Lord Hannan, Daniel speaks about equality, the Treaty and the Taxpayers’…
01 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, discrimination, economic history, economics of crime, gender, history of economic thought, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, property rights, Public Choice Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
The new government and the Reserve Bank
27 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in business cycles, inflation targeting, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: monetary policy
But first a correction. As I noted on Twitter and very briefly on the post itself on Saturday, it seems that the gist of my post on Friday was wrong. The repeal of Labour’s tobacco de-nicotinisation legislation – whatever motivated the parties that championed the change – will leave the flow of tobacco excise revenue […]
The new government and the Reserve Bank
David Seymour: Treaty principles, Pharmac, and being minister for regula…
26 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economics of education, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, health economics, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, public economics
Look who wants to debate Treaty issues now
22 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law
Seymour’s proposed referendum has made discussion seem a very attractive alternative. Graham Adams writes — After the revolutionary He Puapua report was brought to public attention for the first time in April 2021, Judith Collins and David Seymour did their best to spark discussion about its implications — especially with regard to the threat that […]
Look who wants to debate Treaty issues now
ELE LUDEMANN: Does reset need a referendum?
17 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: constitution law
Act wants a referendum to define the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. The principles do need redefining and that redefinition will almost certainly result in a reset that reverses a lot of the insertion of the undefined principles in areas which many think have nothing to do with the Treaty. It is 23 years […]
ELE LUDEMANN: Does reset need a referendum?
Some questions for those protesting for Palestine
15 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, International law, law and economics, laws of war, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice, war and peace
I’m frankly astonished at the scale, frequency and anger of protests held in solidarity for Palestinians in Gaza, which variously call for a ceasefire, call for “freedom” for Palestine and which variously accuse Israel of atrocities, using the language and statistics issued by the Gazan totalitarian theocrats. It is driven by a coalition of communists,…
Some questions for those protesting for Palestine
Bari Weiss proposes ending DEI
11 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: affirmative action, free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left, sex discrimination
Bari Weiss, head of the Free Press, just published this article on her website, but it appeared in Tablet, in identical form, a few days ago. You can click on the headline below to read it, or go here to see it on her site. As the subheader on her FP article says, “It’s not […]
Bari Weiss proposes ending DEI
CHRIS TROTTER: Failing the “Leftist” litmus test
31 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in defence economics, laws of war, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, war against terror
LIKE THE WAR in Ukraine, the war in Gaza is serving as a remarkable litmus test for the Left. It is testing its moral compass, its understanding of international law, its grasp of geopolitical realities and, not least, its awareness of what the PR mavens call “the optics”. A substantial portion, even, perhaps, a majority,…
CHRIS TROTTER: Failing the “Leftist” litmus test
Charting a course
27 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand, urban economics
My column in Newsroom this week makes a few guesses about where NZ local water policy may be headed. Labour forced the amalgamation of water services into new entities that National promised to throttle before they can get going. What happens next?No election platform survives contact with post-election coalition negotiations.But one outcome seems rather obvious –…
Charting a course
What should be done about the Reserve Bank?
19 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in business cycles, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, inflation targeting, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: monetary policy
Monday’s post was on the important place effective accountability must have when government agencies are given great discretionary power which – as is in the nature of any human institutions – they will at times exercise poorly. My particular focus is on the Reserve Bank, both because it is what I know best, because it […]
What should be done about the Reserve Bank?
BARRIE SAUNDERS: Labour one of two election losers
16 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
Labour is a big time election loser, but is not the only one. Labour will now have to re-build, while it has two strong competitors on its left – The Greens and The Maori Party. Given Labour’s natural position as a major party, this is much more difficult than it is for the niche parties.…
BARRIE SAUNDERS: Labour one of two election losers
The case for bringing Winston into a coalition agreement
15 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
There’s much to digest, the day after the counting of votes and an outcome which is subject to special votes being brought into account. For now, it is tempting to agree with David Farrar (who confesses it is unlike him to write an article which can be summed up in the headline Why National should do […]
The case for bringing Winston into a coalition agreement
Labour one of two election losers
15 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
Labour is a big time election loser, but is not the only one. Labour will now have to re-build, while it has two strong competitors on its left – The Greens and The Maori Party. Given Labour’s natural position as a major party, this is much more difficult than it is for the niche parties. […]
Labour one of two election losers
The problems of a tax-free threshold
05 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand, public economics
Jim Rose details the problems with a tax-free threshold for the NZ Taxpayers Union. Running one that’s revenue-neutral means you have to increase marginal rates further up. Increasing marginal rates to fund inframarginal transfers mightn’t make the most sense. And there are better ways of targeting support, if that’s what you want to do. He writes:The introduction…
The problems of a tax-free threshold
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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