Literacy rates in New Zealand present a paradox. Our renowned Reading Recovery programme is an international export success. Read more
If politicians could make companies more productive and innovative by decree, they would have done so a long time ago. That did not stop the previous government from actively trying to steer companies’ research and development activities. Read more
The government plans to build 100,000 ‘affordable’ houses in the next 10 years. How much greater is the housing stock likely to be in 10, 15 or 20 years as a result? Read more
I know that people who aren’t economists manage to raise kids and that it all seems to work out in the end, but I’m not entirely sure how. I have learned that standard practice in the Crampton household diverges a bit from practice elsewhere. Read more
Is it possible to have too both too much and too little of something at the same time? This may sound like a problem posed by quantum physics but the question arises with something much more prosaic: bus drivers. Read more
A few weeks ago, I wrote in Insights that public health policy works in mysterious ways. I stand by that statement. Read more
The candles have barely dimmed since his last birthday and we’re already celebrating Karl Marx’s 200th birthday, capitalism’s arch-critic. Over the past couple of centuries, capitalism has come to dominate a large part of the Western world. Read more
The two most exciting items in this year’s budget barely even made it into the budget tables. Both point toward better fiscal futures. Read more
Government spending decisions can be popular or unpopular; they can be justified and unjustified. We all like to criticise the government for unjustified spending to increase its popularity. Read more
The best thing about budgets in New Zealand is that they are just a little bit boring. Our fiscal conventions ensure big changes are telegraphed well in advance. Read more
There is a lot to be said for America’s federal structure. Fifty different states each trying different things not only lets policy better suit local preferences, but also helps researchers figure out the effects of different policies. Read more
Otto Wels. That is the name that came to my mind when I read through the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill. Read more
Kludges are short-term fixes that can patch things over until the main problem can be addressed. If the latch for the rear hatch on your people-mover breaks, a kludge that ties it shut until you can get it to the garage for repairs is just the thing. Read more
Government was vastly smaller in 1908 than now. The tax-and spend state was vastly smaller, but so was the regulatory state. Read more
“Local competition” is among factors cited by dairy owners for wildly varying prices for every-day grocery items like baked beans. The issue came to light in a leaked email from a dairy-owner in the lower North Island to her partner. Read more