I, Pencil Extended Commentary: Spontaneous Order
24 Dec 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics, comparative institutional analysis, industrial organisation, international economics, survivor principle Tags: IPencil, spontaneous order, The meaning of competition
I, Pencil Extended Commentary: Trade & Specialization
22 Dec 2015 1 Comment
in applied price theory, industrial organisation, international economics, survivor principle Tags: division of labour, international trade, specialisation and exchange
Tourism as % of employment across the OECD
17 Dec 2015 Leave a comment
in industrial organisation, international economics, labour economics, labour supply Tags: economics of tourism, labour market demographics
New Zealand exports to China
07 Dec 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, international economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: China
The robot revolution is overrated
22 Nov 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, industrial organisation, international economics, labour supply Tags: automation, creative destruction, entrepreneurial alertness, industrial revolution, mechanisation, robots, technological unemployment
$1/2 billion in customs duties still collected in New Zealand!
06 Nov 2015 Leave a comment
in international economics, politics - New Zealand
In the course of feuding with strangers on Twitter about how much tariff revenue is still collected in New Zealand, I discovered that the revenue from customs duties are less than I recall but more than most think. These customs duties are distinct from any GST collected at the border by New Zealand Customs.
Source: Tax Outturn Data — The Treasury – New Zealand.
Source: Import Tariff Levels After 2015 Cabinet Submission by Minister of Commerce.
@jeremycorbyn @BernieSanders oppose the one path to peace
04 Nov 2015 Leave a comment
in international economics, liberalism, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: British politics, capitalism and freedom, China, expressive voting, free trade, game theory, populists, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, Richard Cobden, World War I
Jeremy Corbyn is in trouble again, this time for describing World War I as pointless.
Corbyn has, for all his life, opposed the only means of securing peace either in Europe or anywhere else. He is against trade agreements, the European Union and NATO. Bernie Sanders is equally as misguided.
Corbyn and Sanders thinks you can make peace just by talking with people. Peace is made by trading with hostile countries to make them depend on you for their prosperity as well as yours. By growing rich through free trade, it’s in no ones interest to go to war or have poor relations with each other or each other’s friends.
The Big Mac index illustrated
31 Oct 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, international economics Tags: economics of advertising, Norway, purchasing power parity, Sweden, The Big Mac index
Is Greece catching up with Russia as a place to do business? World Bank Doing Business Rankings 2016
28 Oct 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, international economics, law and economics
The only clear advantage Greece has on Russia as a place to do business is trading across borders because of European Union membership. Russia is a dog of a place to get things across borders. Greece has dropped two places overall ranking as a place to do business while Russia climbed 3 places in the World Bank 2016 Doing Business rankings as compared to their 2015 Doing Business rankings.
Source: Historical Data – Doing Business- World Bank Group.
In 2016, Russia has considerable strengths as compared to Greece in a number of other areas of doing business such as enforcing contracts, registering property and starting a business. Russia is even a slightly better place to pay taxes than Greece! Russia’s World Bank Doing Business ranking for trading across borders has not changed between 2015 and 2016.
EU membership can have its advantages – Trading across Borders World Bank Doing Business rankings 2016 for OECD member countries
28 Oct 2015 Leave a comment
in currency unions, economics of regulation, international economic law, international economics
Australia is certainly a dog of a place when it comes to trading across borders and the same pretty much goes for New Zealand. Continental European Union members who are next to each other have a good run when it comes to trading across borders. Germans seem to manage to stuff that up nonetheless.
Source: Historical Data – Doing Business- World Bank Group.
Australia and New Zealand get a poor rating because of border charges for a processing of customs documents. In Continental Europe, where there are no border controls for land crossings between EU members, these border compliance costs obviously do not apply nor is there any waiting at border checkpoints.
@HillaryClinton positions on #TPA trade deal over time
21 Oct 2015 Leave a comment
in international economics, politics - USA Tags: 2016 presidential election, customs unions, free trade agreements, preferential trading agreements, regional trade agreements, TPA, TPPA
Timeline of Hillary Clinton's positions on Pacific trade deal over time: on.wsj.com/1OA728c by @willmauldin http://t.co/iPN0p5VZhn—
WSJ Think Tank (@WSJThinkTank) October 18, 2015
@GreenpeaceNZ @jamespeshaw The Futility and Farce of Global Climate Negotiations @RichardTol
18 Oct 2015 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, development economics, economics of bureaucracy, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, growth disasters, growth miracles, international economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: bootleggers and baptists, climate alarmism, expressive voting, free-riders, global warming, green tariffs, international public goods, Leftover Left, New Zealand Greens, Twitter left
It is time for the environmental movement to face up to the fact that there never will be an international treaty to restrain carbon emissions. The practical way to respond to global warming is healthier is wealthier, richer is safer. Faster economic growth creates more resources for resilience and adaptation to a changing environment.
NEW REPORT: The Futility and Farce of Global Climate Negotiations bit.ly/1LvFFv3 http://t.co/TwbFUwaPlm—
Manhattan Institute (@ManhattanInst) October 17, 2015
India's target compared to its recent history http://t.co/pIvwhoSTpL—
Richard Tol (@RichardTol) October 02, 2015
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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