Taxonomic vandalism, EU-style
When the EU embarked on developing its own taxonomy, maybe it should have consulted with a few biologists. That may have prevented it from creating a monster. [...]
Regulation
Government the real obstacle to supermarket competition
Only free entry into the retail market would tell us if there is enough supermarket competition in New Zealand. [...]
Financial stability and due scrutiny
The Reserve Bank should allow itself and the public more time for consultation on new capital requirements for banks. [...]
Protecting consumers from themselves (and each other)
What if people were best placed to figure out for themselves what is good for them and what is not? [...]
A penny saved is a penny earned
When it comes to regulatory burdens, it is not necessarily the cost of a specific regulation that matters. It is the fact that many such seemingly trivial regulations taken together impose substantial costs on businesses. [...]
No escape from the regulatory maze
How do you escape this regulatory maze? Unfortunately, not even a regulatory veteran like Sir Roderick has a magic wand to cut out an escape path. [...]
Public broadcasting is poor economics
In a world of hundreds of TV channels, internet streaming services and encrypted broadcasting, why do we still have giant public broadcasters? This is the question that German economists Justus Haucap, Christiane Kehder and Ina Loebert ask in a new paper for the Berlin-based think tank Prometheus Institute. [...]
Why the EU is hung up on mobile roaming
The idea of abolishing all roaming rates across the EU may have populist appeal, and it is easy to see why EU politicians are pushing the idea. However, it is equally clear why such a policy does not make much sense. [...]
Plain stupid
In a world of complex markets with millions of buyers, sellers and products, brands provide orientation. This is what brands contribute to civilisation. [...]
No olive branch for a European comedy
Whether there have to be single-use oil canisters on European restaurant tables or not may not be the biggest question for the world economy today. But to watch the European Union dealing with it in such an overly-bureaucratic way, one may well be concerned for the future of the European economy – not just in olive-growing countries. [...]