Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law
04 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: constitutional law
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he may strip comedian Rosie O’Donnell of her U.S. citizenship. He has made the threat previously, despite having no authority to do so. In the United States, political critics cannot be stripped of their citizenship, and pursuing such a course would be a fundamental denial of constitutional protections not only […]
No, the President Cannot Strip Rosie O’Donnell of Her Citizenship
03 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: crime and punishment, criminal deterrence, law and order, regressive left
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a story in the New Zealand Herald this morning about the death of former King Cobras gang leader Ulaiasi “Rocky” Pulete. Carrying the byline of Herald crime reporter Jared Savage, it’s written in the reverential tones normally reserved for an esteemed community leader, business person or sporting figure. Pulete is described as “a […]
A gross failure of editorial judgment
03 Sep 2025 1 Comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, discrimination, economics of bureaucracy, income redistribution, labour economics, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking
It’s hard to get too much enthusiasm for the Tamaki Makaurau by-election. The Maori roll and seats have become more politicised than ever before, as they are no longer an exercise in ensuring a core level of Maori representation in Parliament, but rather an expression of Maori nationalism. It used to be that the Maori…
The by-election without much choice
02 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - USA, television, TV shows
I didn’t put this video up when it came out a month ago, mainly because I forgot, but in it Maher lists the things about Trump’s Presidency that he really can’t stand (the degradation of the EPA, loss of healthcare, etc.), but also mentions issues he can’t be bothered to worry about (making Canada the […]
Bill Maher’s report card on the Presidency
02 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: constitutional law, Thailand
Bob Edlin writes – Thailand’s Constitutional Court reminds us of how judges can be politically powerful. It has removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office, ruling that she “lacks the qualifications and possesses prohibited characteristics” under the Thai constitution. As the ABC reported, her dismissal flings the country into political instability. It also highlights the […]
Kiwis don’t need a Constitutional Court to crimp our elected law-makers – we already have judges who do that
01 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, International law, law and economics, laws of war, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, regressive left, war against terror, West Bank
This is from CNN, so you know it pained them to publish a piece like this (click to read): Mahmoud Abbas, 90, was elected President of Palestine in 2005 for a four-year term, but somehow has hung on for 16 more years, having been voted an indefinite Presidency by the PLO (Hamas doesn’t recognize him […]
U.S. denies visa to Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas (and other Palestinians) ahead of UN meeting
01 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic growth, economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, macroeconomics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, regulation, rentseeking, urban economics Tags: housing affordability
Don Brash writes – In recent years, when addressing Rotary and other audiences, I often talk about the five big challenges facing New Zealand – persistently slow growth in productivity, and therefore in income levels; ridiculously unaffordable house prices; the increasing division of our society into those with a Maori ancestor and those without; the […]
Do rising house prices damage economic growth?
01 Sep 2025 1 Comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics Tags: bribery and corruption, British politics
Concluding her series on the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, Dr Kathryn Rix of our House of Commons, 1832-1945 project looks at the long-term consequences of this major reform. In the wake of the corruption and expense of the 1880 general election, Sir Henry James, attorney general in Gladstone’s Liberal government, oversaw a landmark piece of […]
A ‘revolution’ in electioneering? The impact of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act
30 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
Roger Partridge writes: The Greens’ coronation of Chlöe Swarbrick at last weekend’s AGM delivered a manifesto for economic transformation that would make Soviet economists nostalgic for their glory days. Swarbrick delivered a speech that was part meditation retreat, part political rally. She declared her party “leading the Opposition,” positioned herself as Finance Minister-in-waiting, and announced…
The gift of the Greens
30 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: gun control
Within minutes of the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic Church Mass on Wednesday, politicians and pundits were calling for new gun control measures and blaming conservatives for the deaths of the children. These are the same calls that have emerged after past shootings for everything from a ban on “assault weapons” to a total ban […]
The Rhetoric and Realities of Gun Control
30 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, entrepreneurship, human capital, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, politics - USA, poverty and inequality, Public Choice, public economics Tags: taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment
Here is his comment on the paper presented here: Summary: The U.S. tax system is highly progressive. Effective tax rates increase from 2% for the bottom quintile of income to 45% for the top hundredth of one percent. But rates may be lower among those with the highest wealth. This comment starts with the “top 400” […]
David Splinter on how much tax billionaires pay
29 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
Graham Adams writes – In brief Labour’s Peeni Henare says the quiet parts of party policy out loud. He promises $1b in funding for Māori initiatives. He reminds voters Labour will revive the Māori Health Authority. Ardern’s black-armband compulsory “histories” to reappear in schools. A sense of unreality hangs over the contest between New Zealand’s […]
By-election puts co-governance in spotlight
29 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in economics of education, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left
In the advertising world, there is an old adage that there are times when you take a pitch and “run it up the flagpole and see who salutes.” That expression came to mind yesterday when President Donald Trump signed an order to punish flag burning. The President may be hoping that the Supreme Court might salute […]
Running it up the Flagpole: Why the Trump Order on Flag Burning is Unconstitutional
28 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand
The National coalition government banned the wearing of gang patches in public places in November 2024. The legislation states: If a person pleads guilty to, or is convicted of, an offence against subsection (1), the gang insignia concerned— (a) is forfeited to the Crown; and (b) may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of as the court,…
Judge undermines government intent
28 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, discrimination, econometerics, economic history, gender, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, politics - New Zealand, poverty and inequality Tags: gender wage gap, sex discrimination
Stats NZ reports: The gender pay gap was 5.2 percent in the June 2025 quarter, down from 8.2 percent in the June 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. “The June 2025 quarter gender pay gap of 5.2 percent is the lowest since the series began in 1998,” labour market spokesperson Abby […]
The smallest gender pay gap in history
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