Welcome to the 1970s
Perhaps the most urgent task is to realise that demand-side stimulus cannot fix supply shocks. Ultimately, it took policymakers most of the 1970s to finally realise that. [...]
Publications
The West is back
Putin’s war on Ukraine, and Zelensky’s heroism, force us all to take a stand. It leaves no room for neutrality, even if dressed up as an independent foreign policy. [...]
No excuse for being Russian
Targeting Putin and his supporters makes much sense. But demonising Russian culture more broadly is stupid, not least because it pushes Russians into line with the dictator. [...]
The economic consequences of the war
Russia’s actions have set in motion a chain of events that could plunge the world into a serious economic crisis. [...]
No method in Putin’s madness
Putin’s attack on Ukraine was a complete miscalculation. But that now makes it our problem. [...]
Flying blind
Challenges, threats, and severe risks abound. But does New Zealand have the institutions to handle them? Does the government have the necessary capabilities? [...]
Decades of pacifism gone in a day
Germany has elevated security to the top of its political agenda. And it has finally dumped the weak, amoral, and irresponsible foreign policy of the Merkel years. [...]
Our generation’s historic challenge
We must rediscover the cultural and political foundations of our civilisation. It is the Enlightenment values of freedom and peace that we must defend against illiberalism, both at home and abroad. [...]
An inflation crisis of the Government’s making
What if the same politicians now trying to save us from high prices caused our current situation? [...]
Self-absorbed West needs reality check on actual existential threats
It may be a good time for a reality check, especially in Western industrialised countries. Perhaps they worry and feel helpless about things that, though bad, may not pose the most existential threats. [...]