Latest from the Policy Commons
Let’s get the policies right this time
By Susan St John - When we rethink our economy and how we support citizens, we must end the 19th Century bias against those in relationships, writes the University of Auckland's Susan St John It is vital that all new welfare policies to cushion the Covid-19...
View Covid-19 through a different policy lens
By Jess Berentson Shaw - The economy will be okay if we focus on what matters in our decision making: caring for each other, writes Jess Berentson-Shaw It doesn't make too much difference whether it is an economic recession, climate change or a pandemic, the...
The politics of the Covid-19 relief package
The University of Auckland's Jennifer Curtin takes a look at what the political implications of Tuesday's Covid-19 relief package might be The Government’s $12.1 billion package to alleviate the far-reaching effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is aimed at spreading...
Video – Kindness versus Shame: Why emotions matter in politics and policy
Featuring: Professor Michael Orsini (University of Ottawa), Chlöe Swarbrick (Green Party MP), Helen Robinson (Auckland City Mission), Mark Powell (University of Auckland) Chaired by Professor Jennifer Curtin (Director of The Public Policy Institute) Monday 9 March...
The NZ Super Fund’s ‘magical’ thinking
By Susan St John - By underfunding investment in the young we've been able to create budget surpluses to be siphoned into the NZ Super Fund at the current rate of nearly $2.5b a year. This has some serious impacts for a lot of families, writes Susan St John. ...
Public Lecture: Bigging up society? Politics, policy and evidence in the British voluntary sector
Professor John Mohan Director of the Third Sector Research Centre Professor of Social Policy University of Birmingham Seelye Visiting Fellow https://youtu.be/zNBMapZYHkg Advocates of the third sector and voluntary action make extensive claims about the distinctive...
Panel Discussion – Kindness versus Shame: Why emotions matter in politics and policy
Featuring: Professor Michael Orsini (University of Ottawa), Chlöe Swarbrick (Green Party MP), Helen Robinson (Auckland City Mission), Mark Powell (University of Auckland) Chaired by Professor Jennifer Curtin (Director of The Public Policy Institute) Monday 9 March...
Designing Policy and Regulation for New and Emerging Technologies: Risks and Responsibilities
Professor Karen Hussey (Director of the Centre for Policy Futures, University of Queensland) Tuesday 3 March, 5pm Pat Hanan Room (207-501), University of Auckland Trained as a political scientist and economist, Karen undertakes research in the field of public...
Expose Working for Families myths to end child poverty
By Susan St John - Critics continue to view the Working for Families package through a distorted and incorrect lens, writes Susan St John In one of the 2019 stories picked out for Newsroom’s Best of the Year, Beware corporate welfare in disguise, the writer Thomas...
Report: International trends and reforms in pension policy and delivery: comparative models for accumulation and decumulation
By Jennifer Curtin and Yanshu Huang A research report prepared for the Commission for Financial Capability’s Review of Retirement Income Policy, July 2019. The Public Policy Institute (PPI) was commissioned by the Commission for Financial Capability to deliver with...
Report: A Review of Gender Differences in Retirement Income
By Jennifer Curtin and Yanshu Huang (2019) A research report prepared for the Commission for Financial Capability’s Review of Retirement Income Policy, July 2019. This review seeks to answer the following questions: How wide is the Gender Pension Gap in New...
Report: ‘Relationship Status’ and the Welfare System in Aotearoa New Zealand
By Jennifer Curtin and Olivia Healey (2019) This report is designed to provide a contextual overview of the way relationships are defined, incentivised, and sanctioned in the current welfare system in Aotearoa, and how this compares with similar systems overseas....
Watch Helen Clark on The Sustainable Development Goals and their Relevance to New Zealand
'The Sustainable Development Goals and their Relevance to New Zealand’ Where did we get to with the Millennium Development Goals? Why should we care about the SDGs? What is their significance, globally, and for NZ? How much impact could they have on policy...
Policy Pod: Enough of experts: does Brexit spell the slow death of British science and evidence-informed decision-making?
Professor James Wilsdon (Professor of Research Policy, University of Sheffield) Recorded: Tuesday 12 November at the University of Auckland Enough of experts: does Brexit spell the slow death of British science and evidence-informed decision-making? The UK is...
Evidence-informed policymaking: does knowledge brokering work?
There is an accepted need to bridge the gap between academic research and public policy. Knowledge brokers, individuals or organisations sympathetic to both research and policymaking cultures and able to mediate between the two, represent one way of doing so. Sarah Quarmby takes a look inside a knowledge broker organisation, the Wales Centre for Public Policy, to see how its day-to-day workings tally with the body of knowledge about evidence use in policymaking.
Cannabis Decision 2020: Panel Discussion Recordings and Resources
The 2020 referendum on cannabis legalisation is a historical decision that will lock in New Zealand’s approach to cannabis for years to come. Many people have told us they are looking for balanced information on the different cannabis law reform options, including...
The changing imperative to demonstrate social science impact
In less than a decade the impact agenda has evolved from being a controversial idea to an established part of most national research systems. Over the same period the conceptualisation of research impact in the social sciences and the ability to create and measure...
Publication is not enough, to generate impact you need to campaign
Being able to demonstrate the impacts of research outside of academia has become a standard requirement of a range of research funders. In this post, Toby Green draws on a recent case study of his own published research, to demonstrate how an approach to impact...
Cannabis legalisation and young people
By Benedikt Fischer - Have under-age children in your life? Chances are you will hold crucial decision-power in New Zealand’s upcoming referendum on cannabis legalisation **Benedikt Fischer will be speaking at a discussion panel at the University of Auckland with a...
Public Lecture: Enough of experts: does Brexit spell the slow death of British science and evidence-informed decision-making?
Professor James Wilsdon (Professor of Research Policy, University of Sheffield) Date: Tuesday 12 November Time: 12-1pm Venue: Pat Hannan Room (207-501) Enough of experts: does Brexit spell the slow death of British science and evidence-informed decision-making? The...
