Eric Crampton is Chief Economist with the New Zealand Initiative.
He applies an economist’s lens to a broad range of policy areas, from devolution and housing policy to student loans and environmental policy. He served on Minister Twyford’s Urban Land Markets Research Group and on Minister Bishop’s Housing Economic Advisory Group.
Most recently, he has been looking at devolution to First Nations in Canada.
He is a regular columnist with Stuff and with Newsroom; his economic and policy commentary appears across most media outlets. He can also be found on Twitter at @ericcrampton.
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
If you think hell is other people, then cities aren’t a great place to live. We are all at least a little bit annoying. Read more
Imagine waking up and discovering that, overnight, you had been granted superpowers. With a touch of your finger, you could cause new housing to emerge in places with housing shortages. Read more
In this episode, Eric talks with Andreas Heuser, partner at Heuser Whittington and lead economist on the government's fuel security study, about why the price system is New Zealand's best tool for managing fuel scarcity in the wake of the Strait of Hormuz closure. They discuss why calls for rationing are misguided, what the Marsden Point decision got right, and how the existing tax and transfer system can address the real pain households are facing. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton talked to Wallace Chapman on RNZ's The Panel about the growing problem of on-street parking in intensifying suburbs, arguing that free street parking is poorly managed and creates perverse incentives for townhouse buyers to forgo on-site car parks. Dr Crampton proposed tradable resident parking passes as a market-based solution, giving existing homeowners something valuable they can sell to newcomers while better managing scarce street space. Read more
Friction, at least as a metaphor for real-world inconveniences and minor hassles in doing things, is usually viewed as a bad thing. Something best done away with, if possible. Read more
It’s hard to compete with free. Who wants to pay for something if you can get it for nothing? Read more
Renowned urbanist Alain Bertaud has spent six decades studying cities: from working as a young draftsman in Chandigarh in 1963 to advising governments worldwide on urban land markets. His book Order Without Design has become a touchstone for New Zealand's housing reforms, cited by ministers on both sides of the aisle. Read more
Too many of the world’s urban planners grew up playing the city-planning game SimCity. You may have played it too. Read more
In this episode, Oliver Hartwich and Eric Crampton are joined by retired Major General John Howard to assess the Iran conflict three weeks on, covering how it has escalated, what the odds of de-escalation look like, and whether a US ground invasion or ceasefire is realistic. They also explore the wider global picture, from China's posture around Taiwan to Ukraine's worsening position, and what it all means for New Zealand's fuel security, energy resilience, and national preparedness. Read more
No fuel was available where I lived on the east side of Christchurch immediately after the 2011 earthquake. Power was out. Read more
So far this year, the government’s tobacco excise revenue is $164 million below forecast. If that pace continues, the annual shortfall will reach about $225 million. Read more
A principal who runs a school well does not get to tell parents what to cook for dinner. The authority is real – but it is specific. Read more
From 2007 until about two weeks ago, New Zealand’s regulators considered prediction markets as a kind of futures market. Then the Department of Internal Affairs decided they are gambling. Read more
Many pre-modern people believed gambling was bad and suppressed it. If you think about it, your life insurer is a bookie betting that you’re not going to die this year. Read more
In this episode, Eric Crampton talks to Nick Clark about New Zealand's long and troubled history with the Resource Management Act — and whether the Government's 744-page replacement really fixes it. They examine the missing property rights protections, the absence of robust cost-benefit analysis, and the fail-safes needed to ensure the new framework delivers better outcomes for New Zealanders. Read more
