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In this Quick Take episode, David Law responds to a joint paper released by Helen Clark Foundation and the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research about the minimum wage. David reveals why raising the rate makes little economic sense at the best of times, and terrible sense during a recession. Read more
Imagine an optimistic and hard-working young couple hoping to raise a family in their own house. Thousands of them are flicking through property listings each weekend. Read more
Wellington, 3 December 2020 - Calls to lift the minimum wage will not fix inequality and could end up hurting the most vulnerable – particularly during a recession, according to a new report by the New Zealand Initiative. The report is a response to a joint paper released last week by the Helen Clark Foundation and the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research which suggested lifting the minimum wage (presently set at $18.90) to a “living wage” of $22.10, among other proposals. Read more
One of the shortest jokes about economics goes like this: Teach a parrot to say supply and demand, and you have created an economist. But there is an even better joke: Teach a parrot to say demand and demand, and you have created a politician. Read more
The holiday season always brings the requisite warnings about the summer road toll. Drive to the conditions, and the faster the speed, the bigger the mess. Read more
All too often, today’s flavour of the month is tomorrow’s failure. This truism appears to be playing out in education. Read more
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
On this Quick Take podcast, Oliver Hartwich explains his open letter to Mike Hosking. The radio host’s position that the government has nothing to do with fixing the housing crisis is unhelpful and misses that governments – over the last decade – are responsible for the skyrocketing prices. Read more
Dear Mike, In a country where people often hold back opinions for fear of offending others, your breakfast show is a refreshing exception. I am a fan of your clarity and boldness (though, sadly, we still haven’t met). Read more
Air compressor tanks come with a maximum pressure rating. The things are built to handle pressure, but only so much. Read more