A doctor, a policy researcher and a marine biologist walk into a bar…at 4:30 in the morning. We were sandwiched between two elderly ladies sipping cups of Earl Grey, and a dozen young men dressed patriotically in All Blacks t-shirts, downing triple-shot flat whites faster than the barista could keep up. Read more
Remember R.E.M.? The cult rock band’s song ‘It’s the end of the world as we know it’ would make the perfect soundtrack to Europe’s current crisis. Read more
Every Thursday during fourth form, come third period, Miss Sumner would roll in the equipment trolley, laden with tripods, pipettes, Bunsen burners and volumetric flasks. Class, of course, was expected to test some simple hypothesis and judiciously record our results in the standard issue yellow lab book. Read more
Last week, I telephoned a friend of mine who heads the economics research department of a major German company. As we talked through current affairs, I asked him if Chancellor Angela Merkel might be toppled by her own party over her handling of the refugee crisis. Read more
"The way this country is run is broken", the cabinet minister said in his speech. "It is high time we faced the facts. Read more
Sunday’s Rugby World Cup final will add another episode to the long saga of trans-Tasman sporting rivalry. And after the Cricket World Cup (whose winner has just escaped me), it will be the second time this year that Australia and New Zealand meet in the final of a major sports tournament. Read more
From the perspective of New Zealand local authorities, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has won the localism lottery. In the space of three years, the council has been given control over a number of key functions, including infrastructure, housing, skills development, carbon emission controls, transport, investment, as well as policing and health. Read more
Living longer is good. But a lot of things are good. Read more
Last week, I telephoned a friend of mine who heads the economics research department of a major German company. As we talked through current affairs, I asked him if Chancellor Angela Merkel might be toppled by her own party over her handling of the refugee crisis. Read more
Despite the political turmoil the refugee crisis has created in Europe, it is often argued that the arrival of hundreds of thousands of refugees might help to solve the problem of Europe’s ageing population. And indeed, if you have a preference for rose-tinted glasses, the migrants will not only rejuvenate the old continent, but will bring their skills and qualifications and make their recipient countries stronger than they had been before. Read more
Shanghai’s number one position on international school league tables is the envy of public school systems around the world. Notwithstanding claims that some of the city’s results may have been engineered or that students there are among the least happy by OECD average, the system is one that New Zealand could learn from with regards to turning around poorly performing schools. Read more
Shanghai’s number one position on international school league tables is the envy of public school systems around the world. Notwithstanding claims that some of the city’s results may have been engineered or that students there are among the least happy by OECD average, the system is one that New Zealand could learn from with regards to turning around poorly performing schools. Read more
Trialling policy reform in regions that are keen to see the benefits could solve rather a few of the country’s policy problems. New Zealand has one of the world’s more centralised forms of government. Only about nine cents of every dollar of government expenditure is spent at the local level. Read more
Experimentation is a critical part of most industries. Developing, researching and trialling new drugs in the pharmaceutical industry has helped save millions of lives. Read more
As the first article noted, there is phenomenal interest among local government officials over the idea of trialling new ways of tackling long standing problems through special economic zones. But where do we get these new ideas, and how do we limit the risks that come with trying something new? Read more