Dr Darcy Allen

Dr Darcy Allen

I work to build the ideas and institutions that allow new technologies to expand freedom, innovation, and economic growth. I work across artificial intelligence, blockchains, digital platforms, and broader questions of technological change, with an emphasis on solving hard policy problems at the frontier.

I’m an Associate Professor of Economics at RMIT University and a Director of the Digital Economy Council of Australia.

I’ve written five books, including Institutional Acceleration and The New Technologies of Freedom, alongside more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. I’ve published in top journals in economics (e.g. Research Policy, Journal of Institutional Economics, Journal of Evolutionary Economics), law (e.g. Harvard Negotiation Law Review, Australian Business Law Review, Regulation and Governance), marketing (e.g. Journal of Business Research) and public policy (e.g. Australian Journal of Business Administration). My research has over 2,600 citations.

I’ve played an active role in major regulatory debates in Australia. For instance, I’ve appeared 8 times as an expert witness before parliamentary inquiries, and made dozens of submissions to public inquiries, ranging from digital assets and artificial intelligence to competition policy and red tape reform. My work has been cited over 70 times in parliamentary reports, explanatory memoranda and public inquiry reports inlcuding by the Australian Senate, House of Representatives, Productivity Commission and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. 

I have led and delivered tens of funded research projects with industry, government, and philanthropic partners, with outputs including research reports, whitepapers, education materials, policy briefs, workshops and submissions. 

Earlier in my career I was Deputy Director of RMIT’s award-winning Blockchain Innovation Hub, and Editor of the IPA Review, Australia’s longest-running magazine on politics and culture. My work is regularly featured in the media including the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, and Herald Sun.

I live in Melbourne, with my wife and three young sons.