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Eric Crampton and Matt Burgess discuss the thousands of homes hit by blackouts on the coldest night of the year and government’s response to it so far. Decisions should be made only after the facts are established. Read more
Reports about the Government reconsidering the controversial Auckland cycling bridge are welcome. At projected costs of $785 million, the bridge always looked excessively expensive. Read more
In late May, Budget 2021 revealed that work was underway to develop an unemployment insurance scheme. This would see benefits tied to past employment and wages in some way. Read more
Oliver Hartwich and Matt Burgess discuss the Commerce Commissions market study on supermarket competition. What are the barriers to competitors entering the market, and is the number of competitors a real indication of price competition? Read more
KiwiBuild never made any sense and could not work. The reason was simple. Read more
A 500-gram punnet of grapes: $1.89. A 2 litre bottle of Coca-Cola: also $1.89. Read more
One of the finest shows on economic affairs was ‘Clarke and Dawe’. The two satirists collaborated from 1989 until John Clarke’s death 2017. Read more
If you're going to read the Commerce Commission's market study on supermarkets in New Zealand, I'd suggest starting with the first half of Chapter 6 which explains the difficulties facing any potential new entrant. As far as I'm concerned, evidence on margins and such really don't mean much unless there are substantial restrictions against new entry. Read more
Inflation numbers for the June quarter are out. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 3.3% in the year to June. Read more
In my book, governments that do not publish a competent cost-benefit assessment justifying their spending and regulatory proposals do not take community wellbeing seriously.(Only if the wellbeing benefits plausibly exceed the costs is the policy likely to benefit the public.) The absence of such an assessment is now common. It suggests that a measure is being imposed on the public for partisan or elitist, paternalistic reasons. Read more
