Bruce Chapman

Bruce James Chapman (born 16 September 1951) is an Australian economist and academic known for being the founder or architect of the HECS system. HECS is the Higher Education Contribution Scheme loans system. He was a professor at the College of Business and Economics, Australian National University. In 2001, he became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), "for service to the development of Australian economic, labour market and social policy". In 2017, Chapman was appointed the inaugural Sir Roland Wilson Chair of Economics.

Education He was awarded a Bachelor of Economics at the Australian National University for his undergraduate degree. He earned his PhD in Economics from Yale University. which was first intimated by Murray Wells. Chapman further developed the policy with the support of the Education Minister John Dawkins as part of the Dawkins Revolution. He was also an advisor to the Keating government in 1994–96. The scheme has influenced other countries like the United Kingdom, Ghana, New Zealand and Hungary to introduce their own model of a higher education contribution scheme.

Since then he worked with governments on policies such as the Working Nation and the 2010 changes to Youth Allowance.

In 1993, Chapman was elected the Academy of the Social Sciences of Australia.

In 2017, Chapman was appointed the inaugural Sir Roland Wilson Chair of Economics; a foundation established in 1998 in the name of one of Australia's most prominent economist and public servants, Roland Wilson.