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Irresponsible lenders on borrowed time
Blogs
While borrowing money at an annualised interest rate of up to 693% wouldn’t appear at the top of anyone’s wish…
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The age of misinformation
Blogs
“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?” lamented the poet T.S. Eliot. “Where is the knowledge we have…
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The $64,000 question
Blogs
As my colleague discussed in a recent column, we have to be careful that our desire to punish offenders and…
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Is there demand for a tourist tax?
Blogs
I’m no economist, but even I know that basic economic theory says that as the price for a product increases,…
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End of Life Choice Bill contains flaws that are impossible to fix
Blogs
This column was published in Fairfax newspapers on Wednesday 20 June 2018 and on stuff.co.nz Parliament has started hearing submissions…
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When AI goes wrong
Blogs
You may have heard that the robots are coming to take our jobs, thanks to artificial intelligence. But a…
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Does punishment prevent crime?
Blogs
Benjamin Franklin once wrote to a friend that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and…
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Beware the consequences of the waka-jumping bill
Blogs
Like many, my first introduction to politics was through a class election. My group decided our key campaign promise was…
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Curing and caring
Blogs
“It has become taboo to mention dying,” says Kathryn Mannix, a leading palliative care specialist from the UK. I know…
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“Stay woke”
Blogs
In a recent video, Barack Obama warned voters about “fake news,” telling us “to be more vigilant with what we…
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Time to take a risk for the regions – Newsroom column
Blogs
To lay out an explanation for the recommendations in our Taking the Right Risks policy paper on regional development, Alex Penk…
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Planning to take the right risks for our regions
Blogs
New Zealand’s Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has a problem. He has three billion dollars and three years to change…
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Excessive tertiary education sends the wrong signals
Blogs
The higher education system is a colossal waste of time and money—far more about signaling to future employers than gaining…
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New Zealanders in harm’s way
Blogs
While we may not have poisonous snakes and spiders in New Zealand, the risks of our natural surroundings are becoming…
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Algorithms no substitute for people
Blogs
The cracks are starting to show on the fancy computer algorithms we rely so heavily upon these days. The recent…
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The end of individualism?
Blogs
In the early nineties, political theorist Francis Fukuyama famously proclaimed the “End of History” was upon us-that western liberal democracy…
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Back to the Trade Wars?
Blogs
It seems the Trade Wars are back on. Battle-lines are being draw up like the musket wars of old, with…
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Why civility should be key in politics
Blogs
Check out Alex’s latest column on stuff.co.nz, originally printed in The Press. When Bill English resigned from Parliament, he prompted…
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