No one doubts the economic costs of lost jobs and income from Covid-19 will be substantial in the short run. But what can we know about the likely magnitude of those costs? Read more
In this week’s episode of the New Zealand Initiative podcast, chief editor Nathan Smith sits down with Bella d’Abrera to discuss the ideas behind the international progressive movement. Dr d'Abrera is the Director of the Foundations of Western Civilisation Programme at the Institute of Public Affairs in Melbourne. Read more
New Zealand’s ‘upset-no-one’, content-free National Curriculum is hurting our children’s education. To identify what knowledge should be every child’s entitlement, the Ministry of Education must be willing to have some difficult conversations. Read more
The gloomy headlines say New Zealand just flagged its 28th case of coronavirus. Great. Read more
Fiscal responsibility matters. Being careful guardians of the public purse during good times provides flexibility for dealing with nightmare scenarios. Read more
Eric Crampton joins Radio New Zealand's The Panel to talk about the coronavirus economic package released by the government to help mitigate the impact of border restrictions. Read more
At our Initiative staff meetings over the past two months, Covid-19 already dominated our discussions. Startling as they are, we are not surprised by the events of the past days. Read more
Many international institutions will be considering the economic consequences of Covid-19 and what to do about it. For three years, I worked in the Economics Department of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and contributed to the production of its Economic Outlook – a publication looking at the growth prospects and policy challenges of member countries. Read more
Plenty of first-world countries have been hit with Coronavirus cases and failed to stamp it out effectively. However, Singapore has once again shined as an example of clever public policy. Read more
Wellington, 17 March 2020 - We welcome the Government’s measures to tackle Covid-19 in New Zealand. In particular, we welcome the recently announced travel restrictions, the increased health funding and the support to business. Read more
There were three things I was looking for in this week's pandemic budget announcement. I was not disappointed. Read more
In wartime, it’s often hard to know exactly what is going on. Good communication is critical but it’s hard for governments – or anyone else – to make good decisions in the absence of information. Read more
Wellington, 16 March 2020 - The New Zealand Initiative welcomes the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s move to cut interest rates and suspend the tightening of bank capital requirements. However, the Initiative’s Chief Economist Dr Eric Crampton warns that more will be necessary. Read more
Nearly a decade ago, historian Niall Ferguson coined the term “Chimerica” to describe what he saw as the obvious and symbiotic relationship emerging between China and America. Most people would laugh today at the idea of the two Pacific heavyweights as economic and political partners. Read more
We might look abroad to see how a similar rule to that proposed by Simon Bridges to slash regulations has panned out, and not in completely mad places either – or at least not in the world’s more obvious madhouses. In 2001, the Liberal Party of British Columbia, Canada, was elected into office on the promise of regulatory reform. Read more