I’ve just been looking at the 19 charter schools approved to date, and am impressed with how well they cater for all types of kids, They are not about replicating state schools, but providing alternatives for those who need or desire them. The focus of the schools are: And not a single student at these…
The great diversity of charter schools
The great diversity of charter schools
14 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, politics - New Zealand
Fleecing Rich Taxpayers: Europe vs. the United States
13 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, entrepreneurship, human capital, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, politics - USA, Public Choice, public economics Tags: taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment, taxation and labour supply
I frequently make the point that America’s tax system is more progressive than European tax systems. But not because the United States imposes higher tax rates on upper-income households. Instead, the big difference is that lower-income and middle-class households in the United States face much lower tax burdens than their European counterparts. In those columns, […]
Fleecing Rich Taxpayers: Europe vs. the United States
The Covid inquiry’s verdict nobody quite wants
13 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: economics of pandemics
The final phase of the Covid inquiry is out, and almost nobody will be fully happy with what it says. The report says New Zealand got plenty right, but it also lays out a string of failures, blind spots and overreaches. It is neither the devastating indictment that opponents of the Labour government wanted, nor […]
The Covid inquiry’s verdict nobody quite wants
Eat the Rich: Sanders and Khanna Introduce Federal Billionaires Tax
12 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic growth, entrepreneurship, financial economics, fiscal policy, human capital, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, liberalism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment, taxation and labour supply
Below is my column on Fox.com on the new push by Democrats to impose a wealth tax nationally. While the…
Eat the Rich: Sanders and Khanna Introduce Federal Billionaires Tax
Greens draft list demotes several MPs
12 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
The Greens have published their draft list, voted on by delegates. It sees several MPs dropped to probably unwinnable places. Steve Abel has the biggest drop from 9 to 14. He is probably the most environmentally focused MP in their caucus, so I guess he hasn’t done enough campaigning on Gaza. Scott Willis drops from…
Greens draft list demotes several MPs
U.S. Withdrawal from UN Framework on Climate Change Underway
11 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, International law, politics - USA
“The global climate elite are scrambling for relevancy and power. The poll-conscious wind and solar lobbies are disingenuously pitching affordability. And the climate zealots are getting nutty. Energy reality bats last.”
U.S. Withdrawal from UN Framework on Climate Change Underway
Lindbergh’s Loyalties
11 Mar 2026 1 Comment
in defence economics, economic history, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: Nazi Germany, The Holocaust, World War II
The above photograph is from October 1938 of Lindbergh receiving a Silver Cross from Herman Göring, the then-second-highest Nazi official. Below is part of the timeline of the Holocaust up to that point. 1933January 30Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany March 22Dachau concentration camp opens April 1Boycott of Jewish shops and businesses April 7Laws […]
Lindbergh’s Loyalties
Te Pāti Māori get slaughtered by the High Court
10 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - New Zealand
Justice Radich has just made the following rulings: It is very rare for the judiciary to make rulings such as this, but the way TPM went about their decision making was so flawed, that the Judge felt he had to. This is a humiliating loss for Tamihere and his deputy co-leaders, especially the explicit instruction…
Te Pāti Māori get slaughtered by the High Court
Covid-19 Royal Commission report released
10 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in Alfred Marshall, comparative institutional analysis, economics of bureaucracy, economics of natural disasters, economics of regulation, health economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: economics of pandemics
The Royal Commission has released their second and final report. Some key aspects: Simeon Brown points out: The post Covid-19 Royal Commission report released first appeared on Kiwiblog.
Covid-19 Royal Commission report released
Democratic Leaders Struggle to Explain Their Past Support for Unilateral Presidential War Powers
09 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, International law, laws of war, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: regressive left
In Rage and the Republic, I quote former Rep. Jaamal Bowman (D., N.Y.) as capturing the essence of an age…
Democratic Leaders Struggle to Explain Their Past Support for Unilateral Presidential War Powers
Bill Maher’s latest New Rule: “Trump Estrangement Syndrome”
08 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - USA, television, TV shows
Bill Maher’s latest news-and-comedy shtick on “Real Time” deals once again with the flak he got for having dinner with President Trump. Remember? Despite Maher constantly criticizing the President’s policies durin gthe dinner, he also reported that he found Trump affable and friendly. That was enough for liberals to come down on Maher like a…
Bill Maher’s latest New Rule: “Trump Estrangement Syndrome”
The Vietnam War and racial integration
07 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, discrimination, economics of love and marriage, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: marriage and divorce, racial discrimination, Vietnam war
The Vietnam draft conscripted hundreds of thousands of young Americans into an integrated military. I combine near-random draft lottery variation with administrative voter data to study the long-run racial integration effects of coerced national service. Black and Native American veterans became more likely to marry white spouses, identify as Republicans, and live in more-integrated neighborhoods.…
The Vietnam War and racial integration
The Nightmare Scenario Leading to a Wealth Tax
07 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic growth, economic history, entrepreneurship, fiscal policy, income redistribution, liberalism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice, public economics Tags: taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment, taxation and labour supply
Is it time to pack our belongings and head to Argentina, where Javier Milei is dramatically improving economic policy and cultural attitudes? I’m joking, but also not joking. The reason I’m not joking is that there’s a very depressing scenario for America’s near-term economic outlook. It involves these six potential developments. Thanks in part to […]
The Nightmare Scenario Leading to a Wealth Tax
Population changes helping Republicans
07 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
The latest US population estimates will help the Republicans in the 2032 presidential election, according to this analysis. It suggests blue states will lose 10 electoral votes, swing states gain one and red states gain nine. This will only matter in a very close election such as 2000, but it is interesting that so many…
Population changes helping Republicans
Dismantling the competition myth
06 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in Austrian economics, comparative institutional analysis, economic history, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, history of economic thought, industrial organisation, law and economics, organisational economics, politics - Australia, technological progress, theory of the firm Tags: competition law, creative destruction
Ask anyone in Australia’s competition law community what transformed the economy, and you will hear a familiar story. Australia was once a cartelised, complacent place where businesses divided up markets and consumers paid the price. Then came the Trade Practices Act in 1974, and competition law forced firms to compete. This is not a fringe […]
Dismantling the competition myth
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
Recent Comments