CPW has requested that we cover the Standard’s coverage of the National-Act coalition agreement, specifically this section: National/Act agree to close the ‘income gap’ between Australia and NZ by 2025, requiring ‘3% productivity growth per year’. Which is just economic techno-babble. What ‘income gap’ are they talking about? GDP per capita or wages or what? …
Category Archive: Political economy
Permanent link to this article: http://www.tvhe.co.nz/2008/11/18/do-we-want-productivity-growth/
Nov 14 2008
Welfare maximisation as a framework?
The more I read political blogs in the lead up to the election, the more I realise that media and politicians like to paint issues in a way where they have arbitrary goals – such as “increasing the domestic sale of New Zealand made goods”. However, there is no reason to presume that these goals …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.tvhe.co.nz/2008/11/14/welfare-maximisation-as-a-framework/
Nov 12 2008
In support of progressive taxation
After todays attack on effective “left-wing” politics of blanket transfers and the idea that we need government to save the day, I thought I should come out with a post in favour of other general government action. So lets looks at progressive taxes. It is common for economists to attack progressive taxation as it can …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.tvhe.co.nz/2008/11/12/in-support-of-progressive-taxation/
Nov 10 2008
The myth of the rational voter
I wish I had time at the moment to read Bryan Caplan’s new book or the piece he has written at Cato unbound on the myth of the rational voter. Having only done the briefest skim I can’t really comment on the conclusions he reaches. However, the title seams fairly self explanatory. This has really …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.tvhe.co.nz/2008/11/10/the-myth-of-the-rational-voter/
Nov 06 2008
Social vs Economic Issues: US vs NZ Elections
Greg Mankiw has blogged about young voters abandoning the republican party in the recent Presidnetial election, citing this graph from Andrew Gelman When discussing why he thinks this happened he cites anecdotal evidence from talking to undergrads at Harvard that It was largely noneconomic issues. These particular students told me they preferred the lower tax, …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.tvhe.co.nz/2008/11/06/social-vs-economic-issues-us-vs-nz-elections/
Nov 05 2008
Keeping it Kiwi/Asset sales
I’m certainly glad we are keeping it Kiwi…. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4750128a13.html At the end of the day, I feel that people don’t analyse government asset purchases or sales properly. People get fired up about asset sales and make arguments like “National sold our state assets too cheap” to support the argument that asset sales in general are …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.tvhe.co.nz/2008/11/05/keeping-it-kiwiasset-sales/
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