Darcy Allen

I’m a researcher and policy expert working on regulation and technology. My work seeks to boost innovation and growth by solving hard policy problems at the technological frontier.

I’m an Associate Professor of Economics at RMIT University and a Director of the Digital Economy Council of Australia. I’m the author of five books including Institutional Acceleration (with Cambridge University Press) and The New Technologies of Freedom (AIER). I’ve authored more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters across law, economics, and public policy.

I’ve played an active role in major regulatory debates in Australia. I’ve been invited seven times to appear as an expert witness before state and federal parliamentary inquiries on ride-sharing legalisation, cryptocurrency and digital asset regulation, artificial intelligence, and broader economic reform. I’ve also authored dozens of policy submissions shaping emerging technology regulation, from drones to digital competition policy.

I have shaped real-world policy discussions, with more than 15 citations to my work in parliamentary reports and explanatory memoranda. My work is regularly featured in major media outlets, including the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, and Herald Sun. My research is also highly cited in academia, with over 2,300 Google Scholar citations.

I’ve led and delivered tens of funded research projects worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, working with startups, governments, and philanthropic partners on regulatory design and institutional reform.

I was previously 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. I have an award-winning PhD in economics.

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