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
The New Zealand government’s approach to border management, contrary to popular belief, is not terrified of risk. It is far worse than that. Read more
How long will the America's Cup stay in New Zealand ? Team NZ is currently in exclusive negotiations with the government and Auckland Council to host the next event. Read more
Eric Crampton talks to Jesse Mulligan on Radio NZ about the next steps for New Zealand in a Covid-19 world. Read more
Read our submission to the Ministry of Health on the Proposals for a Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan. The Initiative has, over the past several years, undertaken research into tobacco harm reduction policies because of our concern for the inequities caused by the existing tobacco control regime. Read more
Emissions pricing and congestion pricing have a lot in common. The economics of both are straightforward. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton chatted to Professor Josh Gans from the University of Toronto on the global Covid-19 pandemic response. They discuss the importance of coming up with effective strategies to get the covid-19 vaccinations rolled out as quickly as possible and move onto the next conversation of how to reopen borders. Read more
The biggest risk to New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme isn’t technical issues in how the scheme is run or in its accounting. The biggest risk instead is politics. Read more
As economics Nobel laureate Paul Krugman once put it, “Productivity isn’t everything, but, in the long run, it is almost everything.” Which makes you wonder what Krugman would think of yesterday’s Budget. Hidden behind headlines of benefit increases, spending initiatives and a new unemployment insurance scheme lies a worrying small detail. Read more
Chief Economist Dr Eric Crampton discusses the Government's 2021 budget. If you would like to listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
Here is our submission to the Transport and Infrastructure Committee on the inquiry into congestion pricing in Auckland. We broadly support the analysis and recommendations provided in the “The Congestion Question: Main Findings” (the Report). Read more
Chief Economist Dr Eric Crampton discusses the immigration reset on Radio New Zealand - The Panel hosted by Wallace Chapman.
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The Government is turning its attention from low-skilled migrant workers and focusing more on 'high roller investors', with hundreds expected to arrive as a result of the new border exemptions. But the Government has sent a message saying industries that rely on low-skilled will need to change their ways. Read more
Potential skilled migrants deserve a few warnings about what they are getting into in moving to New Zealand – the kinds of disclosures that are often mandatory in the private sector to ensure consumers can make informed decisions The Fair Trading Act’s provisions against deceptive and misleading conduct do not seem to apply to Immigration New Zealand. Caveat emptor. Read more
The third column in our Insights newsletter is meant to be lighter. Something a bit wry or humorous – an amuse-bouche to close out the week. Read more
In our latest podcast, Eric Crampton sits down with Graeme Jarvis, CEO of Medicines NZ for an in-depth chat about IP issues around the Covid-19 vaccines and how bottlenecking supply is keeping us from getting the world vaccinated.
Listen to the full podcast below (28 minutes):
The New Zealand Initiative · Eric Crampton and Graeme Jarvis discuss Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing and distribution Read more