Best of 2021: The economy

This year, economists and pundits filled us in on millionaires who want to pay more tax, the power of the 'nudge' and the fiction of money.
 

Why happiness doesn't cost any money at all

People in societies where money plays a minimal role can have some of the highest levels of happiness in the world, says Professor Eric Galbraith.

The Patriotic Millionaires Movement

Governments "doing less stuff" has led to inequality according to the Patriotic Millionaires - a group of high-net-worth people who want their peers to pay a fair share of tax.

 

LISTEN - Public policy founded on love for future generations

Dr Girol Karacaoglu believes we should design and evaluate public policy based on intergenerational wellbeing.

 

The power of the 'nudge' to motivate people

'Sludge' is an overly bureaucratic system that effectively discourages behaviour that's in a person's best interests. The 'nudge' is about making decision-making easier.

 

The pandemic and the economy - what we've learnt so far

If a black swan is an unpredictable event, the Covid-19 pandemic is a grey rhino, says economic historian Adam Tooze. 

 

Will re-embracing nomadism save humanity?

The idea that migration, climate change, inequality and oppression are not linked is insane, says economic advisor Felix Marquardt.

 

'Greed has always been part of America's formula'

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Evan Osnos wants to understand why the United States is a nation divided by rage and fear. 

 

The fiction of money

Those numbers on the ATM screen are part of the greatest made-up thing humanity has created, says Jacob Goldstein, co-host of the podcast Planet Money.

Dan Price: the CEO who slashed his salary by $1 million

Six years after Seattle-based entrepreneur Dan Price cut his own salary, business has tripled and staff turnover has halved, but he says the experiment hasn't been entirely successful. 

 

Wealth disparity in Aotearoa

The economic divide in New Zealand is getting wider because of too much rather than too little money, says policy analyst Max Rashbrooke.

 

Running the family like a firm for success

Using business decision-making principles in the household can pay big dividends, says economist Emily Oster.