A Briefing On The New Zealand Macroeconomy 1960 1990

Provides data and graphs of more than 45 key indicators of macroeconomic performance in New Zealand over the last 35 years.

In this innovative study Michael Bassett, historian and former politician, explores how and why the state became such an active and interventionist player in New Zealand life, developing, subsidising and regulating the economy and protecting citizens from the cradle to the grave. He looks in detail at the many schemes in which a paternalistic government became involved, especially the extensive social programmes. These were taken for granted by the people but from the 1960s were increasingly difficult to sustain economically. By 1984, he concludes, this process of intervention had to be slowed. Drawing on departmental archives, many not previously consulted by historians, The State in New Zealand covers in a new way, and with clarity and style, a subject of great contemporary interest.

The 1990 election in New Zealand produced the biggest landslide in 50 years, and Voters' Vengeance uses comprehensive survey research to explore why New Zealand voters reacted in this way. The answers to over 2000 questionnaires allow the sophisticated analysis of voter behavior. The authors discuss the increasing volatility of New Zealand politics, the shifts in party commitment, reactions to Rogernomics and other Labour policies, the growth of third-party support, and leadership issues such as the environment, defense and the role of women. Tables, graphs and figures are an essential aspect of the study and they are carefully and clearly presented to show the changing character of New Zealand political opinion.

New Zealand has attracted world-wide attention for its series of economic reforms introduced between 1984 and 1997. This book provides a concise, up-to-date record of New Zealand's economic performance during the 25 years leading up to 1984, of each of the major reforms that took place after 1984, and of the impact these reforms had on key macroeconomic indicators.

State policy making in New Zealand has undergone a fundamental transformation in recent years. This book critically examines this important transformation through an analysis of related historical changes in the economy and civil society. It also assesses these developments by drawing upon and discussing contemporary theoretical perspectives in economics, political studies, and sociology. This volume includes studies on such topics as macroeconomic policy, the role of the Treasury and the Reserve bank, the extent of business influence in State policy formation, export performance, industrial relations, gender inequality, and the Welfare state.