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The Zero Carbon Act
On 8th of November 2016 the World Meteorological Organization first demonstrated that global temperatures surpassed 1°C above earth’s pre-industrial average for an entire year. Believer in climate...
View ArticleThe Future of New Zealand Capitalism?
‘Far too many New Zealanders have come to view today’s capitalism, not as their friend, but as their foe. And they are not all wrong. That is why we believe that capitalism must regain its responsible...
View ArticleThe challenges ahead for the new government
As the 2017 general election graphically illustrated New Zealand society has reached a turning point in its economic, social and political development. Throughout the election campaign the voting...
View ArticleThe Economic Rationale of Free Trade Agreements
On the face of it, the lack of enthusiastic consensus for mega-regional free trade agreements, such as the TPP, is surprising. Trade obviously brings benefits, and more trade should bring more...
View ArticleDividing Relationship Property – Time for Change?
The Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (PRA) tells couples how to divide their property when they separate or if one partner dies. It affects almost every New Zealander over their lifetime. When it...
View ArticleAn unlikely political football
Economist Alan Maynard coined the term ‘redisorganisation’ for constant restructurings in the British health system; in New Zealand, the public sector gets restructured so often it has been described...
View ArticleRethinking the teaching of economics
In the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, some students of economics in countries as diverse as Chile, the UK and the US asked why the curriculum they were studying at University did not deal with...
View ArticleChanging climate, changing minds
New Zealand’s new government – and especially Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – takes climate change very seriously. But the long-term success of this government’s climate policies will still require a...
View ArticleNew Zealand media ownership: History and obfuscation
This year’s New Zealand Media Ownership report written by Merja Myllylahti and published by the Journalism, Media and Democracy research centre (JMAD) recounts how two attempted mergers failed. The Sky...
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Immigration reform spotlight: Fairness, economic development, and the Working...
Historically high net migration to New Zealand — which reached over 70,000 annual arrivals in 2017 — has spurred many social and political concerns, including about how the country’s already-strained...
View ArticleRebooting biculturalism in Aotearoa-New Zealand
The idea of biculturalism gets a lot of airtime in Aotearoa-New Zealand, but it hardly seems popular. Some argue biculturalism should be replaced by multiculturalism, as a more accurate reflection of...
View ArticleWho owns the wai?
Our political parties emphatically disagree on who owns freshwater in New Zealand. The National Party maintain no one owns the water. The Labour and New Zealand First parties say everyone owns it. The...
View ArticleSaving local democracy: An agenda for the new government
Local government is inhibited and enabled by central government legislation, policies, and relationships. As such, the election of a new (central) government is a good time to review policy settings...
View ArticleFood for Thought – Free of charge school lunches
Few would disagree with the contention that all children deserve healthy, nutritious meals before, during, and after their school days, yet there is plenty of evidence showing how food insecurity and...
View ArticleFrom Universal Basic Income to Public Equity Dividends
In 1991 I wrote advocating ‘a universal tax credit available to every adult – the Universal Basic Income (UBI) – and a moderately high flat tax rate’. In 1996 I started to develop these ideas into a...
View ArticleDesign for well-being
The issue It is widely accepted that prevention is more cost efficient than treatment of disease, crime, and climate change. Recent increased urbanisation and urban densification, coupled with...
View ArticleWhere modern macroeconomics is going wrong
There is a slowly but steadily accumulating body of criticism of the dominant economic paradigm which constitutes today’s conventional wisdom. A recent Oxford Review of Economic Policy devoted an...
View ArticleWhat is the new Crown-Māori Relations portfolio?
Not sure what the new Crown-Māori Relations portfolio is all about? Don’t worry – neither is the Minister. This may well be a good thing. Kelvin Davis has pledged to listen rather than charging ahead...
View ArticleWar remembrance: Acting out or working through?
The way we go about remembering the past matters. Trump’s pledge to “Make America Great Again,” and the pro-Brexit visions of Imperial Britain are urgent reminders that our narratives about the past...
View ArticleIs the government Austerian?
The neologism ‘Austerian’ is a portmanteau of ‘austerity’ and ‘Austrian’ (School of Economics). It became extensively used after the Global Financial Crisis. It describes the policies of those...
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