economics Archive

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  Park the urban sprawl – how parking shapes our cities - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  The Herald reports the government has been criticizing Auckland Council for it’s new spatial plan. The government says the spatial plan places too much emphasis on improving public transport and creating a compact urban form (as if they’re bad!). read more
  October 27, 2011 9:18 am - 7 Comments
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  Twits send in their economic vision for NZ - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  I was given a ticket for a person to watch the Budget speeches live in Parliament tomorrow so thought I’d run an experiment. I tweeted that I’d give the ticket to someone who shared their personal economic vision for New Zealand with me online. Sure it wasn’t a Play Station 3 or a bike as [...] read more
  May 18, 2011 8:28 pm - 4 Comments
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  State of the Planet speech 2011 - by frog

  
  
  
  Last Sunday Russel gave the annual State of the Planet speech to a packed and excited crowd at Te Mahurehure Marae in Auckland. It was a great and powerful speech that clearly defined the Green vision for Aotearoa. Russel also attacked National and Labour for bludging off our grandchildren and pulling the ladder of opportunity [...] read more
  February 3, 2011 9:22 am - 11 Comments
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  What’s the matter with fractional reserve banking? - by frog

  
  
  
  A thread for those wishing to further explore the nature of the banking system. This video series highlighted by a reader provides a backgrounder on how the fractional reserve system developed and what the implications are. read more
  January 18, 2011 3:34 pm - 356 Comments
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  The theory behind sustainable economics - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  My posts of October 29 and November 9 about our Sustainable Economics Conference last Friday in Parliament have generated a fair bit of discussion. There has been interesting comment on the relationship between money, debt, and thermodynamics; the impact of bank interest and derivatives on financial stability; population growth and the planet’s carrying capacity; and [...] read more
  November 16, 2010 6:04 pm - 4 Comments
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  To Be [Happy], or Not to Be: That is the Question - by Kennedy Graham

  
  
  
  Nobel economics prize winner, Joseph Stiglitz, has called on world leaders to move away from a purely economic concept of gross domestic product.  And the UK Govt. is reported as poised to start measuring people’s psychological and environmental well-being, bidding to be among the first countries to officially monitor ‘happiness’. This is not actually new, [...] read more
  November 16, 2010 1:47 pm - 25 Comments
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  23 things they don’t tell you about capitalism - by frog

  
  
  
  Ha-Joon Chang writes in his latest book: Economists are not some innocent technicians who did a decent job within the narrow confines of their expertise until they were collectively wrong-footed by a once-in-a-century disaster that no one could have predicted. Far from being an inward-looking, hermetic discipline, economics has been a hugely powerful – and [...] read more
  October 6, 2010 10:40 am - 18 Comments
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  Youth MP speeches — Jack McDonald - by frog

  
  
  
  Earlier in the month parliament was over-run by youth MPs. Our youth MPs spoke about a range of topics and their speeches will be posted over the next couple of weeks. First one up is Jack McDonald who was Sue Kedlgey’s youth MP. He mihi nunui ki te Whare Pāremata e whakawhaiti nei i te [...] read more
  July 27, 2010 4:52 pm - 108 Comments
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  The GST hike means a rough ride ahead for small businesses - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  It’s good to see that other people than just the Green Party are concerned about the disruptive impacts of the GST rise on small businesses in New Zealand read more
  April 23, 2010 1:11 pm - 5 Comments
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  Economics is not as certain as some people make out – the minimum wage - by frog

  
  
  
  In economics theories come into fashion, wane, get tossed onto the junk heap and sometimes dusted off and given another run around the block. For example, the minimum wage: A common claim is that wages are like any other price and as such obey the economic laws that govern supply and demand. Therefore, raising the [...] read more
  February 25, 2010 5:34 pm - 22 Comments
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  Fitch is sending New Zealand a message - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  It is hardly surprising Fitch has signalled a credit watch on account of our current account deficit. The Greens have been pointing out the seriousness of our overseas deficit for many years. There is not much compassion in international circles for people who have been living beyond their means for many years and expecting others [...] read more
  July 17, 2009 5:57 pm - 72 Comments
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  Oil touches US $70/bbl - by frog

  
  
  
  It seems like a very strange deja vu.  It wasn’t that long ago that we were witnessing a steep and steady increase in the price of oil. I don’t think that today’s price – US$71.89/bbl has any longevity. Whether up or down, it will keep moving, as I predicted last October: If I get out [...] read more
  June 11, 2009 3:22 pm - 41 Comments
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  World economy to shrink in 2009 - by frog

  
  
  
  That was the BBC headline overnight, citing the World Bank as the source of the uplifting economic news that the global economy will shrink this year for the first time since WWII: By the middle of 2009, industrial output could be as much as 15% lower than 2008, while trade may record the biggest decline [...] read more
  March 10, 2009 10:53 am - 8 Comments
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  The New Copernicans - by frog

  
  
  
  It wasn’t that long ago in historical terms that Nicolaus Copernicus bucked the established western wisdom and asserted that the earth may in fact orbit the sun. He rightfully feared the retribution of the authorities and was careful to pay them tribute when he finally did publish shortly before his death. Although the evidence has [...] read more
  November 19, 2008 11:43 am - 23 Comments
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  Good economics advice - by frog

  
  
  
  Some people mistakenly get a bit down on the standard and quality of education these days.  But when it comes to knowing the right place to get the best answer it seems the Auckland University economics students Jeanette met yesterday are pretty clued up: Just before she leaves, she asks Steven if there’s anything he [...] read more
  November 5, 2008 1:37 pm - 4 Comments
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  Daly and Suzuki on the folly of growth - by frog

  
  
  
  I am spending some of my holiday weekend wallowing in this month´s New Scientist special issue entitled ¨The folly of growth¨. (Both linked articles require a subscription to read, sorry. I bought a hard copy.) Economist Herman Daly talks about how economics has a blind spot that has put humanity and the the earth on [...] read more
  October 27, 2008 12:01 pm - 92 Comments
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  Did National really want to be measured on how much it would grow by? - by frog

  
  
  
  Kiwiblog and National’s Nick Smith are both complaining that the Greens ‘criteria for choosing who we could or could not work with after the election were biased because they did not ask what each party was going to do to grow the economy or create wealth. This is the perfect opportunity to segue into another [...] read more
  October 20, 2008 4:33 pm - 46 Comments
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  Subsidised cycling - by frog

  
  
  
  The Freakonomics blog not is just a quirky read but also quite often says things that if a Green frog were to say them might be dismissed as the ravings of a watermelon commie hippie, but are actually the observations of trained economists.  So this week we have: My Dutch co-author and I biked to [...] read more
  June 6, 2008 7:06 am - 12 Comments
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  Trade and debt - by frog

  
  
  
  If it’s true as the evidence seems to indicate that New Zealand’s free trade for growth agenda is leading to larger and larger current account deficits, what does that mean for our economy? I thought it was worth reposting this comment of Andrew’s from yesterday for debate: Trade deficits have the opposite problem in that [...] read more
  March 21, 2008 8:02 am - 13 Comments
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  $1.5 billion trade debt with little old Singapore. China is next - by frog

  
  
  
  I said one of the outstanding questions around preferential trade agreement with China was the economic impact it would have on New Zealanders. In 2001 New Zealand signed a preferential trade agreement with Singapore. Check out what it did for our balance of trade: TRADE WITH SINGAPORE Merchandise exports ($ m) Merchandise imports ($m) Merchandise [...] read more
  March 20, 2008 11:47 am - 13 Comments