Peter Dunne writes – In 2016 New Zealand instituted comprehensive new health and safety laws for workplaces and other areas of activity. The expectation was that the new regime the legislation introduced would dramatically improve the culture and practice around safety in the workplace, reduce the numbers of accidents and save lives. However, the most […]
Health and Safety laws
Health and Safety laws
23 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economics of regulation, health and safety, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, occupational choice, politics - New Zealand
Murphy’s Law of Economic Policy
21 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, history of economic thought, Public Choice, public economics
Economists have the least influence on policy where they know the most and are most agreed; they have the most influence on policy where they know the least and disagree most vehemently.” I’d never heard of it before and it’s quoted in this review of a book called “Free Lunch Thinking – How Economics Ruins […]
Murphy’s Law of Economic Policy
Where did the Government get the law right and wrong with the Covid-19 response?
10 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of natural disasters, economics of regulation, health economics, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: economics of pandemics
For those who are interested in public law, a very interesting paper by Dean Knight summarising the various court cases over the Covid-19 response. It details in which areas the Government won judicial reviews, and in which areas they lost. The TLDR version is: Hopefully we will not go through another pandemic anytime soon.
Where did the Government get the law right and wrong with the Covid-19 response?
Fauci Didn’t Test
09 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in applied welfare economics, economics of regulation, health economics, politics - USA Tags: economics of pandemics, The fatal conceit, unintended consequences
I am not a Fauci hater but I think this criticism of Facui from epidemiologist and oncologist Vinay Prasad hits the mark: Lockdown was specifically advocated for by Anthony Fauci (‘15 days to stop the spread’/ ‘hunker down’/ ‘shelter in place’), and Fauci would go on to make hundreds of other specific policy recommendations. Although he initially […]
Fauci Didn’t Test
Is Hunter Biden Pursuing a Jury Nullification Strategy?
05 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, economics of regulation, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election
Below is my column in The Hill on the start of the Hunter Biden trial and the elements of a classic jury nullification strategy by the defense. It is not clear that it will work in an otherwise open-and-shut case, but it might. What is clear is that it may be all that Biden has […]
Is Hunter Biden Pursuing a Jury Nullification Strategy?
Why Unintended Consequences from Pushing Green Energy
04 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, transport economics Tags: climate alarmism
We have been treated to multiple reports of negative consequences unforeseen by policymakers pushing the Green Energy agenda. A sample of the range: Ford ready to restrict UK sales of petrol models to hit electric targets, Financial Times Why US offshore wind energy is struggling—the good, the bad and the opportunity, Tech Xplore Another solar […]
Why Unintended Consequences from Pushing Green Energy
Claude 3 on why the US leads China and the EU in economic dynamism
21 May 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, development economics, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, growth miracles, industrial organisation, managerial economics, organisational economics, public economics, survivor principle Tags: taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment
QUESTION TO CLAUDE 3: The EU and China lag behind the US in economic dynamism, measured by start-up activity, number of unicorns, age of unicorns (younger indicates more rapid innovation), and in productivity growth. Can you document this and tell me why?ANSWER: Here is the data to document the economic dynamism gap between the US,…
Claude 3 on why the US leads China and the EU in economic dynamism
Nanny state
16 May 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics, public economics Tags: economics of smoking
Legal Absurdities in Climate Policy: A Critical Review of Tilak Doshi’s Analysis
14 May 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, law and economics Tags: climate activists, climate alarmism
Such simplifications in judicial decisions risk setting dangerous precedents where policies are shaped not by empirical evidence but by judicial interpretations of contested scientific theories.
Legal Absurdities in Climate Policy: A Critical Review of Tilak Doshi’s Analysis
The work culture that is German, something about France too
10 May 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of regulation
In Germany, robots must obey the sabbath pic.twitter.com/vphLpXAA0e — Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) April 25, 2024 As for Canada, “Justice Minister defends house arrest power for people feared to commit a hate crime in future.“
The work culture that is German, something about France too
More Good Results from Argentina
28 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in budget deficits, business cycles, comparative institutional analysis, development economics, economic growth, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, fiscal policy, growth disasters, income redistribution, labour economics, liberalism, libertarianism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, monetary economics, Public Choice, rentseeking, unemployment Tags: Argentina
The most important election of 2023 took place in Argentina, where that nation’s voters elected the libertarian candidate, Javier Milei, as their new president. I discussed the outlook for Milei’s agenda on a recent appearance of the Schilling Show. Here’s a brief excerpt. As you can see, I’m worried that Milei faces enormous obstacles. Argentina […]
More Good Results from Argentina
Is the Commerce Commission for consumers or suppliers
24 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economics of regulation, industrial organisation Tags: competition law, merger law enforcement
Max Salmon writes: Last week the Commerce Commission announced its concern with a proposed merger between Foodstuffs North Island and Foodstuffs South Island. Their concern is a decrease in competition in the market. It sounds crazy when you first hear it, but it’s even weirder when you see what the Commerce Commission is actually worried […]
Is the Commerce Commission for consumers or suppliers
Scotland to ditch key climate change target
21 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming Tags: Scotland
By Paul Homewood h/t Joe Public The Scottish government is to ditch its flagship target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030.
Scotland to ditch key climate change target
Shock Findings: Plastic Shopping Bags Cause Around Four Times Less ‘Carbon’ Emissions than Paper Substitutes
17 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, environmental economics, global warming Tags: climate alarmism, plastic bags
Almost everything that is being forced through, whether it be demonising plastic to blanketing the land and seas with giant wind turbines, makes little sense. They often cause more ecological harm than good, while the fudged finances backing many of the projects might shame Charles Ponzi.
Shock Findings: Plastic Shopping Bags Cause Around Four Times Less ‘Carbon’ Emissions than Paper Substitutes
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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