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Brian Easton
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Economist Brian Easton says the coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies
4th Dec 23, 8:22am
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Economist Brian Easton says the coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies
Economist Brian Easton assesses Winston Peters' past performance as a cabinet minister and finds that Peters has been 'a reasonable but not outstanding minister' showing very good political skills - but mediocre policy ones
27th Nov 23, 9:14am
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Economist Brian Easton assesses Winston Peters' past performance as a cabinet minister and finds that Peters has been 'a reasonable but not outstanding minister' showing very good political skills - but mediocre policy ones
The picture the commentariat presents of Winston Peters is a misleading caricature. If we don’t try to understand the complexity of the man, we cannot understand what is going on in New Zealand politics, writes economist Brian Easton
20th Nov 23, 8:12am
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The picture the commentariat presents of Winston Peters is a misleading caricature. If we don’t try to understand the complexity of the man, we cannot understand what is going on in New Zealand politics, writes economist Brian Easton
Economist Brian Easton draws attention to the complexities of implementing a politician’s promises or popular demands and says we are going to be disappointed because once again many manifesto promises got fudged in the heat of the campaign
13th Nov 23, 9:28am
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Economist Brian Easton draws attention to the complexities of implementing a politician’s promises or popular demands and says we are going to be disappointed because once again many manifesto promises got fudged in the heat of the campaign
Economist Brian Easton says there is a view that the world economy is entering a period of higher inflation and higher nominal interest rates, but who knows? Presumably New Zealand has to follow
6th Nov 23, 9:46am
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Economist Brian Easton says there is a view that the world economy is entering a period of higher inflation and higher nominal interest rates, but who knows? Presumably New Zealand has to follow
Economist Brian Easton says the more informed an economist is, the more they keep their head down during elections
30th Oct 23, 8:32am
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Economist Brian Easton says the more informed an economist is, the more they keep their head down during elections
Brian Easton says while Claudia Goldin won the 2023 Nobel Economics Laureateship and may have progressed our understanding of women in the economy, that has not resolved all the issues
23rd Oct 23, 9:28am
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Brian Easton says while Claudia Goldin won the 2023 Nobel Economics Laureateship and may have progressed our understanding of women in the economy, that has not resolved all the issues
Economist Brian Easton says while Singapore and New Zealand have rather different economic structures, the two small economies work together in the international political economy
9th Oct 23, 8:39am
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Economist Brian Easton says while Singapore and New Zealand have rather different economic structures, the two small economies work together in the international political economy
Economist Brian Easton says while the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates
2nd Oct 23, 8:57am
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Economist Brian Easton says while the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates
Economist Brian Easton says a close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase
25th Sep 23, 9:25am
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Economist Brian Easton says a close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase
Economist Brian Easton says despite the headlines, things are not much worse than at the time of the 2023 budget - but fiscal management is always difficult
18th Sep 23, 9:40am
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Economist Brian Easton says despite the headlines, things are not much worse than at the time of the 2023 budget - but fiscal management is always difficult
Economist Brian Easton says public policy frequently suffers because we don’t look at alternatives
11th Sep 23, 8:27am
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Economist Brian Easton says public policy frequently suffers because we don’t look at alternatives
Economist Brian Easton says Evergrande and Country Garden – two giant Chinese property development companies – are a portent of the turbulence before us
4th Sep 23, 8:27am
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Economist Brian Easton says Evergrande and Country Garden – two giant Chinese property development companies – are a portent of the turbulence before us
Economist Brian Easton says banning mobile phones in schools points to wider issues
28th Aug 23, 8:38am
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Economist Brian Easton says banning mobile phones in schools points to wider issues
Economist Brian Easton says the recent reduction in the US credit rating signals that market lenders are not happy with the US fiscal arrangements. New Zealand’s lower rating is a warning that we could do better too
21st Aug 23, 9:22am
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Economist Brian Easton says the recent reduction in the US credit rating signals that market lenders are not happy with the US fiscal arrangements. New Zealand’s lower rating is a warning that we could do better too
Economist Brian Easton says it is the professionalism – competence and integrity – of the doctors, nurses and technicians who provide the care which obscures the managerial failure
14th Aug 23, 9:10am
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Economist Brian Easton says it is the professionalism – competence and integrity – of the doctors, nurses and technicians who provide the care which obscures the managerial failure
Economist Brian Easton says it is too easy to react to a problem rather than to tackle it thoughtfully
8th Aug 23, 9:12am
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Economist Brian Easton says it is too easy to react to a problem rather than to tackle it thoughtfully
Economist Brian Easton has a canter through some of the issues facing tax policies
24th Jul 23, 8:56am
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Economist Brian Easton has a canter through some of the issues facing tax policies
Economist Brian Easton says we really need a proper discussion on the ACT party's proposal before it gets into office and tries to implement it
17th Jul 23, 9:42am
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Economist Brian Easton says we really need a proper discussion on the ACT party's proposal before it gets into office and tries to implement it
Economist Brian Easton wonders whether we are evaluating the economy on the right criteria and says perhaps we should be paying more attention to rising overseas debt
4th Jul 23, 8:21am
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Economist Brian Easton wonders whether we are evaluating the economy on the right criteria and says perhaps we should be paying more attention to rising overseas debt
Economist Brian Easton says we have it around the wrong way. The issue is not what the arts contribute to market output. It is what market output contributes to the arts – and a lot more besides
26th Jun 23, 9:35am
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Economist Brian Easton says we have it around the wrong way. The issue is not what the arts contribute to market output. It is what market output contributes to the arts – and a lot more besides
Economist Brian Easton asks: Why doesn’t our government reflect New Zealanders; why doesn’t Parliament make them?
19th Jun 23, 9:05am
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Economist Brian Easton asks: Why doesn’t our government reflect New Zealanders; why doesn’t Parliament make them?
Brian Easton asks: Was another IT debacle inevitable given the management arrangements?
12th Jun 23, 8:53am
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Brian Easton asks: Was another IT debacle inevitable given the management arrangements?
Steven Levitt, famous for his Freakonomics, shows that being an economist is not just mouthing supply and demand.
5th Jun 23, 9:53am
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Steven Levitt, famous for his Freakonomics, shows that being an economist is not just mouthing supply and demand.
The Treasury has released its budget economic forecasts. Economist Brian Easton asks: What do the forecasts say about the economy over the next four months?
29th May 23, 11:57am
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The Treasury has released its budget economic forecasts. Economist Brian Easton asks: What do the forecasts say about the economy over the next four months?