As with so many ideas for government expansion into areas of the economy, the concept of universal preschool seems appealing. However, once you consider whether government should have a role educating children below school-age and think about the policy implications of it doing so, it immediately becomes clear that this idea fails every test. As […]
Global warming: a review and how to respond
People on both sides of the global warming debate often seem to talk at cross purposes and frequently in emotional tones. While climate science is incredibly complex, the policy implications seem to me to be relatively straightforward, yet get lost amongst the shrill clamor of the academics, politicians and media pundits. In this piece, I’ll […]
Keeping the wider family involved from a distance – how we use Skype
(Note that this post was subsequently turned into a Father’s Day blog post on the official Skype blog here.) Several friends with newborns and toddlers have commented on how they’ve tried and mostly failed at using Skype (or similar internet video services) to keep connected with family and friends. When we’ve discussed what they’ve tried, […]
New Zealand pays price for letting mateship die
Published in the Australian Financial Review, June 13, 2002 Should the NZ Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Helen Clark, win enough support to govern alone, the paths of New Zealand and Australia look set to keep diverging. A strong showing by the Green Party would result in more isolationist policies. A National government would […]
Bringing home the baby – how we managed in those early days
I once wrote an email to my younger brother before he had his first kid. In it I told him some of the things we learned about caring for a baby and wished we’d been told beforehand. When friends and colleagues were expecting, I’d dig it up and forward it on with a comment such […]