After fighting the weakness of its euro currency for the past five years, the European Central Bank now seemingly has an even more fearsome opponent to tackle: the strength of the euro. At least this is the narrative that the ECB is trying to establish. Read more
Next month, I will be presenting my new book at three functions hosted by The New Zealand Initiative. Democracy in Decline is part lament and part call to arms. It is about the decline of democracy in five of the oldest democracies on earth, countries that, before just about anywhere else, worked out how to count everyone as equal and then let the numbers count as a way to resolve debatable and contested social policy line-drawing disputes. Read more
Consistency is regarded by some as a hallmark of a good politician, so by this logic Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce should be commended for steadfastly fronting the government's apparent commitment to ensuring that expensive recreational pastimes get well-rewarded. The latest beneficiary of the taxpayers’ purse is the New Zealand Open pro-am, an annual golf tournament which takes place at The Hills and Millbrook course in Queenstown. Read more
Incentives are the little magnets that guide human activity. But that doesn’t mean things always go according to plan. Read more
If there was a ranking for the most self-righteous nation in Europe, Germany would have a good chance of topping the list. Sure, without Germany’s support the euro may have already gone under, but the Germans are extremely good at coupling such help to their neighbours with unrequited advice on how to run their countries. Read more
Imagine a business that could charge anyone who just happened to pass by its shop window. Does that sound like a business that would strive to become better, more customer-friendly, and more service-oriented? Read more
In a week where the headlines were dominated by housing affordability concerns, Prime Minister John Key said central government would need a compelling reason to allow local councils to collect additional taxes on top of their standard rates revenue. Well, here are 415,000 reasons. Read more
New Zealand’s supermarket chains often get bad press and are suspiciously eyed by the public because, allegedly, they form a duopoly. With this characterisation comes the innuendo that they might be ripping off either their customers, their suppliers or both. Read more
Studying economics these days, it is quite possible to get a degree without ever having come across the name of a single economist. That is because economics is taught as a set body of knowledge without illuminating its insights by reference to the works, minds and times of the great economists. Read more
Within the workplace, there is a plethora of subjects we're more than willing to discuss freely and frankly with our peers. However, what we each earn is never one of them. Read more
It’s tough for parties in the opposition benches. They have been stripped of a major rod with which to beat National in an election year. Read more
Lately, a lot of people have been calling Social Development Minister Paula Bennett a beneficiary basher. Beneficiary bashing involves anything that sours public perceptions of beneficiaries, thereby justifying benefit cuts, limitations and restrictions. Read more
Inequality is the buzzword this election year. The usual vernacular is that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Read more
When searching for quotations about government, one thing quickly becomes clear: very few of them are positive. Thomas Jefferson, for example, put it this way: “History, in general, only informs us of what bad government is.” Or take Thomas Paine: “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” And these two quotes are actually some of the nicer ones you can find. Read more