Sloppy analysis is dividing us into the deserving and undeserving Pundit: 3 November, 2014. Keywords: Distributional Economics; Social Policy; Being no expert on domestic violence, I looked at the Glenn inquiry’s The People’s Report to see what it had to say about causes. I had expected a summary of the research literature…
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Thomas Piketty says economic inequality has been getting greater in the world, and will get greater. What about New Zealand? Pundit: 28 October, 2014 Keywords: Distributional Economics; History of Ideas, Methodology & Philosophy; Paul Krugman has said “Thomas Piketty has transformed our economic discourse; we’ll never talk about wealth and inequality the…
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Health Promotion Hui: Cancer Society of New Zealand, 23 October, 2014 Keywords: Health; I have been asked to talk about how economic evaluation is used to determine the social costs of diseases and other health conditions. I could give a learned and technical lecture on the topic, but it strikes me that even…
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The EU approach in trade deals is likely to protect the right of states to make public policy Pundit: 19 October, 2014. Keywords: Business & Finance; Globalisation & Trade; How can foreign investors in New Zealand be sure that we will treat them fairly? If they are not sure perhaps they…
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The election demonstrated deep divisions. Will the next three years make them worse or help heal the rift? And where will the pressure points be? Pundit: 13 October, 2014. Keywords: Political Economy & History; Will we see New Zealanders marching in the streets during the next three years? I don’t mean protests in which the…
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If National can adapt to change, why can’t Labour? Pundit: 7 October, 2014 Keywords: Political Economy & History; Once upon a time National was a party dominated by farmers and their rural base. Its first townie leader, Sid Holland, had to have a farm bought for him in the 1940s, to maintain…
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One of the biggest issues missed during the election campaign was the sustainability of National’s economic, environmental and even social policies. So what do you do if the government’s not thinking long-term? Pundit: 29 September, 2014. Keywords: Environment & Resources; Macroeconomics & Money; Political Economy & History; Social Policy; Behavioural economics is…
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If voters can see the commonality between Labour and the Greens, why can’t political analysts? Pundit: 22 September, 2014 Keywords: Political Economy & History; Most political analysis in New Zealand seems trapped in the two-party winner-takes-all world, or perhaps they are numerically challenged by the number which comes after two. Whichever,…
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A softening of the housing market, falling dairy prices and potential weakening of the Chinese economy do not bode well for New Zealand Pundit: 22 September, 2014 Keywords: Macroeconomics & Money; There were knowing smiles among economists when earlier this year John Key set the election date a couple of months early….
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On the eve of the election, let’s not forget the influence of ‘dollar-voters’ on the outcome Pundit: 10 September, 2014 Keywords: Political Economy & History; A modern society uses two main ways for regulating its public life; politics and the market. In principle the political ideal is ‘one person, one vote’, whereas markets are driven…
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Contribution to Wellington launch, 9 September, 2014. Keywords: Social Policy; This year is the fortieth anniversary of the recognition that by far the largest group of the poor in New Zealand are children and their parents (and guardians). Previously the conventional wisdom had thought it was beneficiaries who were the poor but…
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Research Report Funded by PPTA. Completed in April 2103 and Launched 9 July, 2013. A short summary is at http://www.eastonbh.ac.nz/2013/07/how-good-is-our-schooling/ This column was rejected by The Listener. It was published in Pundit on 8 September, 2014. Keywords: Education; Maori Executive Summary (Conclusion) The average PISA scores on the three dimensions of reading,…
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Notice in the Gilling New Service: 9 September, 2014 Keywords: Miscellaneous; Brian Easton will be doing a weekly column on the website Pundit: http://pundit.co.nz/. Usually it will be put up Monday; sometimes Tuesday. His first was this week at http://pundit.co.nz/content/how-good-is-our-schooling-really-0. Brian says, ³the initial reaction when the Listener column was ended…
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Published in Stuff, 2 September, 2014. Keywords: Growth & Innovation; In the two years after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and Poland (among others) detached itself from the Russian Empire, the Polish economy contracted by about a sixth. They call it ‘shock therapy’ but the policies which were pursued – privatisation, market…
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Keywords: Regulation & Taxation; Support from the EU delegation and the German and Polish embassies in New Zealand plus a travel grant from Air New Zealand enabled me to visit Europe on a study tour in June and July 2014. Much of what I learned will appear (first) as columns, the material I…
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Jack Shallcrass died on the 13 August, 2014 at the age of 91. Many years earlier in 1965 – he was 42 and I 21 – he spoke at the University of Curious Cove. His lecture, ‘The Right to Dissent’ greatly influenced my thinking. Its themes of the central role of dissent in a civilised…
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In the economic contest between communist China. and democratic India what matters is people. Listener: 9 August, 2014 Keywords: Growth & Innovation; Political Economy & History; The debate in the 1950s was whether the Chinese economy would do better than the Indian one. Both countries had become independent in the late 1940s,…
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Speech at the launch of the VUP Book, 29 July, 2014. Keywords: Statistics; I want to begin by paying a tribute to Jack Baker who was Government Statistician between 1958 and 1969. I first met him as a lecturer in economics statistics as a part of my second year economics course – yes the Government…
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Conquest was the old way for countries to acquire resources, but trading is much cheaper. Listener: 12 July, 2014. Keywords: Globalisation & Trade; Political Economy & History; Over the next few years, as we think back to the Great War a century ago, we will be reminded of politics and bungling, heroism…
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If New Zealand is heading for a housing market implosion, watch what you borrow. Listener: 24 June, 2014. Keywords: Business & Finance; Macroeconomics & Money; Regulation & Taxation; When commentator Jesse Colombo in business journal Forbes said New Zealand had a housing and credit bubble, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce shot the…
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