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Ferne Nachbarn

06/10/2012
Neuseeland und Australien, das ist eine Geschichte von zwei ungleichen Brüdern. Als ehemalige britische Kolonien in der geografischen Isolation des Südpazifik – so könnte man annehmen – müsste sie das gemeinsame Schicksal zusammengeschweisst haben. Tatsächlich jedoch sind beide Länder damit ganz unterschiedlich umgegangen. Während sich Neuseeland immer noch britisch gibt, haben sich die Australier eher an Amerika ausgerichtet. Und das sind nicht die einzigen Unterschiede.

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Beer and beaches

06/09/2012
Being an economist is tough. You can’t even enjoy a beer without considering the macro-economic consequences. I just discovered my local New World is now stocking Flensburger Pilsener.

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Australia’s metropolises at the crossroads

24/07/2012
Australia’s big cities are now less different (or more similar) to their neighbours in the Asia-Pacific. Not only are they becoming more ethnically Asian but Asia’s cities have become wealthier, more productive, and more Western.

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Vertrauen ist gut, Kontrolle ist besser

06/06/2012
Vertrauen mag der Anfang von allem sein. Aber die Finanzkrise hat gezeigt, dass es auch unter ordnungspolitischen Gesichtspunkten am Ende nicht ohne eine intelligente Kontrolle des Bankwesens geht. Bankenzerschlagungen braucht es dazu gleichwohl nicht, wohl aber eine konsequentere Durchsetzung des Prinzips der Haftung sowohl für Bankaktionäre als auch für Topbanker.

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Government versus Markets – The Changing Economic Role of the State

20/04/2012
Readers do not have to agree with every single prediction or assessment in Tanzi’s book, and may even miss a more clearly spelt out recipe of how to reduce government to the smaller size that the author deems sufficient to fulfil the functions of a modern state. But Tanzi’s well-written, thoughtful and thought-provoking book will leave readers better informed and better able to engage in debates about the future role of the state in the economy.

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Beyond the Invisible Hand (book review)

06/03/2012
After the turmoil of the Global Financial Crisis, economics needs to escape from the dead ends of neoclassicism. Unfortunately, Basu’s self-proclaimed ‘groundwork for a new economics’ fails to achieve this.

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Becoming a better economist

26/02/2012
Traditional rankings of the least trustworthy professions always deliver the same result. Politicians, taxi drivers and journalists come out on top. However, in the wake of the financial crisis economists can no longer be far behind. At least jokes about hapless economists are not in short supply these days – which to economists is a clear indication that there must be a demand for such ridicule.

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Driving a false message

25/01/2012
A car industry is only worth having if it is able to stand on its own feet. Keeping an industry alive for the sake of having an industry is economic folly and a waste of taxpayers’ resources.

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Let the online bargain hunt begin, properly

15/12/2011
Thanks to the high dollar, Australians have become the world’s most savvy online bargain hunters. Parcels with cheaper DVDs from the US, computer games from Hong Kong and books from Britain arrive on our shores in their thousands every day.

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