It isn’t the congestion charging scheme that I would have most-preferred. But the best congestion charging scheme is the one that can get across the line and enjoy durable political support, so long as it can work. Read more

Late last year, online newsmagazine The Spinoff asked the usual suspects for their one-sentence summary of the year ahead. I stole a line from Gramsci, or at least a paraphrased version of it. Read more

New Zealand has one of the world’s most centralised governments. Centralisation has some advantages. Read more

Every student of game theory knows that madness can have its advantages. If your enemy believes you will retaliate, regardless of the cost to yourself, they may think twice before crossing you. Read more

Treasury is consulting on changes to the Natural Hazards Insurance Levy – formerly known as the EQC levy. The Herald’s Jenée Tibshraeny reports that Treasury is considering increasing the Natural Hazards Commission’s cap from $345,000 to $460,000 while increasing the levy by up to $400 per year to make up the difference. Read more

Everybody knows the dice are loaded. At least according to Canadian policy analyst Leonard Cohen. Read more

The government has made increased competition a highlight of its economic growth agenda. So, one might have hoped that a targeted review of the Commerce Act would aim at the big problems blocking open and competitive markets. Read more

Some essays are timeless. In 1964, Richard Hofstadter diagnosed what he called “The Paranoid Style in American Politics”. Read more

It wasn’t that long ago that New Zealand’s housing market made international news because of its insanity. In 2016, The Guardian tagged Auckland as the “hottest property market in the world” – and part of a housing crisis. Read more

I didn’t think it was going to go like this. But here we are. Read more