italy and eu flags

The fiscal mess provoking fears of an Italian exit

When the Covid-19 crisis first struck Italy earlier this year, this column warned it might set off a chain of events that would wreck the Mediterranean country’s economy. On 10 March (A catastrophe that will cripple Italy), I pointed out that Italy would experience an economic collapse as public debt soared past 150 percent of GDP. Read more

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Newsroom
1 December, 2020
Megaphone v4

Freely Speaking #4: Why is NZ’s housing market so messed up?

In this episode of the Initiative’s Freely Speaking podcast, Matt Burgess, Eric Crampton and Oliver Hartwich trade hypotheses on why the New Zealand housing market is so broken with a few comparisons in Europe and how a change of incentives for local councils might be a big part of the solution. 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

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Dr Eric Crampton
Podcast
27 November, 2020
German electric tank

Military theatre

These days, even the German army cannot afford to neglect its green credentials. Pity if that’s the only thing it is good at. Read more

Insights Newsletter
27 November, 2020
Shelley Bay Wellington

This is why housing is expensive

Last Sunday, Wellington mayor Andy Foster joined a protest at a housing development at Shelly Bay. Wearing suit and tie, he pitched tents to support the occupation but then later told media he thought it was merely a “community gathering.” Regardless, Foster’s attendance at the protest was inescapably seen as going against his own council, which days earlier voted to support the $500 million project. Read more

Insights Newsletter
27 November, 2020
Mic v6

Quick take: A bit of déjà vu with the RBNZ’s interventions?

In this Quick Take episode, Bryce Wilkinson questions the wisdom behind many of the Reserve Bank’s latest interventionist moves and worries New Zealand could be repeating mistakes of the past. 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

Dr Bryce Wilkinson ONZM
Podcast
24 November, 2020
Mic v5

Quick take: Why the ETS is a great tool for fixing climate change

In this Quick Take episode, Matt Burgess explains why the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a simple and effective way to reduce carbon emissions overtime at the least cost. The ETS, which New Zealand has implemented, means no other climate policies are needed, so why does the Government continue to introduce them? Read more

Podcast
24 November, 2020

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