Lizz Truss square

Learning from the Truss disaster

Most political careers end in failure, but few politicians fail as spectacularly, or as rapidly, as Liz Truss. Truss has wrecked more than her own political career since she became British Prime Minister less than two months ago: her personal reputation, her party’s credibility, and the UK’s finances. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Insights Newsletter
21 October, 2022
Eric for podcast

Podcast: Oliver Hartwich and Eric Crampton on barriers to supermarket entry

Oliver Hartwich and Eric Crampton discuss how the government is preventing overseas supermarkets from entering the New Zealand market. To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Dr Eric Crampton
Podcast
20 October, 2022
RNZ Nights with Karyn Hay square

Discussing inflation, central bank policy and the housing shortage

Chief Economist at The New Zealand Initiative Dr Eric Crampton is in the studio to talk economics. Tonight Dr Crampton joins us to discuss inflation and central bank policy, the housing shortage and how we got here, and the Future for Local Government Forum's report which is due out at the end of the month. Read more

Dr Eric Crampton
RNZ Nights with Karyn Hay
18 October, 2022
university new zealand

Potemkin learning

If you lecture in the theatre and no student is there to hear it, did anybody learn? Welcome to teaching at universities in 2022. Read more

Dr Dennis Wesselbaum
Insights Newsletter
14 October, 2022
walletmoney

Is the market economy making us less selfish?

If there’s one objection that proponents of the free market are familiar with, it’s that capitalism is anti-social. From Adam Smith to Gordon Gekko – so the objection goes – liberal and neo-liberal economists have been doing little else but reciting a mantra of ‘Greed is good.’ It was with this argument in mind that I found some recent research on markets and pro-sociality so intriguing. Read more

Dr James Kierstead
Insights Newsletter
14 October, 2022
postal vote square

Locals know best

It might not have been a vote of no-confidence in local government, but it was far from an enthusiastic endorsement of the status quo. In 2019, 42% of eligible local voters cast a ballot. Read more

Dr Matthew Birchall
Insights Newsletter
14 October, 2022
Auckland rail link square

Signal failure

Aucklanders have yet more rail disruption to look forward to this Christmas. Last week, in a bolt from the blue, KiwiRail and Auckland Transport announced a series of major shutdowns to train lines in the Super City. Read more

Dr Matthew Birchall
NZ Herald
13 October, 2022
University of Auckland square

Why won’t NZ defend academics’ right to freedom of speech?

Almost 30 years after leaving Quebec, and just short of ten years after moving to New Zealand, it’s not often that I get the chance to link the two. Recently, though, the government of my former home province passed an academic freedom bill that shows exactly what Wellington should be doing but isn’t – at least not yet. Read more

Dr James Kierstead
The Australian
12 October, 2022

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