Author Archives: Brian Easton

Europe Moves East: We Need to Change Our Perspective on Europe.

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

Listener: 16 July, 2005.

Keywords: Political Economy & History;

New Zealanders largely see Europe from the Atlantic offshore. Few – myself included, until the German Government and the Goethe-Institut enabled me to spend two weeks in Germany last month – would know about the “Battle of the Nations”. In 1813, Austria, Prussia, Russia and Sweden decisively defeated Napoleon’s army, just outside Leipzig – the monument is pure megalomania. Because Britain was not involved, it hardly registers to us. Yet, with the end of the Cold War, the centre of Europe is moving east, evident in the reconstruction of Berlin as its transport hub.

In Praise Of Fiscal Sustainability

This entry was posted in Regulation & Taxation on by .

Tuesday Lecture Series, ‘THE STATE OF THE NATION: Issues for the 2005 Election’, St Andrew’s Trust for the Study of Religion and Society. 12 July 2005.

Later articles on the 2005 Election Tax Debate

Keywords: Regulation & Taxation;

A central election issue is whether promised substantial income tax cuts are affordable – fiscally sustainable? ‘Fiscal’ refers to government revenue and spending and the difference between them – the fiscal deficit. ‘Sustainable’ refers to a fiscal stance which does not get out of control and which does not damage the economy. The answer is ‘yes’, income tax can be affordable but only if there are major cuts in government spending to offset the loss of tax revenue. There is no room for unilateral tax cuts funded by borrowing.

Non & Nee for the European Constitution

This entry was posted in Globalisation & Trade, Listener, Political Economy & History on by .

But it’s still Ja for the European Project.

Listener: 2 July, 2005.

Keywords: Globalisation & Trade; Political Economy & History;

When New Zealand voted on MMP in 1993, many people said they voted “yes” because the Business Roundtable told them “no”. Whatever their logic, the example illustrates that voters do not necessarily vote on the precise referendum question before them.

The Economics Of Globalisation: an Introduction

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

Paper for the 2005 Conference of the New Zealand Association of Economists, June 29-July 1: Christchurch.

Keywords: Globalisation & Trade; Growth & Innovation;

Introduction

The Royal Society of New Zealand has awarded me a grant from the Marsden Fund to study globalisation. The study is a continuation of my earlier research program, especially that which is summarised in my book In Stormy Seas with its central message that the fate of New Zealand will be largely a consequence of what happens overseas, together with our ability to seize the opportunities and manage the problems those events create.

Some Nationbuilding Economists

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

Paper to The History of New Zealand Economics Session at the June 2005 conference of the New Zealand Economist’s Association.

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

In the course of describing the evolution of the New Zealand political economy between 1932 and 1984, my book, The Nationbuilders, highlighted four economists: Bernard Ashwin, Bill Sutch, Bryan Philpott and Henry Lang. This paper looks at those economists from the earlier phase of the period, thereby leaving Philpott and Lang and others for a later assessment. By focussing on the period in which economics first became important in the New Zealand policy process, it adds to the first two a number of other economists: particularly Horace Belshaw, Dick Campbell, Douglas Copland, and James Hight.

Developing International Guidelines for Estimating Avoidable Costs

This entry was posted in Health on by .

By David Collins and Helen Lapsley: Remarks on the Draft

Workshop on Guidelines for Estimating the Avoidable Costs of Substance Use and Abuse, sponsored by Health Canada, June 22-23, 2005, Ottawa.

Keywords: Health;

Thankyou for the invitation to attend what is proving to be a very interesting seminar in, if I may so, a pleasing and attractive city. As one would expect, David Collins and Helen Lapsley have contributed a valuable paper, albeit as they insist, a preliminary draft.

Amorous or Amiable?

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

Transtasman banking regulation is a pressure point in our relations with Australia.

Listener: 18 June, 2005

Keywords: Macroeconomics & Money;

More than other overseas investors, banks can quickly withdraw their key assets. The foreign owner of a factory, farm, forest or beach-house can go off in a huff, but the physical entity remains. Financial assets are much more mobile.

Does GDP at Purchasing Power Parity Prices Measure Production?

This entry was posted in Statistics on by .

Paper presented to OECD, 10 June, 2005

Keywords: Statistics;

GDP valued at purchasing power parity prices is widely treated as a measure of production, even though it is calculated on the expenditure side of the national accounts. This paper shows that GDP and GDE (or GDI)are not generally equal (although they are if they are measured in transaction prices). It suggests that we should relabel the measure as GDI at purchasing power parity prices which is actually being what is measured or, better still, measure GNI.

Economic Report: Why Is the Economy Not Growing Faster?

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

Listener: 4 June, 2004.

Keywords: Growth & Innovation;

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Economic Development and the Treasury jointly published Economic Development Indicators 2005, with the intention to provide a basis for a public conversation about economic performance. It is part of the process by which the government is monitoring its performance closely, and reporting its findings to the public.

The Caring Tax: Why Do We Rate Minding Sheep Ahead Of Raising Children?

This entry was posted in Listener, Social Policy on by .

Listener: 21 May, 2005.

Keywords: Regulation & Taxation; Social Policy;

There is no consensus as to whether mothers should or should not go out to paid work and put their young children into childcare. The research says that it depends on family circumstances and the availability of care, together with the culture of the society. The policy conclusion must be that we should leave the decision to the primary carer and her or his family. But if we pursue a strategy of such neutrality, we should ensure that other aspects of public policy do not bias the family decision.

Should We Rename the Marsden Fund?

This entry was posted in Miscellaneous on by .

Revised version of a letter to Royal Society Alert 374, 20 May, 2005

Keywords: Miscellaneous;

I am a fortunate recipient of a grant from the Marsden Fund, administered by the RSNZ, fortunate because there are so many deserving researching who are missing out because of the limited funds. My good fortune has led me to recognise a problem with the Fund’s name.

Globalisation and the Public Health

This entry was posted in Globalisation & Trade, Health on by .

For Annual Conference of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 10 May 2005.

Keywords: Globalisation & Trade; Health;

Introduction

The Royal Society of New Zealand has awarded me a grant from the Marsden Fund to study globalisation. The ultimate output will be a book. Today I want to set out the economists’ framework for thinking about globalisation, and to use it to consider the problem of alcohol control and the interaction between countries.

Taxing Spending: Should We Think About Introducing a Progressive Expenditure Tax

This entry was posted in Listener, Regulation & Taxation, Retirement & Savings on by .

Listener: 7 May, 2005.

Keywords: Regulation & Taxation;

I have long been intrigued by Nicholas Kaldor’s proposal for an Expenditure Tax. Instead of taxing income: what one puts into the economy, why not tax expenditure: what one takes out? Should not those on the same income who can live more frugally pay less tax than the profligate? (Can I hear you saying, “Easton, you are a puritan”? I plead guilty, but am also attracted for environmental reasons.) As Kaldor points out, advocates for such a tax have included Thomas Hobbes, John Stuart Mill, Alfred Marshall and Irving Fisher, which shows that supporting it is not a matter of being politically left or right.

Globalisation and Little Old Nelson

This entry was posted in Globalisation & Trade on by .

“Spirited Conversations”, Nelson, April 27.

Keywords: Globalisation & Trade;

Introduction

The Royal Society of New Zealand has awarded me a grant from the Marsden Fund to study globalisation. What I am going to do this evening is set down the framework economists use when we study that globalisation.

Fiscal Management

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

Finance Minister Michael Cullen faces the political reality of election year

Listener: 23 April, 2005.

Keywords: Macroeconomics & Money;

How to slow an economy that is pressing on its capacity to produce? A couple of decades ago, the government might have imposed a credit squeeze, reducing private investment. Additionally, it would have tightened restrictions of consumer credit (especially hire-purchase), raised taxes to reduce household consumption (but not in election year), reduced government current spending and told government agencies to defer their investment plans. Today, it appears to rely only on the Reserve Bank to squeeze credit by raising interest rates.

The Gains from Reducing Waiting Times

This entry was posted in Health on by .

Paper to the Wellington Health Economist’s Group, 21 April 2005.

Keywords: Health;

Introduction

This paper demonstrates that there can be substantial health benefits – as valued by economists – from reducing waiting times, far more than from the single earlier treatment necessary to get the reduction underway. For while the individual benefits from the treatment, all those that follow her or him also benefit from earlier treatment even though no additional resources are necessary.

Bums on Seats

This entry was posted in Education, Listener on by .

In some tertiary education it has been “Never mind the quality: feel the width”.

Listener: 9 April, 2005.

Keywords: Education;

Third party funding occurs when neither producer nor consumer pays for the economic trans-action, but some outsider does. This opens up the possibility that the two beneficiaries from the funding will thwart the funder’s purposes. So funders typically impose additional rules, to ensure their money is spent as intended.

Energy Plan: What Will Happen After Oil Production Peaks?

This entry was posted in Environment & Resources, Listener on by .

Listener: 26 March, 2005

Keywords: Environment & Resources;

One day the world’s total oil production will peak, and decline thereafter. Some experts think that it will be this year or next, others predict that the peak is decades off. In 1979, British Petroleum experts predicted that it would happen in 1985. Forecasting the date involves a complicated assessment of future oil demands, production possibilities and costs of depleting fields, the discovery of new fields, and the extent to which alternative fuels will substitute.

But one day – probably in our lifetime – the world’s total oil production is going to peak.

Marsden Project Pvt 301: New Zealand in a Globalising World (march 2005 Report)

This entry was posted in Globalisation & Trade on by .

The Royal Society of New Zealand which made a grant to pursue this work, requires an annual report of work in progress. It was submitted in March 2005. This is an edited version.

Keywords: Globalisation & Trade;

Summary

The Marsden Fund of the Royal Society of New Zealand made a grant to fund three years research (at 60 percent of the time) to research and write a book on the topic of globalisation as it affects New Zealand. The grant began in November 2003. This report is written towards the end of March 2005.