Bob Edlin writes – West Coast Regional Councillor Allan Birchfield has whipped up a fuss in his neck of the woods by challenging the Ngāti Waewae representative Francois Tumahai over the iwi’s role in resource consenting. The iwi – it seems – must agree to gold-mining consents in gold-mining country, presumably after appropriate consultation or engagement […]
Is this a gold mine? Iwi might need consulting (for a fee) before your development can be given RMA consents
Is this a gold mine? Iwi might need consulting (for a fee) before your development can be given RMA consents
16 May 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, energy economics, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, resource economics, urban economics
“A Modest Request”: The Supreme Court Hears Challenge to National or Universal Injunctions
15 May 2025 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election
Today, the United States Supreme Court will hear three consolidated cases in Trump v. CASA on the growing use of national or universal injunctions. This is a matter submitted on the “shadow docket” and the underlying cases concern the controversy over “birthright citizenship.” However, the merits of those claims are not at issue. Instead, the […]
“A Modest Request”: The Supreme Court Hears Challenge to National or Universal Injunctions
Sacramental Snitches: Church to Excommunicate any Priests Complying with Washington State Law
15 May 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, economics of religion, law and economics, politics - USA
We previously discussed the legislation passed by Washington State democrats that requires priests to violate the sanctity of the confessional to report child abuse. I described the law as “blatantly unconstitutional” in eviscerating the right to the free exercise of religion. The state is moving to create an effective system of sacramental snitches and the […]
Sacramental Snitches: Church to Excommunicate any Priests Complying with Washington State Law
Bill Maher: New Rules 2
14 May 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - USA, television, TV shows Tags: 2024 presidential election
Here’s the second of Bill Maher’s “New Rules” segments that I haven’t posted. The YouTube caption is “New Rule: Before they can take on Donald Trump, Democrats have to decide which wing of their own party is best to lead them out of the wilderness.” Well, the segment doesn’t even really tackle that question. It […]
Bill Maher: New Rules 2
Ministers of Finance
14 May 2025 Leave a comment
No, nothing so serious as fiscal policy. I saw this morning this chart in a tweet from a Canadian economics professor (prompted by the new ministerial appointments in Canada). I was digging around in the list of former New Zealand Ministers of Finance anyway, and thought it might be interesting to try a New Zealand […]
Ministers of Finance
Supply is elastic, installment #6437
14 May 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, entrepreneurship, health economics, industrial organisation, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: price controls
Numerous empirical studies show a relationship between a drug’s expected market size and the magnitude of research and development investments. Early studies focused on changes to market size resulting from the demographics of disease burden (Acemoglu and Linn 2004) and policy changes influencing market demand (Finkelstein 2004). These findings have largely been confirmed by more […]
Supply is elastic, installment #6437
Oregon Law Professor Accuses Oregon Law Review of Anti-Israeli Discrimination
14 May 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, discrimination, economics of education, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: free speech, Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, political correctness, regressive left
The University of Oregon has long faced controversies over the alleged political bias on its campuses, including celebrating the career of a professor who physically attacked pro-life students as a model of activism. It has been criticized for monitoring off-campus speech and unconstitutionally censoring dissenting faculty. Now, Law Professor Ofer Raban is accusing the Law […]
Oregon Law Professor Accuses Oregon Law Review of Anti-Israeli Discrimination
What’s a New Drug Worth?
13 May 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, health economics, politics - USA
In a a juxtaposition of events that redefines the meaning of “coincidence,” President Trump announced a new policy for prescription drug pricing this morning, and the the Spring 2025 issue of the Journal of Economic Perspectives, released three days ago on Friday morning, begins with a four-paper symposium on drug pricing. (Full disclosure: I work…
What’s a New Drug Worth?
New Rule: The Not-Working Class | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
13 May 2025 Leave a comment
in labour economics, labour supply, politics - USA, television, TV shows, unemployment
Willis responds to Vance celling her a c**t
12 May 2025 Leave a comment
in discrimination, gender, health and safety, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, politics - New Zealand, poverty and inequality Tags: gender wage gap, sex discrimination
Nicola Willis writes: Having the C-word directed at me by a journalist in a mainstream publication wasn’t on my bingo-list for Mother’s Day 2025. Nor was being accused of “girl-math”. But there you have it, that’s what was thrown at me and my female colleagues in a recent newspaper column as hopelessly devoid of facts as it […]
Willis responds to Vance celling her a c**t
“A Circus-Like Atmosphere”: Nessel Drops Charges Against University of Michigan Anti-Israel Protesters
12 May 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA
Roughly a year ago, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel made a splash in the press after she brought charges against anti-Israel protesters at the University of Michigan. The move followed a refusal of liberal local district attorneys to prosecute the cases despite clear criminal conduct. Now, as violent and disruptive protests are again rising on […]
“A Circus-Like Atmosphere”: Nessel Drops Charges Against University of Michigan Anti-Israel Protesters
“An Act of Solidarity”: Sotomayor Calls for Lawyers to “Fight this Fight” in Controversial Speech
11 May 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: constitutional law
Justice Sonia Sotomayor has previously been criticized for making public comments that some viewed as overly political or partisan, including telling law students to organize in favor of abortion rights. This week, the Justice has triggered another controversy in calling for lawyers to “fight this fight,” presumably against the Trump Administration.
“An Act of Solidarity”: Sotomayor Calls for Lawyers to “Fight this Fight” in Controversial Speech
Policy whiplash risks eroding NZ’s investment stability
10 May 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights
Roger Partridge writes- Resources Minister Shane Jones recently floated a novel idea: Government-backed insurance for oil and gas investors to protect them against future policy reversals. Let that sink in. A New Zealand minister is contemplating taxpayer-funded insurance to compensate companies against… the decisions of future New Zealand Governments.
Policy whiplash risks eroding NZ’s investment stability
Why Is the US Economy Surging Ahead of the UK?
09 May 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, economic growth, macroeconomics, politics - USA, technological progress Tags: British politics
The US economy has emerged from the pandemic growing at a faster pace than the UK and other high-income countries. Simon Pittaway tackles the question of why in “Yanked away: Accounting for the post-pandemic productivity divergence between Britain and America” (Resolution Foundation, April 2025). The average standard of living in any economy, over time, will…
Why Is the US Economy Surging Ahead of the UK?
Why contempt needs to be met with contempt
08 May 2025 Leave a comment
It is clear Te Pati Maori holds Parliament in contempt. I don’t just mean in the technical sense of breaching the rules of the House, but in the more general sense of behaving with contempt. To publish the draft Privileges Committee report on the actions of three of their MPs on their social media feed […]
Why contempt needs to be met with contempt
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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