Eric Crampton is Chief Economist with the New Zealand Initiative.
He applies an economist’s lens to a broad range of policy areas, from devolution and housing policy to student loans and environmental policy. He served on Minister Twyford’s Urban Land Markets Research Group and on Minister Bishop’s Housing Economic Advisory Group.
Most recently, he has been looking at devolution to First Nations in Canada.
He is a regular columnist with Stuff and with Newsroom; his economic and policy commentary appears across most media outlets. He can also be found on Twitter at @ericcrampton.
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
It’s hard to solve a problem like Working for Families. The most frustrating thing, for an economist who watches policy, are the policy dollar bills left lying around on sidewalks. Read more
Pew’s latest survey is not cause for despair – if you know a little bit about the state of public knowledge. Pew finds that only 56% of Americans know that Ukraine is not part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO. Read more
Eric Crampton talks to Bryan Crump, Radio NZ Nights about his favourite economist - Gordon Tulloch.
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Tune in to enough climate change events in Wellington, and you’re bound to hear someone claim that nobody living in a city needs an SUV. Leave aside for now that fuel companies must hand in carbon credits through the Emissions Trading Scheme to cover every bit of carbon dioxide coming from tailpipes. Read more
Oliver Hartwich and Eric Crampton interview Foodstuffs North Island’s CEO Chris Quin and Independent Director Peter Schuyt about the Commerce Commission’s enquiry into the grocery retail sector. To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
There were a lot of truly classic episodes of Seinfeld, but among the very best, at least for economists, was “The Bottle Deposit”. And we may be in for a repeat if the Ministry for the Environment has anything to say about it. Read more
Eric Crampton talks to Sean Plunket on the Platform about the 2022 Budget. He comments on the fuel tax rebate, New Zealand's debt levels, inflation and explains the effect of the $350 to the 'squeezed' middle. Read more
It’s a shame Grant Robertson didn’t sit down with The Spinoff’s Duncan Grieve before Budget Day. The Spinoff has come up with an ingenious new policy. Read more
The Ministry for the Environment’s discussion document suggests a container deposit return scheme as a way of reducing reliance on landfill, reducing litter, and increasing recycling. Of these, only reducing litter is a substantial policy concern. Read more
When the government announced revised fiscal rules earlier this month, Treasury provided a mild caution. Shifting from a net debt target to a net debt ceiling would require a greater emphasis on year-to-year fiscal discipline. Read more
Chelsy Killick talks with Eric Crampton and Oliver Hartwich on the Government’s Emissions Reductions Plan and what it will mean for transport. To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
There’s an old adage that one should buy stocks not on new news, but on the rumour of it. By the time whatever it is is news, everyone will know it, and the effects will be priced in. Read more
One key to happiness is not letting your expectations run ahead of what is possible, as that only leads to disappointment. But what has been announced thus far makes for a depressing Budget Day. Read more
Eric Crampton talks to Thomas Coughlan, senior political journalist, NZ Herald on what should be in the budget 2022. Read more
Those on the economic right sometimes wish for flat taxes. If inflation continues to run at 7 percent and the country’s tax thresholds do not change, we will eventually wind up with one. Read more