Monthly Archives: September 1998

Remembering Peter Fraser (Review)

This entry was posted in Political Economy & History on by .

New Zealand Studies, 2, September 1998, p. 26-28. (First presented at New Zealand Book Council seminar on Peter Fraser: Master Politician, 29 July, 1998.)

Keywords: Political Economy & History;

There is an Easton family tradition that when Peter Fraser was a carpenter in Auckland, he stayed with my great-grandfather when he came to Wellington on Red Fed business. Perhaps it is an exaggeration: he might have stayed once, or called in on a visit. The connection seems to have continued, for the tradition claims says that as prime-minister Fraser attended my great-grandfather’s funeral. Fraser was a regular attender of funerals so that is possible too.

Intrigue and Deep Recession: Something Rotten in the State Of the Economy?

This entry was posted in Listener, Macroeconomics & Money on by .

Listener 26 September, 1998.

Keywords: Macroeconomics & Money;

Kenneth Branagh’s uncut version of Hamlet reminded us that while the depressed prince dithered and the court of Elisnore intrigued, Fortinbras of Norway invaded and conquered Denmark. Is there a parallel with the pettiness in our parliament, while the economy goes into what looks to be a deep recession? It had begun its downswing stage of the business cycle by the middle of last year, before the Asian crisis began. So the looming collapse of Asian export markets and commodity prices reinforced what was going to be a difficult time anyway.

Productivity Puzzles

This entry was posted in Growth & Innovation, Labour Studies on by .

Why is Output Per Worker Growing So Slowly?

Listener:12 September, 1998.

Keywords: Growth & Innovation; Labour Studies;

A scientist puzzles most when a prediction fails. The generally poor performance of the New Zealand economy since 1985 (inflation excepted), was expected given the overvalued exchange rate as a part of the disinflation strategy. However the poor productivity performance was a surprise. By a careful selection of period or industry, or relying on anecdotes, it is possible to claim the growth of output per worker has been high. But a comprehensive review shows that productivity growth appears to have slowed down since the reforms, despite the pro-reformers promises that it would accelerate. Even those who might have expected the reforms to fail must be perplexed.

Trying to Understand Dr Sutch

This entry was posted in History of Ideas, Methodology, Philosophy, Political Economy & History on by .

Revised Version of the paper in the Stout Research Centre Seminar Series, Wednesday 2 September 1998.

Keywords History of Ideas, Methodology & Philosophy; Political Economy & History

William Ball Sutch, publicly known as “Dr Sutch” and privately as “Bill”, could be remembered as one of a handful of public servants who shaped economic and social policy between the 1930s and the 1960s, to become the father of the export diversification of the 1970s; he should be remembered for his contribution to the early years of the United Nations, especially in the creation of an independent international public service, and the continuation of UNICEF; he will be remembered for being tried and acquitted under the Official Secrets Act; he must be remembered as an intellectual who set down a distinctive and influential vision of New Zealand’s economic and social development.