The run up to the election is the silly season; is there any point in taking most of the tax proposals seriously?

Short notes on economic matters which do not make a full column.

The American evidence is that they frequently do not.

Are we too focused on material consumption at the expense of wellbeing?

At the 2026 election, unemployment is likely to be higher and inflation lower than it was in 2023.

Parties who change leader in election year always lose. But does that mean National’s decision to keep Christopher Luxon as leader the right one?

Productivity increases do not always generate increases in profits. We do not know when the economic boom generated by AI will be over, but the overstretched industry is increasingly looking shaky.

Where does the grumpiness threatening the nation’s stability come from?

There is insufficient support for neoliberal economic policies so political parties of the hard right are adopting populist causes.