John Howe

Professor John Howe is a Professor and Associate Dean (Research) at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, and a member of the Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne and a Masters (Coursework and Research) from Temple University. Prior to entering academia, he worked in private legal practice and as a researcher for public policy and advocacy organisations in Washington, DC. Howe's career includes significant leadership roles such as Deputy Dean of Melbourne Law School from 2013 to 2016, Director of the Melbourne School of Government from 2017 to 2023, Secretary of the Australian Labour Law Association from 2005 to 2009, and Chair of the international Labour Law Research Network from 2015 to 2019. He served as Editor of the Australian Journal of Labour Law from 2015 to 2023 and is a member of its Editorial Committee. He is also affiliated with the Melbourne Regulation and Design Network, the Centre for Corporate Law and Securities Regulation, the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand, the Industrial Relations Society of Victoria, the Institute of Public Administration Australia, and the Regulating for Decent Work Network.

John Howe's research interests encompass labour market regulation and policy, regulatory design, and social procurement. He has written extensively on the role of the state in regulating employment and labour markets and on the intersection between state-based regulation and corporate governance. His current research focuses on regulatory enforcement of minimum employment standards and labour dispute resolution in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. He leads the Program on Regulation and Design and research evaluating government social procurement initiatives. Key publications include 'Open data, workplace relations law compliance, and digital regulation' (2024, Data & Policy), 'Regulatory pluralism and the resolution of collective labour disputes: Insights from Australia' (2023, Journal of Industrial Relations), and 'Mandate, Discretion, and Professionalisation in an Employment Standards Enforcement Agency' (2012, Australian Journal of Labour Law). Howe teaches Principles of Employment Law in the Melbourne Law Masters program.

Professional Email: j.howe@unimelb.edu.au