Eric Crampton discusses the importance of free speech following SkyCity's cancellation of Peter Singer's speaking event in June, following reaction from the media and public.
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In a prior academic life, I taught public choice – the economic analysis of political decision-making. During the week of lessons on the economics of bureaucracy, the students went through the consequences of the bureaus holding an information advantage over their ministerial masters. Read more
It is about time Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway investigates one of the more egregious employment rorts out there. An employer – and not an obscure one – pays far less than the minimum wage. Read more
Counting by the number of times the phrases “gig economy” and “future of work” are mentioned by the news media, you could be forgiven for thinking full-time employment was a thing of the past. Yet last year the Productivity Commission reported the so-called gig economy was both small and showed no signs of rapid growth, either in New Zealand or in the 30 other countries for which data was available. Read more
Journalism and opinion are supposed to be clearly separated, but that difference is shrinking – and perhaps disappearing. Objective reporting is like utopia, it cannot really exist. Read more
In this week’s long-form podcast interview, our chief editor Nathan Smith sat down with research fellow Briar Lipson to discuss why New Zealand’s education standards are slipping and how the progressive or “romantic” notions of schooling gained such tight traction in this country. If you would like to listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
Read our submission, written by Roger Partridge, to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), on Better protections for contractors: Discussion document for public feedback. In this submission we draw upon the research and recommendations from our July 2019 report, Work in Progress: Why Fair Pay Agreements would be bad for labour. Read more
Depending on your own experience with dating apps, you might be surprised to learn that success in the online dating market is not distributed equally. So, this Valentine’s Day, spare a thought for those struggling to find love among the insidious and “unjust” inequality on apps like Tinder or Bumble. Read more
Eric Crampton talks to Magic Talk’s Stephen McIvor about why congestion charging could be the answer to traffic woes. Read more
Wellington City Council has officially thrown its weight behind enabling a congestion charge for inner-city motorists. In our recent report Pricing Out Congestion, we make the case for congestion pricing and show that Wellingtonians spent almost five days in stationary traffic in 2018. Read more
Problem identification is the first step toward good public policy development. Is there a concern that needs solving? Read more
Last week, the Thuringian parliament in Erfurt elected Thomas Kemmerich state premier. This was not only remarkable because his liberal Free Democrats have only five members in a parliament of 90. Read more
Last week, Transport Minister Phil Twyford shot down Wellington Council's request to levy a congestion charge. Congestion charging would help ease traffic, and not just in Wellington. Read more
With a number of Kiwis up for Oscars at this years Academy Awards, thanks to Taika Waititi's film Jojo Rabbit, Eric Crampton speaks to Breakfast about the millions of dollars of subsidies being offered to attract foreign films to be shot in New Zealand and discusses if this is a fair and sensible use of taxpayers money.
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Welcome to the first New Zealand Initiative podcast where our team unpacks important events with a variety of guests. In this week’s edition, chief editor Nathan Smith is joined by executive director Oliver Hartwich to discuss what happens next in the Brexit process for the UK – which finally submitted its departure form to Brussels at the end of January – and if the European Union’s integrity can survive the body blow of losing one its strongest members. Read more