In the 30 years in which he has been writing the Listener’s economics column, Dr Brian Easton has reported on and analysed the evolution of the New Zealand economy, often predicting changes long before the conventional wisdom has recognised them. He holds positions in four New Zealand universities, has written many books, has worked as a consultant, advised the New Zealand government and is a Distinguished Fellow of the New Zealand Association of Economists. He brings a wide range of experiences in economics, social statistics and public policy as well as interests in history, literature and science to his columns. He is currently writing a history of New Zealand from an economic perspective. His archival website is at www.eastonbh.ac.nz.
Brian Easton
The future of the South Island
Without a thriving Christchurch, the Mainland’s prospects are limited, says Brian... [more]
Germany must makes adjustments too
Countries in surplus must play their part if they want to avoid a worse Europe-wide recession. [more]
Government not paying attention to…
Too little Government attention is given to the stuff that really matters. [more]
Value in goods exchange
Perceptions of value in an exchange of goods can be clouded by cultural assumptions. [more]
Europe’s economic struggle
Europe’s unfolding debt drama is like watching a motorway pile-up in... [more]
Stopping the credit crunch
What can be done to stop the money lenders considering us an even higher risk? [more]
First past the post has not served us well
Brian Easton looks at the history of FPP and decides it should have been called musical seats. [more]
NZ child welfare a disgrace
We are making only half-hearted attempts to deal with our disgraceful welfare of children. [more]
Loose regulations sink economies – and buildings
What do New Zealand buildings and the global economy have in common? [more]
Households cause balance sheet problems
Households seem to be causing the problem with our overall balance sheet. [more]
Infrastructure problems in New Zealand
We worry much more about infrastructure ownership than how well it does the job. [more]
Do we deserve to host the RWC?
The problem with temporary events is that we are failing to use them to create a permanent legacy. [more]
US debt default – where to from here?
What would have happened if the US had defaulted – and where to from here? [more]
The fine line between gambling and investment
There is sometimes a fine line between investment and gambling. [more]
Great NZ financial crisis
Two have been entirely our fault; with the others we made a bad situation worse. [more]
Goff and Cunliffe: in danger of over-promising
Policies formed in Opposition can bite a new government on the bum. [more]
Amartya Sen and India’s future
India is a country of the past, but it is also a country of the future. [more]
Christchurch earthquake tax
An earthquake tax would be fairer than punishing the poor, weak and vulnerable. [more]