Reports & Media

Rapid technological change is more often than not a painful thing, littered with the bodies of those firms and industries that failed to adapt - just ask Kodak, Betamax and former mobile phone giant Nokia. That painful change is brewing again, this time in the form of next generation of transport technologies, such as the Uber. Read more

It is often easy to take for granted the strong institutional backbones supporting highly-developed, western democratic nations like New Zealand. Robust rule of law, separation of powers, governmental accountability, personal freedom, private property protection, bodily autonomy and social safety nets tend to exist with little conscious thought – or even appreciation – by many. Read more

Everybody knows that inequality has been rising in New Zealand since the reforms of the 1980s. We know this because the media and politicians tell us so. Read more

National’s latest social housing announcements have left a lot of low-hanging fruit for critics. There is enough ambiguity for the Opposition to set the expectations of what good evidence-based reform would look like. Read more

Philosopher George Santayana’s quote about those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it is somewhat of cliché, but only because it is damned applicable. But if there is one situation where it seems to be most apt it is with Greece and its debt crisis. Read more

As a researcher at a public policy think tank with a strong focus on economics, it is sometimes easy to take prices, and the influence they have on behaviour and innovation, for granted. Two recent incidents highlighted how powerful this mechanism can be. Read more