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I begin this talk with a now standard disclaimer: I know comparatively little about the New Zealand political setting, so I shall step back from the detail of specific institutions to consider the general question of how best to design voting systems. The basic principles can then be applied to various issues concerning New Zealand's mixed member proportional (MMP) electoral system. The first point is a note of caution: voting systems within modern democratic politics are highly imperfect arrangements, even when operating at their best. Read more

Being ignorant of New Zealand's local circumstances, I am uncertain what I can offer to another country on topics such as the law and economics of resource management. What I hope to bring is a general theory that applies independently of local concerns. Read more

The kind introductory remarks of Mr Judd provide a valuable framework for my topic. And his invocation of Frederic Bastiat offers an instructive, if unintended, way to frame this lecture. Read more

It was only with some trepidation that I accepted your invitation to speak about the Treaty of Waitangi and the rights of indigenous people, a most controversial subject in New Zealand. At one level, the debates here replicate those that are occurring elsewhere in the world. Read more

The Paper favours greater regulation of takeovers and insider trading and greater coordination, if not amalgamations, of regulatory institutions and regimes. It asks for comments on these proposals and provides 11 specific questions to guide respondents. Read more

The NZBR has taken a close interest in Commerce Act issues because of the pervasive influence of the Act on commercial decision making in New Zealand. Read more

Norman Barry defends the morality of Anglo-American business, a form of which is practised in New Zealand, against critics who argue that market morality has to be imposed from outside. He claims that proposals to impose wider forms of ‘social responsibility’ on firms would be bad for business and, therefore, for society. Read more

The case for stadium and event subsidies is a weak one. The economic arguments in favour of such subsidies do not succeed. Read more

It is vital that Infrastructure Auckland establishes a valid and consistent view of its role and function that conforms fully with its governing legislation. We consider that in the Plan Infrastructure Auckland has not adequately distinguished its responsibilities and activities from those of other agencies and it has given insufficient attention to its statutory obligation to fund public (not private) good activities. Read more

The Regional Land Transport Committee (the Committee) is responsible for preparing the Strategy. The Committee is chaired by a Wellington Regional Council (WRC) councillor and includes the representatives of 17 organisations. Read more