When the facts of the world change, business models must change to keep up. Legislating the world back to the way it was rarely turns out well, and cobbling together regulatory and tax measures to return the media funding environment to the 1980s seems like a mistake. Read more
Last Wednesday, The New Zealand Initiative published a 13-page research report explaining why reliance on central bank credit to fund fiscal deficits is not a free lunch and it is economically dangerous to claim otherwise. The New Zealand Social Credit Association subsequently placed a full-page advertisement in the weekend’s Herald espousing the opposite position. Read more
How do you get an economy going again when entire industries are destroyed? How do you encourage private consumption when families are trying to make ends meet? Read more
South Korea has quickly become a model country for effectively containing Covid-19 without needing a national lockdown. Given that the liberal democracy of South Korea is 40 days ahead of New Zealand on the epidemiological curve, it offers important lessons on how to balance an increase of economic activity with continued efforts towards virus elimination as New Zealand leaves Alert Level 4. Read more
Last week, the diligent Epidemic Response Committee was swarmed by a gaggle of head-honcho media types each making their case for a handout. Plenty of other sectors had their time before the committee, but in hour-long slots before being bumped off by the next sector spokesperson. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative’s Executive Director Oliver Hartwich presented to the Epidemic Response Committee today, where he outlined his vision for New Zealand’s social, political and economic future. You can watch Oliver’s presentation here (time:1:52). Read more
Over the past week, protesters across the US have held demonstrations to demand “liberation” from lockdown measures brought in by states to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Fuelled by a belief that the economy must reopen to protect the health of people’s businesses, these public gatherings (often attended by anti-vaxxers and far-right activists) make for colourful television pictures — and divisive social media messages that President Donald Trump has been only too happy to promote. Read more
As the end of the world’s strictest lockdown nears, attention is turning to life after Covid-19. The coronavirus may not be defeated anytime soon, but a good deal of thought is needed about how to repair the destruction the virus has already caused to the economy. Read more
Is it 2010 again? Back then, crisis meeting followed crisis meeting to save Europe’s monetary union from collapse. Read more
If the only economics you ever learned was from watching Ben Stein's lecture in the classic film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, you'll still have learned something awfully important for the economic recovery from the pandemic. And it's a lesson that New Zealand and Singapore have taken to heart - as evidenced by the trade agreement Trade Minister David Parker struck last week. Read more
Time flies. Was it only a year ago that New Zealand’s ban on disposable plastic bags at the supermarket came in? Read more
The longer the acute Covid-19 crisis lasts, the more we hear that our economic world will not be the same after the crisis. Some things will of course change. Read more
A fortnight is an eternity in the bewildering Covid-19 world. Two weeks ago, this column argued for a more coherent coronavirus strategy. Read more
Last week, Forestry Minister Shane Jones warned of impending restrictions on New Zealand’s international trade in logs. Even if you don’t really care much about forestry, the Government’s response here may signal what’s in store for the rest of the economy after lockdown. Read more
The world is at war. The enemy may be a tiny virus, but this string of ribonucleic acid has the effect of a large military force. Read more