Central bank independence in monetary policy was hard fought and desperately needed. The deal was simple. Read more
Written language came to humanity relatively recently. Modern homo sapiens have walked the earth for at least 100,000 years. Read more
Oliver Hartwich joins Ben Craven to discuss the new German coalition of the centre-left Social Democrats, the free market Free Democrats, and the Greens. What does the new government believe in, and what can we learn from their huge 177-page coalition document? Read more
At the formation of new governments, it has become an element of German political kitsch to quote from Hermann Hesse’s poem ‘Steps.’ Well, at least the famous line, “A magic dwells in every beginning.” Nonetheless, the talks leading to Germany’s new 'traffic lights coalition' were not particularly magical. Its name comes from the colours of its three parties: the red Social Democrats, the yellow Free Democrats, and the green, well, Greens. Read more
Matt Burgess talks to Ben Craven about his latest NZ Herald column and submission on the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan. Matt explains why most government policy interventions in the name of climate change cannot reduce emissions as they are already under New Zealand’s emissions cap. Read more
It isn’t that a New Zealand drug approval agency is a bad idea per se. It’s rather that the one we have might not be worth having. Read more
New Zealand’s reading light has been dimming for some time. International assessments show New Zealand’s reading performance has fallen, and that Māori and Pasifika students are particularly underserved. Read more
One in eight people worldwide could read Pride and Prejudice when Jane Austen published it in 1813. Today, it is the opposite. Read more
Oliver Hartwich joins Ben Craven to discuss the effects of the Reserve Bank’s Long-term Asset Purchase Scheme that has so far cost taxpayers $6 billion – and counting. To listen to our latest podcasts, please subscribe to The New Zealand Initiative podcast on iTunes, Spotify or The Podcast App. Read more
It is easy to squander taxpayers’ money if you are a central bank. The losses amount to a few thousand dollars per household, but hardly anyone is aware of it. Read more
If you’ve ever had concerns about economists’ ethical commitments, relax. It could be worse. Read more
Our submission is the Emissions Reduction Plan cannot reduce emissionsunder a binding ETS. The government should have written this paper years ago. Read more
Call climate change a catastrophe. Worry about rising seas if you want. Read more
Legislation banning smoking and vaping in cars with children will take effect on Sunday. At the Auckland boundary, police will not only be checking exit papers, but also whether cars comply with the new smokefree regulations. Read more
When land use planning is wrong, it is hard for anything to be right – from housing to supermarkets. Labour and National jointly support legislation allowing people to build more housing. Read more