Matt Nolan

Piketty Panel

/7 Comments/in , , /by

Hello New Zealand readers.  Just giving you a heads up that tomorrow (Thursday, 23 October) there is a panel discussion on the Piketty book (Capital in the Twenty-First Century) and its relevance to New Zealand.

As I contributed to the related book of book reviews, and as this particular event is in Wellington (where I live), I’m on the panel.  Here are the details which I stole from an email:

The event is at the Royal Society (11 Turnbull Street, Thordon) and begins at 5.30pm.
 
Bernard Hickey is chairing the panel, with the other panellists being Geoff Bertram, Brian Easton, Prue Hyman, Max Rashbrooke and Cathy Wylie. 
 
The aim of the event is simply to have some broad and engaging discussion on the relevance of Piketty for New Zealand, with reference to the book being launched on the night. 

And if it swings your boat, you can even join the Facebook event.

If you want to prepare beforehand, here is my long-form review (filled with typos – like honestly filled, it is a first draft that never went any further), here are some common misconceptions, and here is a list of other reviews.

Will Taylor

EVENT: Commerce Comission talk on new merger guidelines (Auckland)

/in , , , /by

The Commerce Commission recently updated it Mergers & Acquisitions guidelines for the first time in 10 years (read them here). They also updated the Authorisation guidelines, which is the mechanism available to the Commission to approve mergers that lesson competition but have an offsetting public benefit (available here).

In Auckland on 10 September (just under two weeks away) the Law and Economics Association of New Zealand (LEANZ) is putting on a special event with the ComCom’s top competition economist (Lilla Csorgo) and top competition lawyer (David Blacktop) talking about the new guidelines.

Details from the mailout below: Read more

Matt Nolan

Tarot card reading and the art of economic communication

/4 Comments/in /by

Today I am presenting at NZAE 2013 with a rambling confused piece about communication – is that irony 🙂

Hopefully the presentation is a bit more too the point.  And yes, my presentation does take the form of Tarot Cards.

I had a lot of fun reading literature and writing up that paper, but a combination of having to ram Tarot Card reading into a narrative that it didn’t fit in (by the end), and a lack of time to polish down my ideas and surgically remove irrelevant information, made the paper a touch … long.  It is significantly shorter than the version that James had to trudge through at least 😛

What I did learn was that the analytical tools and understanding associated with folk psychology, and its link with scientific psychology, offers an awesome area for analysing economics, economists, and economic communication.  Wandering into that field was a pleasant experience.

The paper in its form as of the presentation:  Matt Nolan NZAE2013

Matt Nolan

NZAE 2013 this week!

/3 Comments/in /by

Seamus over at Offsetting noted that the annual New Zealand Assoication of Economists conference is on this week.  It is on Wednesday 3rd of July to Friday the 5th of July – although there is a Productivity Hub Symposium on Tuesday the 2nd of July.

I’m disappointed that it seems Eric from Offsetting and Paul Walker from Antidismal will not be there.  However, according to Seamus’s post there will be a few of us loitering around – I am not there on the Tuesday, but will be around on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Anyone else reading this who is going to be there as well?

Is there any way to get these costumes in time for the conference?

Matt Nolan

Wellington presentation on Saturday

/3 Comments/in /by

I will be doing a presentation for the blogging community this Saturday in Wellington. We will meet out the front of 109 Featherston St (diagonally from Pita Pit) at 12pm.

During the presentation I’ll cover the follow:

  • An overview of what’s going on in Europe, what we need to keep an eye out for, and how it will impact on New Zealand generally,
  • A discussion of “rebalancing” in New Zealand,
  • What’s going on with food prices and what it means for us,
  • The growing problems in the labour market,
  • A social “minimum income”.

During question time I will also be available to talk about anything … as long as its economics related.

I’d love to see you guys there to discuss these issues with me.

Matt Nolan

Auckland presentation this Friday

/8 Comments/in /by

Hi all,

I will be doing a presentation for the blogging community this Friday in Auckland.  It will be at 3pm, and we will be meeting up at the MORE FM reception on Level 2, 239 Ponsonby Rd.

During the presentation I’ll cover the follow:

  • An overview of what’s going on in Europe, what we need to keep an eye out for, and how it will impact on New Zealand generally,
  • A discussion of “rebalancing” in New Zealand,
  • What’s going on with food prices and what it means for us,
  • The growing problems in the labour market,
  • A social “minimum income”.

During question time, and at the bar afterwards, I will also be available to talk about anything … as long as its economics related.

I’d love to see you guys there to discuss these issues with me.