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This year may not turn out to be a historic year for Europe but one thing is certain: it will be a year full of historical commemorations. All in one, 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain, the 75th anniversary of the Second World War, the centenary of the First World War – and the 5th year of the euro crisis. Read more

The problem with Christmas gift giving is that it can be terribly uneconomic, with significant deadweight losses involved. Apart from the strained smiles and “thank you, this is exactly what I wanted!” exclamations upon receiving one’s 10th pair of socks, deadweight loss occurs when the recipient does not value their gift as much as the giver pays for it. Read more

Healthy competition is a key driver of efficiency gains. It forces businesses to focus on meeting customer needs better than anyone else. Read more

Measuring the extent to which corruption prevails worldwide is notoriously difficult. However, it is certainly not difficult to understand why corruption can have a hugely detrimental effect on a country’s economic integrity. Read more

I have been spending this week in Hong Kong as a guest of the Hong Kong government. To be frank, when I received the invitation to visit the Special Administrative Region (that is the name and status after it was handed back from Britain to China in 1997), I was not quite sure why they have such a programme for international visitors (mainly politicians and business people), let alone why I would be chosen to participate in it. Read more

The Parliamentary Health Committee’s major recommendations from its ‘Inquiry into improving child health outcomes and preventing child abuse’ has been applauded for its evidence-based research. However, its recommendations still need some further consideration. Read more

As someone who enjoys the fruits of New Zealand’s cinematic output, it might seem hypocritical to argue against Graeme Tuckett when he suggests we need to lift rebates on overseas film productions. In a Dominion Post editorial, he argues our film industry is struggling to compete with some countries because they offer a rebate of 25 per cent on every dollar spent, while we only offer 15 per cent. Read more

Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully announced that a further $2.975 million would be provided to the Filipino government in the aftermath of the devastatingly destructive Typhoon Haiyan. The additional funding will take New Zealand’s total contribution to the cause to more than $5 million. Read more

The biggest surprise announcement out of Labour’s conference last weekend was the proposal to establish KiwiAssure, a new state-owned insurance company. Speaking to his party’s delegates, opposition leader David Cunliffe argued KiwiAssure would inject more competition into the insurance market. Read more

In his book, The Great Degeneration, Niall Ferguson describes how the West’s six ‘killer applications’ (competition, science, property rights, medicine, consumerism, and work ethic) are on the decline. "Our democracies have broken the contract between the generations by heaping IOUs on our children and grandchildren. Read more