Seven years lost - NZIER Insight 33
March 14, 2012
Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu (In search of lost time) inspired the Proust index in The Economist newspaper of 25 February 2012. The Economist looked across a number of economic measures to see how far back countries have slipped since the global economic crisis. We replicate … Read more
Economics like there's no tomorrow - NZIER Insight 32
December 2, 2011
Do you get the sense that New Zealand doesn’t invest in the major public infrastructure facilities like we used to? Previous generations built entire networks for rail, road, water and energy. Only Muldoon’s Think Big projects and the current ‘Roads of National Significance’ might com … Read more
Be a whizz at writing a RIS - NZIER Insight 31
November 18, 2011
Decision makers need information. Whether they are ministers, mayors or corporate execs, all will need to weigh up the costs and benefits of their actions. Advisers and analysts have the role of collating and presenting the necessary information in a snappy and digestible form. In a c … Read more
Canterbury after the earthquakes - NZIER Insight 30
November 8, 2011
The Canterbury earthquakes have disrupted lives and the economy. This Insight brings together key economic indicators to provide a snapshot of the economic disruption. The true cost of the disaster will not be known for some time. The immediate clean-up and reconstruction is boosting … Read more
QSBO performance indices : How useful are they?
October 12, 2011
This paper assesses the predictive power of performance indices, constructed from Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion (Q SBO) data, to forecast economic activity. Read more
Industry productivity and the Australia-New Zealand income gap
September 19, 2011
Differences in productivity explain much of the growing income gap between Australia and New Zealand. Good policy responses rely on understanding the sources of these differences. Read more
No bias in pump price movements up or down - NZIER Insight 29
September 15, 2011
Petrol prices have been rising in recent weeks. It may feel like petrol prices at the pump move up faster and further than they fall, but we find there is no empirical evidence to support this. Prices fall as quick and as far as they rise when crude oil prices change. Read more
Flowing on from the NPS - NZIER Insight 28
July 22, 2011
The National Policy Statement (NPS) on Freshwater Management is a good first step, but it may leave local authorities in the dark about how to meet its intent. Read more
QSBO bibliography : selected research using the NZIER Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion
May 30, 2011
NZIER working paper 2004/2 by Robert Buckle and Brian Silverstone. Revised and updated May 2011 Read more
Is Working for Families working for families? NZIER Insight 27
April 1, 2011
Working for Families (WFF) was introduced between 2004 and 2007 to "make work pay" and ensure income adequacy for families with children. The policy has reduced child poverty, drawn an extra 8,100 sole parents into some paid work, encouraged more of them to work 20 hours or more, and … Read more