Regulation often does more to help regulated industries than to protect either consumers or the country at large. Rules imposing costs on an entire industry can benefit large players at the expense of smaller businesses or new entrants. Read more
Double jeopardy is a defence that prevents a person being tried twice for the same offence. Unfortunately for the Government, the defence is not available for bad public policy decisions. Read more
There is no excuse for being Russian these days, not even if you are a cat. The Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) reacted swiftly to Putin’s war against Ukraine. Read more
Carbon prices are the best way of getting us to Net Zero. The Emissions Trading Scheme can get the job done if the government lets it. Read more
How has Putin’s regime changed over the years? And does the structure of his government explain Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its poor military performance? Read more
The Department for Education in England recently issued guidance to teachers to remind them of legal requirements to be politically impartial when they teach sensitive topics such as the legacy of the British Empire. Commenting on the guidance, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said “contested theories and opinions must not be presented to young people as facts”. Read more
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine combined with a global pandemic and a Reserve Bank that has forgotten its core inflation mandate do not make a case for cutting petrol excise and road user charges. And yet, here we are. Read more
Eric Crampton talks to Kate Hawkesby on NewstalkZB Early Edition about whether the Government's fuel discount will help those dealing with increases to the cost of living. Read more
The future is notoriously hard to forecast. Just dial the clock back two years and try finding an expert predicting a year after the start of the pandemic that New Zealand would be suffering labour shortages. Read more
The Government has reduced fuel excise duty and public transport costs to help curb rising living costs. Eric Crampton talks to Wallace Chapman on Radio NZ - The Panel about how effective this will be. Read more
I am excited to have commenced work at the New Zealand Initiative in early March. I come from ten years as an academic in the Faculty of Education at Victoria University of Wellington. Read more
From the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans to the masterful wit of Jonathan Swift and Frederic Bastiat, authors have used satire to highlight follies and vices, lampoon political figures, and point out pressing societal issues. Fast forward to our modern age of content warnings, censorship, and accusations of fake news. Read more
Putin’s war is a tragedy for Ukraine. Yet its economic implications will be felt far beyond Ukraine’s borders for years to come. Read more
We recently announced the appointment of new Senior Fellow, Dr Michael Johnston to lead our education programme. Michael joins us from Victoria University of Wellington, where he was most recently Associate Dean (Academic) in the School of Education. Read more
In late January, I wrote a column arguing a Russian invasion of Ukraine was not a foregone conclusion (Russia has won the war without firing a single shot, 25 January). I wish my cautious optimism had been proven right. Read more