Final Eric Crampton

Dr Eric Crampton

Chief Economist

Eric is the Chief Economist at The New Zealand Initiative. With the Initiative, he has worked in policy areas ranging from freshwater management to policy for earthquake preparedness, and from local government to technology policy. He has recently focused on policy related to Covid-19 response. He served as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Department of Economics & Finance at the University of Canterbury from 2003 through 2014.

Eric’s columns and commentary appear regularly in New Zealand’s major media outlets, as well as on his blog, Offsetting Behaviour. He can also be found on Twitter at @ericcrampton.

Phone: +64 4 499 0790

Email: eric.crampton@nzinitiative.org.nz

Recent Work

NewstalkZB Mike Hosking square

Newstalk ZB: Mike Hosking discusses Dr Eric Crampton's article on digital news legislation

On Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking discussed Dr Eric Crampton's latest Newsroom column about proposed legislation in New Zealand that would force mediation between big tech companies and local media, potentially leading to financial compensation for news content. The column highlights Google's threat to drop services in response, and references similar experiences in Canada, suggesting the legislation may not achieve its intended goals and could have negative consequences. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Mike Hosking
Newstalk ZB
9 October, 2024
2024 10 08 Newsroom website

Canada’s example shows how ‘link tax’ bill will fail

New Zealand moves inexorably from the ‘faff around’ to the ‘find out’ phase of the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill process. On Friday, Google’s New Zealand blog noted that if the bill becomes law, Google would be “forced to stop linking to news content on Google Search, Google News, or Discover surfaces in New Zealand and discontinue our current commercial agreements and ecosystem support with New Zealand news publishers.” Google described the Bill as setting a ‘link tax’. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Newsroom
8 October, 2024

The Platform: Dr Eric Crampton on media challenges and Google's threat to leave NZ news sites

Dr Eric Crampton talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform discussing the challenges facing New Zealand's media landscape, including TVNZ's financial woes and Google's threat to stop linking to local news sites in response to proposed legislation. He expresses concern about the potential impact on public access to information and civic knowledge, while also noting that democracy has continued to function despite recent changes in the media sector. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Sean Plunket
The Platform
8 October, 2024
submission banking competition cover

Submission: Inquiry on Banking Competition

1.1 This submission in response to the Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC) Inquiry into Banking Competition (the Inquiry)1 is made by The New Zealand Initiative (the Initiative), a think tank supported primarily by major New Zealand businesses. In combination, our members employ more than 150,000 people. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Dr Bryce Wilkinson
Roger Partridge
Submission
25 September, 2024
Submssion 2024 09 20

Submission: Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2)

1.1 This submission on the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is made by The New Zealand Initiative, a think tank supported primarily by chief executives of major New Zealand businesses. The Initiative undertakes research to contribute to the development of sound public policies in New Zealand to help create a competitive, open and dynamic economy and a free, prosperous, fair, and cohesive society. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Submission
18 September, 2024

Podcast: Rethinking the Government's role in competition

In this episode, Eric and Ben Hamlin, Barrister at Clifton Chambers, explore how government policies and regulations can unintentionally stifle competition in New Zealand, affecting everything from healthcare to supermarkets. They discuss the challenges posed by current laws, particularly the 'Crown exception' in competition law, and propose reforms aimed at creating a more competitive economy, including regular reviews of competition restrictions and greater justification for government-imposed market limitations. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
Ben Hamlin
13 September, 2024
Health Innovators Summit screenshot

Health Innovators' Summit 2024: Keynote Sessions

On August 15, we hosted our second The Health Innovators’ Summit. This was a day event that brought together politicians, members of The New Zealand Initiative, professional health associations, and senior journalists to learn about innovative solutions for better healthcare in New Zealand. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Dr Eric Crampton
Prof Lester Levy, Hon Matt Doocey, Rob Hennin, Dr Frances Hughes, Dr Rachel Brown, Tom Irvine, Maria English, Rachel Smalley, Cecilia Robinson and Dr Haemish Crawford.
Event video
12 September, 2024

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