Has the democratic socialist tradition become a conservative force in politics throughout the world?
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Is the Left Being Left Behind?
Economy
Connecting the Nation
At issue is not whether Whangarei becomes Auckland’s main port. It is about the way Auckland connects to Northland and the rest of New Zealand.
Read MoreWe simply declined your application; we didn't cut off your grant.
Creative New Zealand is ceasing to fund “New Zealand Review of Books: Pukapuka Aotearoa”, our most significant platform for serious book reviewing.
Read MoreThe Capital of Banks
The desire of the Reserve Bank to require trading banks to hold more capital is about potential bank failures and the security of deposits.
Read MoreThe Tragedy of Privatisation
Should business always be run on commercial principles?
Read MoreSecular Stagnation?
Secular Stagnation is the notion that rich world economies are moving into of very low economic growth stage for a long period. What if that were true? (The economists' term ‘secular' means the long term of indefinite duration.)
Read MoreWill They Take Wellingtin?
Is New Zealand destined to suffer the civil unrest of Chile with its youth concerns that things are not going well, that they are not being addressed, and that their future is being severely compromised?
Read MoreAre We Doing Enough for Those on Low Incomes?
The IMF suggests it may be necessary to cut GST; it would be better to cut bottom income taxes.
Read MoreReorganising the Governance of DHBs.
Electing local representatives to the governance boards of our hospitals is ineffective and farcical. We need a system which provides patients with better representation and support.
Read More'Why Don't We Celebrate the Arrival of Tupaia in New Zealand?'
James Cook arrived in New Zealand accompanied by an impressive Tahitian chief and priest. Eurocentrically writing Tupaia out of our history distorts it and loses valuable lessons.
Read MoreBehind the Census
Data from the newly released augmented 2018 Population Census seems to be OK in quality terms. But there are some irritating gaps – and perhaps deeper problems..
Read MoreIn Praise of Dictators – Those Under the Control of Representative Democracy.
A British Lord Chancellor, Lord Hailsham, described parliamentary democracy as an ‘elected dictatorship’. Recent events illustrate how right he was.
Read MoreWhat Happened to Egalitarian New Zealand?
New Zealand is a less egalitarian society today than it was when I was growing up in the 1950s.
Read MorePrivate Affluence and Public Squalor?
What does National’s just-released economic manifesto tell us about the state of economic discussion in New Zealand and where the economy might go?
Read MoreReviewing Truth and the Treachery of Truthiness
Is it a coincidence that the Spring 2019 issue of The New Zealand Review of Books reviewed five books concerned about truth in its many guises?
Read MoreScoring the Accountants
Elements of our Public Finance Act are world class, as a recent conference reported. But other parts need to be overhauled.
Read MoreMuddling Over Methane
New Zealand has got itself into a right proper muddle over methane emissions and their impact on climate change. A simple change to the proposed legislation would sort it out.
The proposed Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill treats biogenic methane emissions differently from all other carbon emissions. The latter are to be measured net so that emissions from fossil fuels can be offset by carbon stored in trees. However, methane from livestock is measured gross.
Read MoreHow Important Is Local Knowledge?
Many foreign appointments to leading public agencies have proved disappointing. Is that inevitable?
The discussion on the quality of economic advice, which we reported last week, has spilled over into a discussion about whether so many senior appointments should be of non-New Zealanders. Recall I discussed the failure to develop career paths within the New Zealand public service.
Read MoreDoubts and Hopes About The Treasury
The kerfuffle over the budget leaks precipitated a public exposure of a simmering concern about the quality of Treasury’s work.
Before the substantive issue which this column is about – whether there has been a deterioration in the economic advice given to the government – a paragraph about the budget leaks.
Read MoreInequality and Mental Health
It may be that higher levels of inequality have increased the incidence of poor mental wellbeing in the community. A recent book suggests a causal mechanism from one to the other.
International research shows that there is a socioeconomic status (or class) gradient, in which those with low SES experience higher morbidity from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, ulcers, rheumatoid disorders, a number of cancers, psychiatric diseases, dementia and so on.
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