Is it 2010 again? Back then, crisis meeting followed crisis meeting to save Europe’s monetary union from collapse. Read more
If the only economics you ever learned was from watching Ben Stein's lecture in the classic film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, you'll still have learned something awfully important for the economic recovery from the pandemic. And it's a lesson that New Zealand and Singapore have taken to heart - as evidenced by the trade agreement Trade Minister David Parker struck last week. Read more
Time flies. Was it only a year ago that New Zealand’s ban on disposable plastic bags at the supermarket came in? Read more
The longer the acute Covid-19 crisis lasts, the more we hear that our economic world will not be the same after the crisis. Some things will of course change. Read more
A fortnight is an eternity in the bewildering Covid-19 world. Two weeks ago, this column argued for a more coherent coronavirus strategy. Read more
Last week, Forestry Minister Shane Jones warned of impending restrictions on New Zealand’s international trade in logs. Even if you don’t really care much about forestry, the Government’s response here may signal what’s in store for the rest of the economy after lockdown. Read more
Wellington, 14 April - The New Zealand Initiative welcomes comments from Finance Minister Grant Robertson today before the Epidemic Response Committee about the need for a principles-based approach to what businesses will be able to operate at Alert Level 3. New Zealand Initiative Executive Director, Oliver Hartwich said: “The essential/non-essential categorisation of businesses or business activities at Alert Level 4 was cumbersome, bureaucratic and difficult for both businesses and consumers. Read more
The world is at war. The enemy may be a tiny virus, but this string of ribonucleic acid has the effect of a large military force. Read more
Early in the pandemic crisis, the Government was quick to offer a wage subsidy scheme to help protect both employers and employees. But is this scheme still fit for purpose? Read more
Two centuries ago, Napoleon Bonaparte called China a sleeping lion and advised to “let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world." Bonaparte's prophecies are relevant again today. The lion is now awake and she is becoming increasingly assertive. Read more
All going well, the Alert 4 lockdown will end in two weeks. But life will not return to normal. Read more
The world has had mixed success containing Covid-19 with Singapore as a standout example during the early phases of the pandemic. Our Research Assistant Leonard Hong talks to chief editor Nathan Smith about Singapore’s approach and shares the lessons for New Zealand. Read more
In deciding whether to extend the current lockdown, the government must balance the likely benefits of reduced sickness and deaths against the cost of lost national income and jobs. To do so systematically requires an analytical framework that organises the available information. Read more
Wellington, 9 April - A new report Quantifying the wellbeing costs of Covid-19 by the New Zealand Initiative shows how an economic hit of about 6.1% of GDP would be justified if it meant saving 33,600 lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures, compiled by research fellow Dr Bryce Wilkinson, were generated by updating a Ministry of Health model from 2017 and plugging in the available data on Covid-19. Read more