As a researcher at a public policy think tank with a strong focus on economics, it is sometimes easy to take prices, and the influence they have on behaviour and innovation, for granted. Two recent incidents highlighted how powerful this mechanism can be. Read more
Wellington (29 June 2015): After five years of unsuccessful attempts to “save” Greece and keep it in the Eurozone, the dramatic events of the past days show that this strategy has failed disastrously. The country’s best hope is for a fresh start outside the Eurozone says Dr Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich discussing the Greek crisis and possible exit from the Eurozone. Read more
For my sins in generally supporting consumer choice in food consumption, and in interests of fostering healthy debate, the Agencies for Nutrition Action invited me to argue with the Morgan Foundation’s Geoff Simmons on the merits of fat taxes and food regulation at his annual conference in Auckland a few weeks ago. The nutritionists put on an excellent conference. Read more
Wellington (26 June 2015): The country needs to change its tune on inequality, according to The New Zealand Initiative, with a recently published report by Treasury showing that the gap between rich and poor has been stable or falling over the past 20 years. The Treasury working paper by Christopher Ball and John Creedy analysed annual income and expenditure since 1984. Read more
Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ has been both praised and criticised for its focus on the environment. That is indeed what a large chunk of this circular letter sent to the bishops of the Catholic Church is about. Read more
Chris Berg last week made a compelling case against the tyranny of experts. In large part, I sympathise with him. Read more
The postman used to ring at least five days a week. As of the first of July however, New Zealand Post will restrict deliveries to every second day. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton discussing inequality measures against media mentions in New Zealand from 2001-2014. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich on SBS Radio (in German): Last-minute rescue or farewell to the Euro? Read more
Humans often make stupid decisions - contrary to what we’d prefer to believe. Most psychologists would argue we’re not actually all that rational. Read more
Wellington (22 July 2015): Social policy, local government funding and education are key areas for public policy think tank The New Zealand Initiative over the next two years. The Initiative released its research programme today which covers the period leading up to the 2017 election. Read more
Labour has launched an open letter imploring the cabinet to stop the implementation of social bonds. It argues “social bonds are an untried and unproven experiment that have failed overseas.” Let’s reflect on this a bit. Read more
We are living through what has been described as a “crisis” of democracy. In Australia, poll after poll reveals deep dissatisfaction with the way democratic politics operate. Read more
This week the Productivity Commission released its draft report on land supply in New Zealand’s biggest cities, showing how various regulatory and planning constraints have choked it to a trickle. Many of the draft recommendations resonate with the Initiative’s own in this area. Read more