries to cut through the political bluster and obfuscation that seems to characterize any discussion of the Australian economy with clear, concise language and a full explanation of the issues. 

His argument is that most of the economic headlines in the mainstream media in Australia are nonsense, even deliberately misleading. In their place, Charlton gives his readers a list of issues that they should pay attention to: workers’ rights, immigration, investment in education and technology, and protectionism. Charlton says that how politicians treat these issues will have real effects on everyone’s lives, from their paychecks to the consumer choices they make at the grocery store.

Andrew Charlton tried to get people to care about the economic issues that he feels passionate about. His hope with Ozonomics was a greater public understanding of what politicians are really saying in their speeches and conversations about the economy. 

Andrew Charlton: Melbourne Economic Forum

Andrew Charlton is an Australian economist, businessman and author who has experience working in both government as well as the private sector. He has most recently worked in the corporate offices of Wesfarmers, he, and is now a director of AlphaBeta Advisors. As a name that is recognized in the Melbourne Economic Forum, Andrew Charlton is introduced as so on the forum’s website:

“Dr Andrew Charlton was senior economic adviser to the Prime Minister and Australia’s senior representative to the G20 Leaders Forum from 2008 to 2010. He previously worked for the London School of Economics and the United Nations and received his doctorate in economics from Oxford University. His research covering international economics, trade and development has been published in leading international journals including the American Economic Review, World Trade Review and World Economy.

He is the author of two books, “Fair Trade for All”, Oxford University Press, 2005, co-authored with Joseph Stiglitz, and “Ozonomics”, Random House Australia, 2007, and two quarterly essays Man-Made World (2011) and Dragon’s Tail (2014). Since 2010 he has worked in various commercial roles for Wesfarmers Ltd. In 2011 he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.”

Andrew Charlton won the John Button Prize for his 2011 quarterly essay, Man-Made World: Choosing Between Progress and Planet; and he has been an asset to Coles since taking a seat in their office. 

Andrew Charlton: FTFA Review

Andrew Charlton, with the help of Joseph Stiglitz, wrote “Fair Trade for All”, a book that presented many arguments for fair trade policies to be enacted on a global scale. In the book, Andrew Charlton and his co-author revealed many truths about the realities of unfair trade practices, as described in a write-up about the book, which was published in the New York Times in 2006:

“Stiglitz and Charlton show that standard economic assumptions are wrong when it comes to many developing economies. When markets in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere are opened, people often can't move easily to new industries where the nation has a comparative advantage. Transportation systems that might get them there are often primitive, housing is inadequate and job training is scarce. 

They're vulnerable in the meantime because safety nets are weak or nonexistent. Most people lack access to credit or insurance because financial institutions are frail, so they're unable to start their own businesses or otherwise take advantage of new opportunities that trade might bring. Many poor countries are already plagued by high unemployment, and job losses in the newly traded sector might just add to it.

Hence, the authors argue, the pace at which poorer nations open their markets to trade should coincide with the development of new institutions — roads, schools, banks and the like — that make such transitions easier and generate real opportunities. 

Since many poor nations can't afford the investments required to build these institutions, rich nations have a responsibility to help.” 

Visit https://vimeo.com/andrewcharlton for more information.

Andrew Charlton: Wesfarmers Ltd.

Wesfarmers Ltd. is one of the largest companies based in Australia. It is also one of the largest employers in the country. With operations in many different industries, including retail, chemicals, and coal production and exports, Wesfarmers Ltd. is an economic force within Australia. The company is always looking for advisors and economic experts to help it satisfy its 500,000 shareholders and continue to provide jobs and economic stimulus to the country.

Andrew Charlton came to work for Wesfarmers Ltd. in 2010 after spending two years as Australia’s senior economic representative to the G20 Leaders Forum and after working as former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Senior Economic Advisor. Charlton has served Wesfarmers Ltd. in various capacities, lending his economic expertise to the leadership’s decisions over the past five years.

Andrew Charlton was educated at Oxford, where he earned an MPhil in Economics in 2003 and a DPhil in International Finance in 2005. He has written two books, one with the help of Joseph Stiglitz called Fair Trade for All, published in 2005, and Ozonomics, published by Random House Australia in 2007. 

He is also the author of many articles in reputable economic journals such as the American Economic Review and the World Trade Review. Charlton joined Wesfarmers Ltd. because the company wanted to boost its stock prices with the help of a leading economist. Charlton’s ideas have proliferated throughout the economic expert community.

Visit to see https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHzasPMOdl-j2cMP30FhYAw videos.