Tagged: policy

A foil to the populist scourge: towards a Science Commission for New Zealand? - Code for life

Grant Jacobs • Sep 24, 2018 •

• advice,
• New Zealand,
• policy,
• politics,
• scicomm,
• science commission,
• science communication

While writing about the demise of Jacqueline Rowarth’s role as head of the New Zealand Environment Protection Agency (NZ EPA), Peter Griffin (former head of the Science Media Centre) also covers progress towards a NZ Science Commission. His piece provides an useful opportunity to revisit this initiative, raised during the election, and how it seems to be going sideways since. Read More

Mental health in public life: Is the experience of politicians and how we make policy intertwined? - The Psychology Report

Sarb Johal • Sep 03, 2018 •

• Mental health,
• policy,
• politics

Many societies are experiencing significant increases in those reporting mental health difficulties and illnesses, but face systemic obstacles in helping their communities’ to deal with these problems. The WHO report on Mental health: New Understandings, New Hope identified mental health as possibly posing the most difficult and acute health care challenge of the twenty-first century. The report goes on to … Read More

Sticky thoughts on where research can most effectively influence policy - Code for life

Grant Jacobs • Aug 30, 2018 •

• Chief Science Advisor,
• Evidence,
• Juliet Gerrard,
• New Zealand,
• policy,
• research,
• science communication

New Zealand’s Chief Science Advisor (CSA), Professor Juliet Gerrard, has been asking where research can most effectively influence policy – one post-it note at a time, (Posted 21st August ~10:45pm, NZST; click on image to open tweet.) The comments after this piece are open for readers to offer their thoughts on where science should best influence policy. Please do! … Read More

Rational addiction and Naloxone - The Dismal Science

Eric Crampton • Mar 12, 2018 •

• Addiction,
• alcohol,
• Becker-Murphy,
• consumer,
• disease,
• Drugs,
• marijuana,
• Moral Hazard,
• Naloxene,
• opioids,
• overdose,
• policy

Suppose for a moment that addicts are rational and that we’re really in a Becker-Murphy world. What happens in that world if a new technology makes it safer to consume an addictive product? If you’re overdosing on opioids, Naloxone can save your life. The easier is access to Naloxone, the less likely addicts are to die if they have an … Read More

A fresh start for climate change mitigation in New Zealand - Guest Work

Guest Author • Dec 01, 2017 •

• Climate,
• climate change,
• emissions,
• mitigation,
• policy,
• politics

By Robert McLachlan, Massey University.  The election of the sixth Labour-led government heralds a new direction for climate change policy in New Zealand. As part of the new government’s 100-day priority plan, it pledged to set a target of carbon neutrality by 2050 and to establish the mechanisms to phase out fossil fuels. In doing so, New … Read More

Beyond the basics - Ariadne

Robert Hickson • Nov 08, 2017 •

• Automation,
• economics,
• employment,
• policy,
• social welfare,
• Universal basic income

We’re gonna’ need a bigger band wagon. Faced with predictions of mass unemployment due to increasing automation calls to implement a universal basic income have been growing. This involves giving everyone an income regardless of whether they work or not. Though it is getting a less favourable welcome in Australia, because of what it … Read More

How ‘capitalism with a human face’ can influence mental health reform - The Psychology Report

Sarb Johal • Oct 24, 2017 •

• affluenza,
• election 2017,
• Mental health,
• mental health policy,
• policy,
• politics

This is an exciting time: a new Labour – NZ First Government, with support from the Green Party, with new leadership focused on how “capitalism must regain its human face”. This people and environment-centred Government will also rightly be focused on addressing the mental health problems and misery experienced by many in New Zealand, and setting policy to address this. Read More

Remoteness….occasionally a benefit - The Dismal Science

Michael Reddell • Oct 15, 2017 •

• education,
• MBIE,
• policy,
• rocket lab,
• rockets,
• space

I’ve been a little unclear what to make of the Rocket Lab story.   Don’t get me wrong, I liked the idea that our regulatory systems can, on occasion, be sufficiently adaptive to cope with new and innovative industries –  even if it is far from generally true.  And I wish all the best to any New Zealander with innovations … Read More

Testing adaptive governance approaches to address New Zealand’s ‘wicked’ environmental problems - Guest Work

Guest Author • Oct 06, 2017 •

• adaptive governance,
• collaboration,
• environmental policy,
• erosion,
• policy,
• Weaving the Korowai

By Lisa Sharma-Wallace  Environmental problems today are complicated. Some might even call them ‘wicked’. They involve clashing public perceptions, moving targets, differing stakeholder aspirations, and long-term time-frames, often stretching over generations. They’re also multi-dimensional, including a number of different causes, impacts, parties, and objectives which shift over time. Where do we even begin to address problems like these? Non-linear … Read More

“Achieving Smokefree Aotearoa by 2025”: a response to critiques - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Oct 06, 2017 •

• Action Plan,
• e-cig,
• e-cigarettes,
• Nicotine,
• policy,
• Smokefree Aotearoa 2025,
• Smoking,
• tobacco

Prof Richard Edwards, Prof Tony Blakely, Prof Chris Cunningham, Frederieke Sanne van der Deen, Stephanie Erick, Zoe Hawke, Prof Janet Hoek, A/Prof George Thomson, Louise Thornley, Anaru Waa, Prof Nick Wilson The “Achieving Smokefree Aotearoa by 2025” Action Plan was launched at Parliament on 2 August. A previous blog described its key features and a rationale for the recommended … Read More