Rate My Professor Jeff Borland

Jeff Borland is the Truby Williams Professor of Economics and Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics within the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Melbourne and a PhD in economics from Yale University. Borland's career at the University of Melbourne includes significant leadership positions such as Head of the Department of Economics and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics. He has also served as a visiting professor at Harvard University. His teaching covers microeconomics, economic history, and sports economics.

Borland's research specializations focus on the operation of labour markets in Australia, applied microeconomics, Australian economic history, economics of sport, and policy and program design and evaluation. His analyses have contributed to public discourse on labour market issues and economic policy in Australia. Key publications include 'Recent Developments in Public Sector Labor Markets' (with R.G. Gregory, Handbook of Labor Economics, 1999), 'Earnings Inequality in Australia: Changes, Causes and Consequences' (The Economic Record, 1999), 'Are Robots Taking Our Jobs?' (with Michael Coelli, The Australian Economic Review, 2017), and 'JobKeeper: An Initial Assessment' (The Australian Economic Review, 2023). Borland has received prestigious honors, including appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2026 Australia Day Honours for distinguished service to business as a labour market economist, tertiary education, microeconomic research, and public policy development. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Fellow Award from the Economic Society of Australia, inaugural winner of the Faculty of Business and Economics’ Ross Williams Award for career achievement in teaching in 2016, and was appointed Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor in 2025. Additionally, he has held roles as Managing Editor of The Economic Record, Past President of the Economic Society of Australia (Victorian Branch), and member of the Commonwealth government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee.