Politics – Dr Oliver Hartwich

Disagree more constructively

Haidt is one of America’s most important and innovative thinkers, contributing regularly to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. With his plea for people to disagree more constructively with one another, he has an important message for New Zealand as we deal with our own divisions. [...]

Our very own House of Cards

The new Parliament promises to be a place of high theatre. It will be the stage for heroes and villains of Shakespearean proportions. [...]

Let’s get apolitical

There is a world of good policy ideas out there. Whoever wins tomorrow’s election, let’s hope they engage with it. [...]

Centralist reflexes run too deep

Because central government is so dominant, New Zealanders instinctively look at central government to deal with their local issues. [...]

Die Mutter aller Wahlkämpfe

Ob Jacinda Ardern die erste Regierungschefin mit Elternzeit wird, bleibt abzuwarten. Aber im progressiven Neuseeland ist nichts unmöglich. [...]

A culture of debate

A reminder that political debates need to be civil and focused on the arguments is timely. [...]

Most voters just want a pretty face

Sometimes, even a politician's smile is more important than his or her policies. Voter bias towards more beautiful politicians has long been confirmed in surveys. Where voters are uninformed about politicians' plans and beliefs they instinctively go by their appearance. But new research from Scandinavia reveals that good looks are quite unevenly distributed in this beauty contest. [...]