Two countries, two successful internet entrepreneurs, two clashes with government. Last week we witnessed an epic Twitter battle between Trade Me founder Sam Morgan and Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce over the usefulness of research grants. Read more
Recently, I sat beside a Green MP at an event who, much to my astonishment, scoffed when the presenter mentioned John Key’s indication of wanting to tackle poverty this term. If politicians, advocacy groups and commentators on the left want to work on solutions for poverty and inequality, the more extreme among them need to a) stop thinking the right would eat the poor if they could, and b) change up their stale narrative about how poverty came to be. Read more
Last week Tyler Cowen drew attention, in Marginal Revolution, to Vox blogger, Dylan Matthews', opinion that "New Zealand's parliament is better designed than just about any other developed country government". Aw shucks! Read more
Academic disciplines provide us with knowledge about the world. But perhaps more importantly, they give us tools to examine for ourselves how the world works. Read more
They say the grass is always greener on the other side; for New Zealanders looking to Australia, it often rings true. The sun seems to shine a bit brighter there, the pay packets are a bit fatter, and they have koalas. Read more
Elections are not just turbulent times for voters but for investors as well. Common wisdom has it that equity markets tend to lose some of their froth as the vote gets nearer, and perk up once the policy uncertainty dies down. Read more
The National Party have now had a week to settle back in the Beehive, warm their reclaimed seats, rearrange the furniture, perhaps do a bit of DIY here and there. But before they get too comfortable, they have yet to clarify how they intend to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing New Zealand today: our ageing population. Read more
This week, the New Zealand Herald ran a couple of stories about the young generation being shut out of the housing market. The newspaper even had a snappy name for these poor Gen Y’ers who are resigned to the fact that they will never own a home: “property orphans”. Read more
Labour’s Sovereign Wealth Fund idea has taken a fair bit of criticism over the past week. The Herald’s editorial page called it “a policy without substance or merit”. Read more
With votes on the Scottish independence referendum still being counted, it is worthwhile pondering what the nation state will look like if the Scots choose to secede from the union. There are fundamental questions that will need to be answered, such as how public debt, social services, and gas field revenues will be divided. Read more
There is something deeply rewarding about Magic Eye puzzles, where if you stare at the image for long enough, and with the right kind of focus, you can discover the clearer picture. Public policy is not like that. Read more
The latest edition of the Global Competitiveness Report reveals that New Zealand, at 17th place, has achieved its best ranking since 2004, and an improvement on its 2013 rank by one place. The report, released annually by the World Economic Forum, provides an overview of the competitiveness of 144 countries. Read more
Election time is a time of tribes. Political beliefs are tied up with personal and group identity, and people will fight passionately to defend the ideas of their tribe. Read more
A week just spent in the glittering, throbbing city-state metropolis that is Hong Kong, is a reminder that there is a lot more to this place than its stunning night-time skyline. Rolls Royce cars and Ferraris adorn its streets, perhaps to an uncomfortable degree from an egalitarian Kiwi perspective, yet labour-intensive, bespoke suits are still much cheaper than in New Zealand. Read more
The elections in the state of Saxony a couple of weeks ago mark a historic shift in Germany’s political landscape. The liberal, business-friendly Free Democrat Party got kicked out of parliament, having lost two thirds of their previous voters and being left with only 3.8 percent of the vote. Read more