Posts Tagged ‘Economics’
Watch video: The framing and reframing of public policy in New Zealand
The way in which we describe any major social problem largely determines the kind of policy we eventually consider for dealing with it. In this webinar, Michael Hanne explores the ways in which two issues, Poverty and the Housing Crisis, are generally “framed” in public discussion in New Zealand. He offers critiques of that framing and asks how they might usefully be “reframed” in a socially more responsible way. He ends by inviting the audience to talk about other issues they feel need to be reframed.
Read MoreHigh Expectations For The Climate Commission – Will Government’s Action Push Us Fast Enough?
Save the buildings and save the climate Save the climate and save the planet. The built environment is the main cause of climate change and offers the easiest opportunities for necessary change. The only truly sustainable building is the one you do not build. The next most sustainable building is the one you do not demolish. There is no point in recycling plastic bags and milk bottles if we are going to send our living buildings off to landfill.
Read MoreSubmission to the Government on the ETS
Moving to a charging system for emissions that is simpler, fairer, more transparent, more effective and involves lower administration costs, for example a standard carbon charge payable to the government that applies to all New Zealand-based emissions.
Read MoreSubmission to the Government on the TPPA
The TPPA in its current form is strongly aligned to protecting relatively short-term corporate business interests rather than addressing more important and wider environmental and other issues.
Read MoreSubmission on the CPTPP Amendment Bill
We oppose ratification of the TPP in its present form (TPP-11), because its remaining investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions endanger our efforts to deal with climate change.
Read MoreSubmission on the Climate Change Commission’s Recommendations
Although the need for action to limit climate change has been well understood since at least 1990, global CO2 e emissions have continued to increase strongly over the past 30 years.
Read MoreWhat Is Wrong With The New Zealand Electricity Market?
Dr Geoff Bertram spoke to an online meeting of Engineers for Social Responsibility on 19 August 2020. He reviewed the electricity reforms since 1986 and their effects, particularly on pricing, excess profits and anti-competitive practices. He noted the effects particularly on increasing poverty and inequality, specially child poverty and energy poverty. He suggested steps that could be taken to deal with these problems, but noted that invested interests would make implementation of any of them, very difficult to achieve.
Read MoreFronting Up To Our Deteriorating World
A little group of us down in Otago were worried that we always seem to be fighting rear guard actions. We wanted to propose something a bit more proactive and searching. The result is this attached political appeal for people to use at candidates’ meetings etc pre-election. It is being developed further with the intention of using it as the basis for a petition to parliament.
Read MoreTaming The Debt Monster
Financial markets around the world are trying to adjust to the momentous stresses evident in the US and Europe. In NZ, economic forecasts don’t look particularly good. Debt and interest payments will increase as a result of more borrowing, but the borrowing will allow economic growth and that is what we all want, isn’t it?
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