The NZ version of the deep state appears to be the NZ Public Health Service. They regards themselves as having a divine right to opine on every issue of the day from capitalism to building design. They have been allowed to do this for far too long, and it is great to see the Minister […]
Exposing the out of control deep state in NZ
Exposing the out of control deep state in NZ
26 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of education, economics of regulation, environmental economics, health economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: housing affordability, land supply, nanny state, political correctness, regressive left, zoning
Stop waiting for a foreign hero: NZ’s supermarket sector needs competition from within
21 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: competition law
Lisa M. Katerina Asher, Catherine Sutton-Brad and Drew Franklin write – New Zealand’s concentrated supermarket sector is back in the spotlight after Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she was open to offering “VIP treatment” to a third international player willing to create competition. However, New Zealanders hoping for a foreign hero to break up the […]
Stop waiting for a foreign hero: NZ’s supermarket sector needs competition from within
EPA questions 31 major energy regulations
17 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights, Public Choice Tags: 2024 presidential election
What is certain is that 31 big fights lie ahead making this EPA combined action a truly breathtaking event. Stay tuned to CFACT as this supreme battle unfolds.
EPA questions 31 major energy regulations
SEC Climate Risk Rule is Entrapment
11 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of climate change, economics of regulation, environmental economics, environmentalism, financial economics, global warming, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: climate activists, efficient markets hypothesis
Stone Washington and William Happer explain the nefarious and ill-advised decree in their article SEC’s Climate Risk Disclosure Rule Would Compel Companies to Make Scientifically False and Misleading Disclosures. Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images. In March last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued its climate risk disclosure rule, called “The […]
SEC Climate Risk Rule is Entrapment
Driving a Stake Through Stakeholder Capitalism
07 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, entrepreneurship, environmental economics, environmentalism, financial economics, global warming, politics - USA Tags: climate activists, greenwashing, regressive left
E, S, G does not cover core financial risks. We’re looking to assess financially-relevant environmental, social and governance factors, not financially-relevant financial factors.” Got that? Yup. It’s total hogwash.
Driving a Stake Through Stakeholder Capitalism
Climate Crusade Is a Dead End
06 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in econometerics, economic history, economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: climate activists, climate alarmism
This post presents the main points and exhibits from Professor de Lange’s presentation February 26, 2025. Most images are self explanatory, with some excerpts in italics lightly edited from captions, and some added images as well. H/T Bud Bromley. Prof. de Lange demonstrates that there is no credible climate crisis, and that there is much […]
Climate Crusade Is a Dead End
Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism
05 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, budget deficits, economic growth, economics of bureaucracy, economics of natural disasters, economics of regulation, health economics, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, unemployment Tags: economics of pandemics
That’s the title of a 2024 book by a couple of Australian academic economists, Steven Hamilton (based in US) and Richard Holden (a professor at the University of New South Wales). The subtitle of the book is “How we crushed the curve but lost the race”. It is easy to get off on the wrong […]
Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism
Reuters: The Renewable Energy Transition has Failed
04 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: solar power, wind power
“… The failure of net zero shows that the best governments can do is to encourage the search for viable new sources of energy. …”
Reuters: The Renewable Energy Transition has Failed
15 years of US research on the minimum wage elasticity of employment
04 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, economic history, economics of regulation, labour economics, labour supply, minimum wage, poverty and inequality
It’s time to pick up my recent thread of posts on the minimum wage (most recently in this post). I want to return for a moment to more conventional research on the minimum wage, specifically looking at the effects of higher minimum wages on employment. The majority of minimum wage research has focused on estimating…
15 years of US research on the minimum wage elasticity of employment
The 2023 Merger Guidelines Will Remain: What Does That Mean?
03 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, industrial organisation, politics - USA, survivor principle Tags: 2024 presidential election, competition law, merger law enforcement
Under current law, any US companies considering a merger or acquisition that is above $125 million in size must first report it to the government. The most recent data for 2023 says that 1,805 such transactions were reported in 2023, which was a relatively low number for recent years. In 2021 and 2022, for example,…
The 2023 Merger Guidelines Will Remain: What Does That Mean?
The cost of Reserve Bank regulation
02 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, business cycles, economics of bureaucracy, economics of natural disasters, economics of regulation, inflation targeting, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: monetary policy
Roger Partridge writes: A new submission to the Committee from banking experts Andrew Body and Simon Jensen provides fresh evidence of these costs. Their analysis shows the Reserve Bank’s capital rules add between 0.25 and 0.375 percentage points to mortgage rates compared with Australia. For a million-dollar mortgage, that means between $2,500 and $3,750 in […]
The cost of Reserve Bank regulation
DON BRASH: From the internet to medicines, nothing in New Zealand is safe from Treaty mania
01 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, labour economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, occupational regulation, politics - New Zealand Tags: affirmative action, free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
The following is written in Don’s capacity as Hobson’s Pledge trustee. You may not have heard of InternetNZ or know exactly what they…
DON BRASH: From the internet to medicines, nothing in New Zealand is safe from Treaty mania
Climate Change Committee Demands Government Impose Radical Lifestyle Changes on UK
28 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, liberalism, Marxist economics Tags: British politics, climate activists, climate alarmism
The Climate Change Committee, the UK’s official Net Zero advisory body, has told the Government that to hit Net Zero it must impose radical lifestyle changes on the UK population. The Mail has more.
Climate Change Committee Demands Government Impose Radical Lifestyle Changes on UK
Paris Accord could determine election
28 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of bureaucracy, economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: carbon tax
The government’s commitment to the Paris Accord has garnered opposition from farmers and farming organisations. Federated Farmers is not supportive: The Government’s announcement today of a 2035 climate target of a 51-55% emissions reduction has signed New Zealand up for a decade more of planting pine on productive land, Federated Farmers meat and wool chair […]
Paris Accord could determine election
Industry veterans slam Pharmacy Council’s forced cultural competency rules as Health Minister demands explanation
28 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, health economics, labour economics, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, occupational regulation, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: affirmative action, free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
Chris Lynch Media reports – Health Minister Simeon Brown says he will demand an explanation from the Pharmacy Council over its competence standards for pharmacists, which have been described as “deeply disturbing.” It follows inquiries to his office by chrislynchmedia.com over the standards, published on 15 June 2023 and enforced from 1 April 2024, which require […]
Industry veterans slam Pharmacy Council’s forced cultural competency rules as Health Minister demands explanation
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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