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
Judge undermines government intent
28 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand
The smallest gender pay gap in history
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
Voltaire on the Civility of Markets
28 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, history of economic thought
A person does not really read Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary (1764)–or at least I don’t –but instead surfs through it from time to time, trying to hit some of the high spots. Here are a couple of comments for reflection on a summer’s day, from the 1901 translation by William Fleming. In the entry under “Presbyterian,”…
Voltaire on the Civility of Markets
Civitas Institute’s Tariff Symposium
28 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, development economics, history of economic thought, international economics, politics - USA Tags: tarrifs
TweetThe Civitas Institute at UT-Austin just published a superb symposium on tariffs, with contributions by Richard Epstein, Samuel Gregg, Dirk Mateer, Dominic Pino, and my intrepid Mercatus Center colleague, Veronique de Rugy. Below are some slices. “The Man Who Knew Too Little: Donald Trump on Tariffs” (Richard Epstein): It is a dangerous state of affairs…
Civitas Institute’s Tariff Symposium
Captain John Morrison Birch: Missionary, Soldier, and Cold War Symbol
28 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, war and peace Tags: China, Cold War, World War II
Introduction John Morrison Birch (1918–1945) occupies an unusual place in American history. A Baptist missionary turned U.S. Army intelligence officer in China during World War II, his life bridged the spheres of religion, geopolitics, and war. Though he died at just 27 years old, Birch became a symbolic figure in early Cold War discourse when […]
Captain John Morrison Birch: Missionary, Soldier, and Cold War Symbol
The Most Important Election(s) of 2025
28 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics, development economics, economic growth, economics of regulation, fiscal policy, growth disasters, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, liberalism, libertarianism, macroeconomics, monetary economics, Public Choice, unemployment Tags: Argentina
Javier Milei has generated amazingly good results in just 20 months. But more reform is needed to undo the damage of 80 years of Peronism, which is why I explain that Argentina’s mid-term elections will be very important. Milei wants to turn Argentina into the world’s freest economy. That won’t be possible so long as […]
The Most Important Election(s) of 2025
UN Abandons Science
27 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in economics of climate change, economics of natural disasters, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: climate alarmism
By Paul Homewood A damning piece by Roger Pielke Jr in the NY Post about the surrender of IPCC science to weather attribution zealots: https://nypost.com/2025/08/22/opinion/un-abandons-science-and-hires-climate-change-zealots-who-damn-the-facts/ Pielke cuts to the quick: “Because the IPCC has consistently failed to establish strong connections between greenhouse gas emissions and most types of extreme weather, a cottage […]
UN Abandons Science
World War II Liberty Ships and the Law of Increasing Opportunity Cost
27 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, defence economics, economic history, entrepreneurship, industrial organisation, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, war and peace Tags: World War II
See ‘Launching Liberty’ Review: Shipyard Victory The U.S. quickly constructed a fleet of vessels to carry vital war supplies across the oceans. Did the rush to build so fast affect quality? by Marc Levinson. He reviewed the book Launching Liberty: The Epic Race to Build the Ships That Took America to War by Doug Most.The Liberty…
World War II Liberty Ships and the Law of Increasing Opportunity Cost
Adam Smith Meets Jonathan Haidt (on political polarization and the animosity of hostile factions)
27 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in Adam Smith, economics of education
Jonathan Haidt wrote the book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. It is about how polarized and nasty our politics have become, how everyone loves to demonize and ridicule anyone from a different political party. But these are things that Adam Smith talked about in his book The Theory…
Adam Smith Meets Jonathan Haidt (on political polarization and the animosity of hostile factions)
The greyhound racing ban
27 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice Tags: animal rights, Animal welfare
Winston Peters announced: Cabinet has formally agreed this week to the closure of the greyhound racing industry in New Zealand. A bill will be drafted to bring this decision into law. The move follows last December’s announcement of the Government’s in-principle decision to end greyhound racing as of 31 July 2026. The decision was made […]
The greyhound racing ban
Who is willing to sacrifice the poor at the Green Altar?
26 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
Why we must stand up to anti-human activists. Ani O’Brien writes – We need to stand up to the anti-human activists who treat ordinary people as collateral damage in their crusade. Their vision of “climate justice” is really just human misery dressed up as virtue. Every time New Zealanders open a power bill, they’re reminded […]
Who is willing to sacrifice the poor at the Green Altar?
If the election was scheduled for next week, Hipkins could win – but (luckily for Luxon) it’s next year
26 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in economic growth, inflation targeting, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: 2026 general election
Chris Trotter writes – “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune”. Those words, taken from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, are often quoted in the context of politicians facing the hard choice between doing it now, or not doing it at all.
If the election was scheduled for next week, Hipkins could win – but (luckily for Luxon) it’s next year
THE CIA BOOK CLUB: THE SECRET MISSION TO WIN THE COLD WAR WITH FORBIDDEN LITERATURE by Charlie English
26 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics Tags: Cold War, Poland
(Lech Walesa remains a hero to many Poles for having led the Solidarity movement) At a time when book bans and censorship has gained popularity in the United States among certain elements in society it is interesting to explore a book that does the opposite. Charlie English’s new work, THE CIA BOOK CLUB: THE SECRET […]
THE CIA BOOK CLUB: THE SECRET MISSION TO WIN THE COLD WAR WITH FORBIDDEN LITERATURE by Charlie English
BBC coverage of the IPC Gaza City famine report – part two
26 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, International law, law and economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, media bias, Middle-East politics, regressive left, war against terror
Previously we discussed a BBC News website ‘live page’ devoted to the topic of the latest report from The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). BBC COVERAGE OF THE IPC GAZA CITY FAMINE REPORT – PART ONE Additional BBC News website reporting on that topic published on August 22nd began with the following item: “Famine […]
BBC coverage of the IPC Gaza City famine report – part two
Ten Reasons Why Choosing Organic Food is Immoral and Unsustainable
26 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in environmental economics, Marxist economics, Public Choice, rentseeking, resource economics Tags: agricultural economics
Next time someone expresses how righteous their food choices are, share this with them
Ten Reasons Why Choosing Organic Food is Immoral and Unsustainable
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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