Hard News: Getting out of the archives
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Unlike Don Brash, McCann notes that New Zealand enjoys a transparent and largely corruption-free business environment, good-quality institutions, a sound regard for property rights, light regulation and a relatively small public sector
Someone give that man $477,000! ;-)
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I particularly like this from McCann:
Deregulation + institutional reform → new possibilities for competition and profits → entrepreneurship → innovation → profitability → investment → economic growthSee all those other points between deregulation and economic growth? Those are the parts we're failing at, the BRT just doesn't want to admit it because it's businesses fault, not "damn gummint's" fault.
Of course Brash's formula is Deregulation → Magic Box of Magicness → economic growth
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Of course Brash's formula is Deregulation → Magic Box of Magicness → economic growth
I thought it was Tax Cuts → ignore last 25 years of evidence → economic growth?
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Re Sean's Pasta Rasta:
We have a history of underground digs at the establishment. A good "scientific" one is here:
A nice dig at CRIs and GNS in particular. A wee bit dated but seems someone is keeping a modicum of update.
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Economic geography, globalisation and New Zealand’s productivity paradox, a 69-slide presentation (PDF) by Phillip McCann, Professor of Economic Geography University of Groningen, The Netherlands and Professor of Economics University of Waikato.
Is there a copy of the actual paper online?
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We're already one of the most deregulated countries in the world. There are lots of reasons why we fail to perform, but excessive regulation is certainly not one of them.
It could be argued that one of the reasons why we fail is we're too damn deregulated. But even that's too simplistic.
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I didn't realise Don Brash was an underpants gnome.
It all makes far more sense now.
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So I take from
“Kiwi entrepreneurship” – yes, “kiwi
innovation” – noWe're really good at striking out on our own, just not so good at doing something no-one else has done before? Which is presumably tied to the fact that our tiny domestic market makes it really hard to get traction with a new idea.
But I can't tell if this is counting 'successful' innovation only or including new-venture failures.
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I would quite like to see this bus advertisement campaign - Nice People Take Drugs - but it's been pulled from London buses.
You can still get the t-shirt and pack of cards.
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Although McCann makes some good points (I think -- PowerPoint makes it hard to tell), his solutions seem a little underwhelming. Turn the upper North Island into a supercity centred on Auckland? Completely despoil and urbanize the natural environment north to Whangarei and south to Tauranga? Build more airports? Really?
But surely if, as McCann points out, Auckland has 15% less GDP now than Adelaide despite being the same size, simply expanding Auckland's borders won't on its own bring about this magical change of magicness. Will it?
And if Finland is the world's most competitive economy despite (McCann's word) having strong unions, high taxes, and a highly regulated economy, perhaps those things are, you know, somehow correlated with having a highly educated, productive work force that won't flee en masse as soon as they get their bachelor's degrees. (One of McCann's requirements for improved economic performance.) And it's not as though Finland is riddled with supercities either.
To give him credit, though, McCann does subtly indicate that the current government's policies will intensify the economic problems that are leading to NZ's decline -- outmigration due to a lack of acknowledgment that those who don't milk cows are people too; and an obsession with primary agricultural production at the expense of diversification.
This is what happens when you put Timaru in charge: they want to turn the entire country into, well, Timaru.
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Anyone else notice the URL for the athiest campaign (www.nogod.org.nz) could be read as "nog OD" - also quite topical for this time of year.
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The funds raised will cover a series of bus advertisements (same message as the UK: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.
But the campaign also aims to promote debate on issues such as God, religion and religion’s influence on society. Religion should not be a taboo subject that no one brings up at dinner parties – we should be discussing what we believe and why."
One reason I don't discuss religion at dinner parties is that it almost invariable ends up in the intense desire to stab some condescending arse in the eye with a cheese knife. Mucks up my digestion something awful.
I am enjoying my life, thanks, and the things I worry about are generally worth the effort. But thanks for the concern troll.
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Is there a copy of the actual paper online?
New Zealand Economic Papers is a Routledge journal, so you'd need an institutional subscription to Informaworld or Proquest to get the actual article. Here's a link to the abstract.
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Ooh! It turns out the author of Sean Makes Crafts is someone I know! Nice work, [redacted]!
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The New Zealand Institute issued a discussion paper a few days ago. It highlights how little NZ businesses invest in R&D, and how generally we're poor at commercialising innovation. And the number of patents we file is pretty dismal compared to the OECD average.
This is in part due to the lack of incentives to spend on R&D (no tax credits), and to cultural issues (such as the "DIY" Kiwi attitude that avoids use of experts and specialists).
The NZI report also has shiny pictures.
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The Atheist Bus campaign is getting so many donations that its target has just been doubled to $20,000.
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One of the aspects of the rewording of the TVNZ Amendment Act that I find most curious is that all mention of specific audiences or broadcasting requirements have been deleted, with the sole exception of "Maori interests" . Is this another case of an accommodation between National and the Maori Party?
I mentioned this when I did a piece for News @ 8 last night but it is difficult to develop an argument with a solitary camera lense poointing at you.
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I don't discuss religion at dinner parties is that it almost invariable ends up in the intense desire to stab some condescending arse in the eye with a cheese knife.
Did you say fish fork before?
I thought condescending conversation would have been fitting at dinner parties that provide a fish fork.I suppose its makes a point of difference from an idiot who thinks he's a savant. Who last time it was mentioned (atheist bus campaign) came out with the gem, if I may paraphrase:
Cant be arsed, I'll just wait for the god botherers to drop dead, cause they are all geriatric's anyway.
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I thought it was Tax Cuts → ignore last 25 years of evidence → economic growth?
Shhhhh, you're spoiling the magicness!
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The Atheist Bus campaign is getting so many donations that its target has just been doubled to $20,000.
I donated and I'm amazed at how much they have raised so far and how quickly. Obviously there is a deep well of discontent (is that the right word?) about the issue...
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the toppermost is Lawrence Arabia's Chant Darling
a. Who are, IIRC, playing in ChCh tonight and Dunedin tomorrow? Before the European tour in January which will make James and crowd almighty stars of global proportions and then you can be all like "I totally saw them at Chicks Hotel in 09"
b. Toppermost, great word. -
Sue,
personally I'm just impressed by the quality of the turn out for each craft by the mystery shaun
I am however waiting with baited breath for macaroni necklaces
very much and old school favourite -
Did you say fish fork before?
Yes, but on reflection I don't think I've ever been to a full dress dinner party with a fish course and appropriate cutlery. Cheese boards -- quite another matter. :)
But seriously, I don't like being condescended to as some guilt-ridden loon any more than the atheists of my acquaintance appreciate being patronised as moral defectives. In the spirit of WWJAD, I'll keep the conversation to the weather and the state of the roads.
And if you want to encourage any kind of "debate" worth having, it might be work wondering if this kind of sneering is really helpful:
Why say ‘stop worrying’?
It’s a catchy, ad-friendly way of expressing the idea that you do not need to feel any of the worry or guilt that may exist in your life associated with religion. Especially in regard to such things as the Christian ads to which the UK Campaign was a response to, which linked to a website that promised non-Christians and eternity of torment in a lake of fire.
FFS... If you want to be noxiously reductive how about "Allah probably doesn't exist. Stop blowing shit up, and chill"? It's a catchy, ad-friendly way of expressing opposition to Islamic fundamentalism, but also a pretty offensive caricature of over a billion human beings who are not some faith-based Borg Collective.
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Sean's site is more user-friendly than this one http://www.craftown.com/xmas.htm
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Wow, there's a whole new world opening up for me. Thanks Sean.
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