Fix flawed values of statistical life and life years to get better policy outcomes - NZIER Insight 16
June 16, 2010
When taxpayers' money is spent on health and safety measures in transport and healthcare services, the decisions made implicitly or explicitly place values on saving lives and casualties. In recent years there has been a move towards using standard measures of these values so that the … Read more
NZ, the US and trade liberalisation: don't panic! NZIER Insight 14
March 24, 2010
If one was to believe some of the recent media articles in New Zealand, it would be easy to think that we’re completely mad to be negotiating a free trade agreement with the US. We beg to differ. While no trade deal will keep everyone happy, and some difficult trade-offs will be requi … Read more
Bolder reforms needed to stop the rot - NZIER Insight 12
January 20, 2010
Anyone who seriously thinks that the Tax Working Group's (TWG) recommendations are radical needs a reality check. The TWG report is a valuable contribution to the economic debate, and deserves a good airing. But if New Zealand is to close the income gap with Australia, we need to do m … Read more
East Asian economic integration: a shot in the arm for the New Zealand economy - NZIER Insight 11
January 17, 2010
NZIER economic modelling shows that the New Zealand economy would benefit significantly from being included in a free trade agreement with East Asian countries. An ambitious agreement that covers trade in goods, services, investment and encourages trade facilitation and competition co … Read more
Something for nothing - NZIER Insight 9
December 9, 2009
Why work for zero pay? That's what more than one million New Zealanders actively involved in volunteering do. People do not normally supply their time and effort (outside their family) without being paid. So volunteers are clearly motivated by something other than pay. Understanding t … Read more
Competition can raise value for public money - NZIER Insight 8
November 26, 2009
The public purse is used to purchase approximately $30 billion dollars of goods and services per year. Now more than ever, the fiscal situation demands central and local government departments spend wisely. One very effective way to ensure value for money in procurement processes is f … Read more
Border taxes: should New Zealand be worried? NZIER Insight 7
November 23, 2009
A number of countries are talking about introducing border taxes to protect their local industry from imports from countries that have no or soft policies to tackle climate change. This is a risk to New Zealand’s exports, but overseas consumer perceptions of the sustainability of good … Read more
NZ exports - more diverse than commonly thought - NZIER Insight 6
October 21, 2009
New Zealand businesses offer a wide range of products that are competitive in the global market. The days of New Zealand being the ‘market garden’ for the United Kingdom disappeared in the 1960’s. The size of our dairy and meat export portfolio can fool us into thinking that the non-f … Read more
Is there a housing shortage? NZIER Insight 5
October 11, 2009
Housing has been a key driver of the economy over recent years, both in creating strong growth and the recent recession. Recent house price, house sales and building consents data suggest the cycle is turning up, although there is considerable uncertainty around the sustainability of … Read more
Maximising the value of water - NZIER Insight 4
September 23, 2009
New Zealand policy makers are paying growing attention to the way that water is allocated. As with any scarce resource, there are economic benefits from ensuring that water is distributed optimally across society. This Insight outlines how New Zealand's freshwater resources are curren … Read more