These are notes prepared as a background for a ‘Pundit’ interview on RNZ Nights with Bryan Crump on 23 January, 2018.
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Contingency and Jim (1938-2018)
A review of some critical decisions in Jim Anderton’s life reminds us of just how contingent politics can be.
Read MoreIs Jacinda a Marxist?
The editor-in-chief of The Lancet said she is
Read MoreCelebrating New Zealand’s Independent Republics.
How big does a country have to be?
Read MoreThe Fallacy of the Uninformed Celebrity Opinion
Too much of our public discussion is led by those who are have strong opinions based on prejudice and ignorance rather than thorough research and understanding
Read MoreWhat is New with the HYEFU?
December’s Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) was combined with the Government’s plans for its first 100 days.
Read MoreA snaking line of humanity that NZ can be proud of
What kind of New Zealand might we see in 20 years? Well I saw a snaking line recently and rather than having a nightmarish premonition, I was filled with hope
Read MoreMike Hosking: You do the crime, you do the time
So Mike Hosking has stuck his lower lip out over the BSA ruling against him. But his column attacking the standards body has wider ramifications than just him and his mistake
Read MoreSocial Investment is Fashionable at the Moment.
But do we have the foggiest idea of what it means or how to do it well?
Read MoreIs Another Global Fiscal Crisis Imminent?
So claims Niall Ferguson, professor of history at Harvard.
(These are notes prepared for a Radio New Zealand ‘Nights’ Pundits conversation with Bryan Crump. Tuesday 12 December 2017.)
Read MoreWhat is Central Banking Really About?
The retirement of the Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand leads to a reflection on what has been really going on.
Read MoreTrade Deals are about Winners AND Losers
Comparative advantage is rarely important in modern trade deals, such as TPP11 (CPTPP). Why bother?
Read MoreFree speech matters, in any language
An ODT column on the use of te reo in the media has put a lot of noses out of joint. Offensive as it is to some, let's learn from recent history and figure out how to discuss intolerance rather than simply yelling back
Read MoreRemembering Holodomor; The Great Ukrainian Famine
The connection between famines and democracy may not be obvious. but each sheds light upon the other.
Read MoreHow far right is New Zealand?
I prepared this for a US audience; hence its more American perspective. But it may also inform New Zealanders about their politics and about MMP politics.
Read MoreReducing Child Poverty
Despite many attempts, we have been remarkably ineffective at reducing child poverty. Can we expect the current government to do better?
Read MoreHow to Have More Coherent and Directed Child Policy and Support Services.
The new government may talk about paying greater attention to children, but it needs to change the advice and delivery institutions to achieve its goal.
Read MoreHow Have We Changed?
Rogernomics wanted to change us culturally. Has it succeeded?
Read MoreWhither Coalition Government?
Coalition governments are a consequence of MMP. They may better reflect us and our democratic aspirations than the Winner-Takes-All ones of the past.
Read MorePast Rationality: The 2017 Nobel Award for Economics
Paul Krugman, the 2008 winner, tweeted ‘Yes! Behavorial econ is the best thing to happen to the field in generations, and [Richard] Thaler showed the way.'
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