By all measures, it was a defeat of historic proportions for President François Hollande and his Socialist Party. Last weekend’s French local elections have turned the country upside down, or rather shifted it to the political right. Read more
Jason Krupp interviews international writer and management specialist Tom Peters. Read more
This is the third and final report in The New Zealand Initiative’s series on New Zealand’s global financial links. The second report in the series, Capital Doldrums, found that New Zealand stands out in international comparisons for the restrictiveness of its regulatory regime and the slump it its ranking for investment attractiveness. Read more
One of the principal arguments put forward for the development of Auckland into an international-sized city is that urban economies of scale generate better outcomes. This is called an agglomeration benefit, or rather the economic advantage that firms and people get from being situated closer to markets, suppliers and places of work. Read more
The first management book I ever read, back in the late 1980s, was the sequel to In Search of Excellence, the book that established Tom Peters as the world’s leading management guru. A friend had given it to me. Read more
In Greek mythology the Hydra was a deadly water serpent with multiple heads. For each head that was cut off, two others sprang out to replace it. Read more
The Prime Minister visited Europe this week. After meetings with European Union leaders, John Key announced that – finally – a free trade deal between New Zealand and the EU was on the table. Read more
According to recent research, the new poor are not actually poor at all. Well, at least not as we know it. Read more
As George W. Bush allegedly once said, “the problem with the French is that they don’t have a word for entrepreneur.” That may not be entirely correct as the French may be short of business sense but certainly not of words. Read more
The good news about New Zealand's economy just keeps on coming. Business confidence is at a record high, employment is increasing, as are wages. Read more
Jason Krupp interviews international writer and management specialist Tom Peters. Read more
Economists can agree about many things. The importance of tradable property rights in scarce fresh water is a case in point. Read more
Recently at the Initiative’s annual retreat dinner, management guru Tom Peters gave a resounding presentation on the importance of investing in people, first and foremost. Education, he argued, must be the number one priority. Read more
It is election year and political opponents will soon take the gloves off to cast the usual aspersions on each other based on which side of the political spectrum they sit on. Right-leaning politicians are likely to be cast as devotees of Wall Street arch-villain Gordon Gekko and his “greed is good” ethos, the left drafted into the poor-and-jealous brigade, and more environmentally minded parties cast as caring more about trees than people. Read more