The Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) runs every four years. It measures Year 5 and Year 9 students in different countries on what they have learned in science and mathematics. Read more
Most national holidays revolve around either somber reflections or consumerism. It is time for New Zealand to formally recognise the cultural phenomenon that best captures our national spirit: Crate Day. Read more
For over three decades, New Zealand has laboured under an employment law paradox. Laws designed to protect ordinary workers from arbitrary dismissal have constrained firms when dealing with poorly performing senior managers. Read more
Last week, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points to 4.25 percent. In contrast, the RBA kept Australia’s cash rate on hold at its last meeting. Read more
The tech sector’s pivot to Trump was an especially odd aspect of a decidedly odd American Presidential election. Silicon Valley’s tech sector had previously seemed populated by centrist Democrats – Peter Thiel aside. Read more
My recent report, Who Makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court,[i] has sparked widespread debate about judicial overreach by the Supreme Court. Read more
Economists’ open letters don’t have that great of a track record. In 1981, some 364 economists warned against UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s fiscal policies. Read more
New Zealand is building its way out of its housing crisis. A few years ago, the island nation was synonymous with unaffordability. Read more
Last week, eleven New Zealand economists issued a public letter advocating more government spending relative to revenue. That means yet more debt. Read more
New Zealand introduced a comprehensive GST in 1986. Value-added taxes elsewhere were riddled with politically-driven exemptions. Read more
You might think that a national organisation awarding research grants would fund the best proposals. You might even think that funding decisions would be made by experts who can identify quality when they see it. Read more
You can learn a lot about a household’s priorities, or an agency’s priorities, when budgets tighten. For the past few months, we have heard a lot about how the health system has been cut to the bone. Read more
Angela Merkel is “fundamentally an optimist”, she tells Der Spiegel magazine in her first major interview since leaving office. One wonders why. Read more
Imagine sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by bills and bank statements. Your household expenses have spiralled out of control over the past five years, rising by nearly 160% while your income grew by only 142%. Read more
This column is by the second author from our collaboration with Rototuna Junior High School's student think tank project. Traffic congestion is one of Hamilton’s most pressing issues. Read more