The aim of a decent liberal Russia is still there; its achievement is likely to be a long way off.
Read MoreGorbachev’s Legacy
Economy
Is Social Investment Analysis a Good Idea?
We should try to to evaluate our social policies systematically. But big data has limitations.
Read MorePaying the Cost of Brexit.
Why is the British Economy in Greater Trouble Than Most Others?
Read MoreHow Financial Institutions Fail
What to do when they do.
Read MoreThe Rise of the Market Economy
Economic history alerts us to long term trends, so that we are not trapped into thinking today’s circumstances will be forever.
Read MoreHow Should We Run the Public Health System?
Two-and-a-half years on, the Government’s merged mega-polytechnic, the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology – Te Pūkenga, is facing a deficit which is double the planned one. Will Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) be facing similar troubles in December 2024?
Read MoreFighting Past Inflation Battles
Too many commentators on current price pressures have not understood that this time it is very different from the 1970s. Their prescriptions may accelerate inflation.
Read MoreTurmoil in the National Caucus
Andrea Vance’s ‘Blue Blood: The Inside Story of the National Party in Crisis’ provides broader insights about how Parliament works than just National’s troubles.
Read MoreTrade Deals Are a-Changin'
Are We Keeping Up With the Changing Global Trade Patterns?
Read MoreThe relevance of Piketty’s 'A Brief History of Equality' to New Zealand.
The ongoing decline in market income inequality stopped in the 1980s. Since then it has been stable, while 1990 public policy actively increased disposable income inequality.
Read MoreAre We Facing Secular Stagnation?
We cannot be sure, but the answer matters even in the short term.
Read MoreHow Rationally do Economic Actors Behave?
Behavioural economics challenges our assumptions about the relevance of rational economic man.
Read MoreSHOCK! HORROR! The New Zealand Economy is in Recession!!!!! Or are we?
The takeaways from the just released data are:
1. Any estimate of GDP is subject to error.
2. The 0.2 percent decrease in the March 2022 quarter is not precise and will be revised, with the mild likelihood that it will eventually be higher.
3. New Zealand has no ‘official' definition of a recession.
4. The New Zealand economy seems to be stagnating. Whether we are in a recession (or going into one) or it is something more structural we cannot yet tell.
Read MoreWhat is the Medium-Term Future for the New Zealand Economy?
The outlook does not look that promising.
Read MoreWill We Be Thinking Big Again Soon?
Perhaps we are reaching the stage of the 1870s, the 1930s and the 1970s of growing unease about the state of the New Zealand economy. It is not stagnating, but it is not obviously going anywhere either. Will we have another ‘Think Big’ and if so, what will be the balance between the private and public involvement?
Read MoreAre Shareholders Or Managers in Charge of A Firm?
‘Dark Towers’, a book on Deutsche Bank, throws light on a long running economic dispute.
Read MoreWhere is the Economy Going?
Budget 2022: What does Treasury think is happening to the economy whose evolution underpins the budget policies?
Read MoreImproving Taxing Income
The informed discussion on the next steps in tax policy is about improving the income tax base, not about taxing wealth directly.
Read MoreNew Rules for Government Budget Management
While the new fiscal rules may not be contentious, what they mean for macroeconomic management is not explained.
Read MoreDo We Have a Population Policy?
Population growth has some effect on economic growth, but it is complicated especially where infrastructure is involved. We need to think more about it.
Read More