The Retirement Commissioner has released a paper on aspects of New Zealand Superannuation (NZS). Its focus includes affordability, fairness, age of eligibility, and the treatment of those over 65 who continue in the workforce whilst also receiving NZS. What the Commissioner does not discuss is the relationship between superannuation systems, domestic savings rates and capital […]
Superannuation, KiwiSaver, and New Zealand’s economic development
Superannuation, KiwiSaver, and New Zealand’s economic development
22 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economic growth, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: ageing society
ROB MacCULLOCH: Grant Robertson’s new job sends an awful message to students about meritocracy in NZ
22 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of education, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice
The appointment of Grant Robertson as Vice-Chancellor of Otago University has raised hackles – and questions – among academics. Robertson’s credentials for the job is one issue. The appointment process is another. University of Auckland economics professor Rob MacCulloch has posted these three articles in the past few days on Down To Earth Kiwi… […]
ROB MacCULLOCH: Grant Robertson’s new job sends an awful message to students about meritocracy in NZ
OLIVER HARTWICH: Absurd – NZ courts can now decide on climate change
17 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, law and economics, liberalism, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, public economics, rentseeking Tags: climate activists, rule of law
Oliver Hartwich writes – The World Justice Project ranks New Zealand 7th out of 142 countries on its ‘Rule of Law Index’, narrowly ahead of Australia’s 13th place. However, Australia still has hope – if only because of a recent decision by the Supreme Court of New Zealand. The case is easily told. Mike Smith, […]
OLIVER HARTWICH: Absurd – NZ courts can now decide on climate change
Constitution 101: How Powerful Is The Queen?
17 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economics of bureaucracy, Public Choice Tags: British constitutional law
[This is the first in a series of posts that will look at the key institutions of the British constitution. A version of this particular post first appeared on my personal blog.] Americans don’t really understand the British Monarchy. Our pundits often portray the Queen as a powerless figurehead who does little more than cut ribbons and unveil plaques. […]
Constitution 101: How Powerful Is The Queen?
Supreme Court Unanimously Throws Out Bridgegate Convictions — And Rejects Prior Legal Arguments Against Trump
17 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights, Public Choice
The Supreme Court today unanimously threw out the convictions of Bridget Kelly, a former aide to Christie, and Bill Baroni, a former Port Authority official, for their role in “Bridgegate.” The dispute involved the controversial closing of lanes on the George Washington Bridge to create traffic problems for the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., who […]
Supreme Court Unanimously Throws Out Bridgegate Convictions — And Rejects Prior Legal Arguments Against Trump
Florida’s One-Man Laffer Curve
16 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, entrepreneurship, fiscal policy, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, Public Choice, public economics Tags: taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment, taxation and labour supply
Inflation is having an effect on everything, even policy analysis. Back in 2013, I wrote that Phil Mickelson was “California’s One-Man Laffer Curve” because he wanted to escape the Golden State to save about $1.2 million per year in taxes. But now, when a goose that lays golden eggs wants to escape, the numbers are […]
Florida’s One-Man Laffer Curve
Ford EV Crisis: “Our Gen 2 vehicles won’t launch unless we can … profit”
16 Feb 2024 1 Comment
in energy economics, entrepreneurship, environmental economics, global warming, industrial organisation, Public Choice, rentseeking, survivor principle, transport economics Tags: electric cars
Death of the EV revolution?
Ford EV Crisis: “Our Gen 2 vehicles won’t launch unless we can … profit”
Congress and Courts enable Energy and Climate Fantasy and Tyranny
15 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, 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: constitutional law
Supreme Court should end “Chevron deference” to restore checks, balances and reality
Congress and Courts enable Energy and Climate Fantasy and Tyranny
Jon Haidt goes after DEI
13 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of education, economics of media and culture, income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
A lot of academics who haven’t previously gone after DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives are coming out of the woodwork to criticize the philosophy and actions of DEI. New critics include Steve Pinker, who, in his Boston Globe article on how to fix the problems of Harvard, included “Disempowering DEI” as one of the […]
Jon Haidt goes after DEI
BRIAN EASTON: Te Tiriti as a social contract
12 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of bureaucracy, income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: Age of Enlightenment, constitutional law, regressive left
Interpreting the agreement made at Waitangi as a social contract is a way to move forward on treaty issues (This column follows ‘Our Understandings Of Te Tiriti Has Evolved Organically’.) Brian Easton writes – Te Tiriti is in the form of a social contract of the sort that political theorists have discussed since the seventeenth […]
BRIAN EASTON: Te Tiriti as a social contract
Pinker on “What’s wrong with our universities”
11 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of education, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, property rights, Public Choice Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Here’s a new one-hour interview of Steve Pinker by John Tomasi, inaugural president of the Heterodox Academy. Here are the YouTube notes: Are our higher education institutions still nurturing true intellectual diversity? Our guest today is Steven Pinker, a cognitive scientist at Harvard, and today, we’ll be exploring the growing concerns within higher ed that […]
Pinker on “What’s wrong with our universities”
Charles Moore: The political class is only just realising that voters prefer prosperity over climate jingoism
11 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economic growth, economics of bureaucracy, economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, income redistribution, liberalism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, Public Choice, rentseeking, technological progress Tags: British politics, climate alarmism, wind power
By Paul Homewood From The Telegraph: Labour’s green U-turn reflects the shifting sands of climate policy If you want to see how the politics of climate change are shifting, compare today with late 2009. In both cases, a general election was approaching. In October 2009, with the Copenhagen climate summit […]
Charles Moore: The political class is only just realising that voters prefer prosperity over climate jingoism
The “Unassailable” Theory Faces a Potential Unanimous Rejection
10 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of media and culture, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: 2024 presidential election, constitutional law, regressive left
This week, the argument before the Supreme Court in Trump v. Anderson captivated the nation as the justices considered the disqualification of former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot. For some of us, the argument brought back vivid memories of covering Bush v. Gore almost 25 years ago. While one justice (Clarence Thomas) […]
The “Unassailable” Theory Faces a Potential Unanimous Rejection
The highly inconvenient Sir Apirana Ngata
10 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: constitutional law
Graham Adams writes — Sir Apirana Ngata has a pre-eminent place in the pantheon of Māori luminaries. He is widely regarded as a visionary leader who, in an illustrious political career, championed biculturalism when assimilationist policies were the norm. He energetically promoted Māori language and culture, and land reform. He was an MP for nearly […]
The highly inconvenient Sir Apirana Ngata
PETER WILLIAMS: Supreme Court decision astounding
09 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: climate activists
Three years ago a friend of mine who’s a District Court Judge asked me if I would be guest speaker at the annual DCJ shindig, scheduled that year for the Hilton in Taupo. Despite a feeling of significant intellectual inferiority, I accepted on the condition that all I would talk about were personal experiences from…
PETER WILLIAMS: Supreme Court decision astounding
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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