AARES Federal Webinar: What Makes a Paper Great (or at Least More Attractive to Editors)?

Professor John Rolfe AM 

Professor John Rolfe AM is a resource economist and Professor of Regional Economic Development at CQUniversity, Australia. His research spans environmental, resource, and agricultural economics, with a strong focus on regional development, adoption, and economic impact assessment, supported by more than 200 refereed publications and extensive competitive research funding. He is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and has held major editorial and leadership roles, including Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics (2013–2017) and President of the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society. In 2026, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to regional economic development. 

Professor Iain Fraser 

Iain Fraser is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Adelaide University, an Honorary Professor of Economics at the University of Kent and an Adjunct Professor of Economics at Flinders University. He received his PhD from the University of Manchester in 1993. He has held academic positions in the UK and Australia at the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Imperial College London, University of Kent and La Trobe University.  

Iain is the inaugural editor of Q Open, a former editor of the European Review of Agricultural Economics and former associate editor of the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. He was elected a fellow of the European Association of Agricultural Economics in 2025. 

Iain's research interests cover various aspects of applied agricultural, environmental and resource economics. Current research interests include stated preference research methods and applications with a focus on the role of information provision in food consumption, risk and uncertainty, and the design and implementation of contracts for the supply of agri-environmental goods and services. 

Professor David Stern  

Professor David Stern is an energy and environmental economist in the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. His research focuses on the role of energy in economic growth and development, environmental impacts, and climate change, alongside interests in meta-science and research assessment. He is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics.