This text examines the origins, theory, history and politics of the dramatic change in economic policy in New Zealand, from Robert Muldoon's interventionalism to Roger Douglas's commercialization. It is illustrated with case studies including broadcasting, cultural policy, education, environment and heritage, the system of government, health, the labour market and science.
Author Biography
Dr Brian Easton, New Zealand's best-known economist, is an independent scholar, researcher, writer, consultant and teacher in economics, social statistics, and public policy. He is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a chartered statistician. As author, co-author or editor of more than 30 books, Brian writes regularly for the NZ Listener and other journals and newspapers. In 2002 he was appointed to the Prime Minister's Growth and Innovation Advisory Board and, in 2005, he was made a distinguished fellow of the New Zealand Association of Economists. As well as teaching in a number of universities Brian is a familiar keynote speaker at conferences and an often trenchant critic of economic orthodoxy.
