When academics try and explain millennials
I’m really glad I’m a millennial. If I wasn’t, I’d have a pretty hard time understanding exactly what they’re all about. Read more
12 February, 2016
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A better deal for organ donors
When Cal Tech economist D. Roderick Kiewiet looked hard at the stack of American regulations affecting health and safety, he found a mess. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
14 September, 2015
Some simple maths of organ donation
We this week released Elisabeth Prasad's report running some of the numbers on whether compensating live kidney donors makes sense. She finds that the typical kidney transplant saves the Ministry of Health on net about $125,000 over the longer term: dialysis is expensive. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
4 September, 2015
Organ donors deserve reward
The most important norm in economics was set by economist Vilfredo Pareto about a century ago. Put simply, the Pareto Criterion says that anything making at least one person better off, while making nobody else worse off, is desirable. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
28 August, 2015
Compensation for Live Donors
Improving compensation for live organ donors is a rare opportunity to save and improve lives, whilst also saving the government money over the longer term. Elizabeth Prasad demonstrates that every kidney transplant provides recipients with longer and better lives, while being much cheaper than dialysis. Read more
25 August, 2015
Keeping the government out of my kitchen
For my sins in generally supporting consumer choice in food consumption, and in interests of fostering healthy debate, the Agencies for Nutrition Action invited me to argue with the Morgan Foundation’s Geoff Simmons on the merits of fat taxes and food regulation at his annual conference in Auckland a few weeks ago. The nutritionists put on an excellent conference. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton
26 June, 2015
Non-intrusive paternalism should be treated with extreme caution
Humans often make stupid decisions - contrary to what we’d prefer to believe. Most psychologists would argue we’re not actually all that rational. Read more
22 June, 2015
Money buys social progress
It’s tough for parties in the opposition benches. They have been stripped of a major rod with which to beat National in an election year. Read more
11 April, 2014
New Zealand, you are fat
For professional reasons, Rachel Smalley may have had to quickly retract her unfortunate on-air slip, where she labelled New Zealand women ‘heifers’ and ‘lardos’, but the facts speak for themselves. According to the Ministry of Health, one-in-three adults in New Zealand is obese, with a Body Mass Index reading of 30 or more. Read more
4 April, 2014
A bitter-sweet policy
Individuals should – and in most countries including New Zealand they do – have the right to make their own decisions about their lifestyle, such as which career path to follow, what to wear, and what to eat and drink. A number of lifestyle choices, particularly those regarding diet and exercise, have direct effects on an individual’s physical health. Read more
21 February, 2014