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New Zealanders often face calls for an Australian-style compulsory superannuation scheme that would expand Kiwisaver by making it compulsory. This is a multi-faceted issue and is worth reflecting on, particularly the political economy aspect. Read more

I am in Prague attending the general meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society, a network of distinguished liberal academics and intellectuals. One of the best speeches at the conference, however, was delivered by a businessman with no academic affiliation – and contained an implicit warning to countries like New Zealand. Read more

There is a great myth that New Zealand is open for business and is a very easy place for anyone to invest. Little could be further from the truth – according to the OECD, New Zealand is actually performing very poorly compared to other countries in the race to attract overseas capital. Read more

Last week, I attended an annual public policy conference organised by the Australian think tank The Centre for Independent Studies on topics that ranged from foreign affairs to global economics. However, one of the sessions – traditionally reserved for the latest developments in science and engineering – was most humbling, particularly for the economists attending. Read more

Economics students generally learn how to deal with recessions in their first semester. To cushion the economy in a downturn and speed up the recovery, students are taught to cut interest rates and provide fiscal stimulus. Read more

Global food security is an increasing challenge. A growing middle class in developing countries are demanding more protein. Read more

In the cult TV comedy Arrested Development, a character called Tobias Funke starts a folk band called “Dr Tobias Funke’s 100% good-time family band solution.” He and his family travel to medical conferences singing folk tunes persuading people to buy a lifestyle drug produced by a big pharma called Teamocil. Unfortunately, the sense of wellness in relationships created by Teamocil turns out to be the first sign of complete pituitary shutdown. Read more

Few things in politics look more certain than a change of government after the next Australian election in 2013. The Gillard Labor government is polling abysmally and plagued by constant leadership quarrels. Read more

Prime minister John Key observed that the 2011 election was about the economy. Business people are looking to the incoming government to address critical weaknesses in our economy and implement policies to boost economic growth. Read more

Last month Rebecca Macfie wrote an article in the Listener entitled “Our slack bosses”. In it she argued that “one of New Zealand’s dirtiest little secrets is that our businesses are not very well managed” and that “the poor quality of New Zealand managers is holding the country back”. Read more