Let it go: Devolving power and resources to improve lives - NZIER working paper 2023/02
December 14, 2023
Working together: Re-focusing public accountability to achieve better lives
March 17, 2023
In reviewing the economics of accountability, we look at how the system of public accountability in Aotearoa New Zealand can contribute to increasing the productivity and effectiveness of the social assistance system, with a focus on addressing persistent disadvantage. Read more
Overcoming preconceptions: How big data can gain a social licence in New Zealand - NZIER Insight 105
January 25, 2023
NZIER Insight 105 is a companion to NZIER Insight 103, in which we examined how the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), administered by Stats NZ, is used in New Zealand for research and how this is helping us to make better policy decisions. In Insight 105, we examine how the IDI ca … Read more
Ki te kotahi te kakaho ka whati, Ki te kapuia e kore e whati: The case for more devolved social services in Te Tairāwhiti
January 18, 2023
We have known for decades that many people in Aotearoa New Zealand experience persistent disadvantage. Addressing disadvantage should be a priority for the government: to improve the lives of the people affected, meet its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and lay the foundations … Read more
How big data can be a force for good - NZIER Insight 103
October 19, 2022
Over the last decade, Stats NZ has developed a powerful tool for policymakers and researchers alike. Known as the Integrated Data Infrastructure or IDI, it draws upon data from across the government and contains de-identified information for people living in New Zealand. Read more
The tale of Goldilocks and the three fears (about the minimum wage) - Insight 96
October 6, 2021
The minimum wage is a ‘Goldilocks’ policy: not too high, not too low. A political consensus on the role and appropriate level of the minimum wage is both possible and desirable. Read more
Gains for everyone: Towards an inclusive growth agenda for Aotearoa New Zealand
November 24, 2020
A joint project with The Helen Clark Foundation. A newly released report from the Helen Clark Foundation and the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research calls for a minimum wage boost to improve inclusion and incentivise investment in capital and skills, leading to greater producti … Read more
Literature scan on the economic effects of social protection expenditure
August 11, 2020
NZIER report to a coalition of non-government organisations with an interest in poverty. NZIER prepared a literature scan to provide theoretical and evidential insights to a coalition of non-government organisations (with an interest in poverty) into the microeconomic and long term ma … Read more
Using big data and economics to understand and improve wellbeing - NZIER Insight 81
June 10, 2019
Wellbeing and data are increasingly at the heart of government policy-making. This Insight shows how economic explanations for behaviour, combined with large datasets, can inform policy. Read more
Kia māia: Be bold, Improving the wellbeing of children living in poverty
May 20, 2019
Kiwis believe in giving people a fair go. Improving the wellbeing of children living in poverty fits with these values. Read more