Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 27/09/2026The Commerce Act doesn't include break-up as penalty for anything relevant to retail grocery. I tried to imagine the path that could lead to that kind of power in more standard approaches to competition policy. It's at best a stretch. I hate election years. www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3610... 010
Reposted by Eric CramptonMichael Wiebe @michaelwiebe.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Vancouver has a housing shortage because it prioritized maintaining its single-family neighborhood character. blog.michaelwiebe.com/p/how-vancou...blog.michaelwiebe.comHow Vancouver planned a housing shortageThe city put neighbourhood character first and housing supply second 14111
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Folks on all sides are being more meltybrained than usual around Hipkins' policy change on interest rate deductions for residential property businesses. 100
Reposted by Eric CramptonNewsroom NZ @newsroom.co.nz · 18/09/2026Week in Review: Comment: A permanent resident’s reluctance to become a citizen does not necessarily mean a reluctance to become a “real” NZer, says Eric Cramptonnewsroom.co.nzCitizenship can cost more than a passport 102
Reposted by Eric CramptonNewsroom NZ @newsroom.co.nz · 14/09/2026Comment: A permanent resident’s reluctance to become a citizen does not necessarily mean a reluctance to become a “real” NZer, says Eric Crampton newsroom.co.nzCitizenship can cost more than a passport 001
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 13/09/2026I don't know whether NZ First is ramping up its supporters with a policy promise that cannot reasonably be delivered as advertised, or whether they'd push ahead to legislate regardless of consequence. I hate election years. www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3610... 011
Reposted by Eric CramptonMichael Clemens @mclem.org · 12/09/2026The US President's new proposal to tax international students has been approved by the White House for release this week. It's an unprecedented $100,000 tax on int'l grads who stay to work after graduation on Optional Practical Training (most grads do), a crucial bridge to remaining by any channel. 21432713
Reposted by Eric CramptonLiberalism.org @liberalism.org · 11/09/2026Vincent Geloso uses America's lighthouses as a case study in how nationalizing industries acts as a redistributive engine for rent-seeking interests. www.liberalism.org/p/why-states...liberalism.orgWhy States NationalizeEconomists have many answers, but the truth may be larger than they know. 056
Reposted by Eric CramptonRussell Brown @publicaddress.bsky.social · 09/09/2026We now have a group of people with deranged, obsessive beliefs and a willingness for violence. Egged on by John Ansell, who is now encouraging "more and more people around the country" to do "exactly the same thing". www.thepost.co.nz/politics/361...thepost.co.nzAttendees form human barrier as agitators confront Ayesha Verrall during candidates meetingPolice had been alerted to potential security concerns before the meeting. 1514049
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 09/09/2026I had this over on Twitter a couple of days ago as a Twitter article. It's a bit long. So I'll have to split it across a few posts. Bottom line: taken literally, NZ First would break a pile of international agreements by doing this, and it's a terrible idea. 21912
Reposted by Eric CramptonEric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Two weeks ago, Trump threatened to use the military against the bond market “if we have to.” www.yahoo.com/news/politic... 88115
Reposted by Eric CramptonNewsroom NZ @newsroom.co.nz · 03/09/2026Comment: Restricting carbon forestry in the ETS is a mistake; fixing accounting flaws and capping credit issuance is the cheapest path to net zero, argues Dr Eric Cramptonnewsroom.co.nzFix ETS instead of banning carbon forestry 001
Reposted by Eric CramptonAlejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 02/09/2026This is exactly why privacy advocates have pushed back against age verification measures. These companies are reckless with their data and it can easily be compromised. It can leave people vulnerable to identity theft, doxing, and targeted harassment. 9954174
Reposted by Eric CramptonJames Tinged Words @jameswords.bsky.social · 02/09/2026You know, if you don’t collect it, it can’t be lost in breaches like this.static.klipy.comG.I. Joe: Knowing Is Half The BattleAlt: G.I. Joe: Knowing Is Half The Battle 0199
Reposted by Eric CramptonRadley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 01/09/2026This is insane. And I have to imagine it’s wildly illegal. 27482108
Reposted by Eric CramptonEdouard Machery @edouardmachery.bsky.social · 01/09/2026A self Inflicted wound. One of the greatest products ever made, which was desired by the whole world for 60 years. 0249
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 31/08/2026I don't like what Trump's done here either, but if historic preservationists don't have sufficient standing to challenge the demolition of part of the White House, does this clear the way for enabling redevelopment more broadly? "Unless you live in the affected property, you don't have standing."? 000
Reposted by Eric CramptonBryn Davidson - Lanefab @lanefab.com · 31/08/2026cheers to "urban nerds" and zoning reform in New Zealand 0121
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Parliament last week re-upped part of the cross-party consensus favouring more housing. National put up amendments to the Planning Bill strengthening competitive urban land markets; Labour asked them to take it even further. Excellent. My piece in today's Post:thepost.co.nzA bright spot in Parliament’s quest to drive housing affordabilityOPINION: The efforts of a pair of politics’ “urban nerds” represent Parliament at its best. 160
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 28/08/2026It's fun to imagine Meta's first report to NZ's promised online regulator about what they've done to avoid harms from "false or misleading information" under the government's proposed social media bill. Or at least I have fun imagining it. www.nzinitiative.org.nz/reports-and-...nzinitiative.org.nzProtecting the childrenThis week, the government introduced legislation intended to protect youths from online harms.<br /> <br /> If the Bill passes, covered social media platforms will be required to take ‘reasonable step... 000
Reposted by Eric CramptonNewsroom NZ @newsroom.co.nz · 18/08/2026Comment: Bespoke labelling rules force importers to manually sticker items, driving up grocery prices and creating barriers for new supermarket entrants, writes Dr Eric Cramptonnewsroom.co.nzThe sticker sticklers that can drive me to drink 011
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Treasury's economic policy performance earned a 'weak' PIR rating. Treasury does not know what proportion of its staff are trained economists. But Treasury does know the gender and ethnicity of 97.5% of its staff. Publishes regular reports on that. Priorities.... www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3610... 000
Reposted by Eric CramptonWill Wilkinson @wlknsn.xyz · 31/07/2026I’ve been thinking a lot about the thoughtlessness of AI writing. One of the many things that makes Melville’s prose so dazzling is the EXTEME rigor of the way he surprises, deepens and extends his metaphors and cultural touchstones. AI simply can’t, and not for the same reason that most of us can’t 833362
Reposted by Eric CramptonHelen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 22/07/2026#USDA reports that Utah has another #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy cow herd, its 14th since the beginning of June & 28th overall. That makes 1,167 confirmed infections in herds in 19 states since this outbreak was first detected in March 2024. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po... 25622
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 18/07/2026Fable has made possible something I wish we could have done during the Commerce Commission groceries inquiry. We have mapped out, for NZ's main cities, where it is permitted, hard, or impossible to build new supermarkets. Zoning is a substantial problem. supermarketzoning.nzinitiative.org.nzsupermarketzoning.nzinitiative.org.nzLegalising Groceries — an atlas of where New Zealand allows a supermarketWhere New Zealand's district plans allow a new full-line supermarket, and where they forbid one. Nine district plans, six metros, mapped — with the rules that ration competition at the checkout. 120
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 18/07/2026Perhaps a deal in which Canada occasionally compensates the US for smoke, and the rest of the time the US compensates Canada for carbon sequestration and biodiversity services? 000
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 18/07/2026I had heard Seymour not as endorsing this policy, but saying it sucks less than trying to age-gate websites and apps. I agree that it would suck less than age-gating and breaking the internet. But it still would very much suck. 100
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 09/06/2026I had a hard time understanding how anyone could spend $6m in 2026/27, rising to $8.5m for 2028/29 and 29/30, just "to develop policy and possible regulatory options to improve children's online safety." I think the spending's going to be on implementation. Minor thread. 110
Reposted by Eric CramptonOrin Kerr @orinkerr.bsky.social · 02/06/2026A group of contracts professors wrote some short-answer contracts questions, wrote answers, and then did a blind-test comparison between AI-written answers and the answers of the other professors. The AI-written answers were generally rated as better. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... 4236
Reposted by Eric CramptonTami Swenson @tamiswenson.bsky.social · 01/06/2026each semester when we cover the latest Scotland cohort study in epi, students main comment is “how is this not better known” 063
Reposted by Eric CramptonMichael Clemens @mclem.org · 01/06/2026Update four months later! I speculated above that the chosen weighting scheme might have generated the result. Now @kauspurg.bsky.social & Josef Brüderl find that it does—> osf.io/preprints/me... 0193
Reposted by Eric CramptonWalter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Expanded new piece from me at @theunpopulist.net: step by step through the corrupt and brazen heist that is Trump’s cash-for-Capitol-attackers fund, and the awful incentives it sets up. “If they try that again, they may come out not just with a get-out-of-jail pardon, but with a fortune.”theunpopulist.netTrump's Slush Fund to Reward Jan. 6 Insurrectionists Is Grotesquely CorruptIt also quietly excuses Trump and his family from accountability for underpaying past IRS tax bills 0174
Reposted by Eric CramptonOmar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Easter egg: in 1984, Michael Crichton’s short story Mousetrap imagined that behavioral traces in typing could be as distinctive as fingerprints. 40 years later, we’re getting there. See omarwasow.com/Crichton-Mou... cup.org/4cUmoXiomarwasow.com 0326
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 11/05/2026Neat stuff. May stop working as the cost of producing text goes down. But neat. 130
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 10/05/2026One thing I love about writing for the Post: they don't strip out links or swap out links for semi-relevant stories from their own website. My piece in today's post: NZ's migration story isn't Europe's. Stop importing narratives that don't apply here. www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3610... 120
Reposted by Eric CramptonSam @mardiroos.bsky.social · 05/05/2026You are a skilful and trusted vizier. You will advise me wisely on how best to rule the kingdom. You will not scheme or plot. You will not inveigle my other courtiers into turning against me. You will not lie to me about scheming or plotting. If you scheme or plot against me, you have to tell me, 8177761934
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 03/05/2026I thought a bit of perspective on datacentre water use could be worth the risk. Maximum draw for the new Southland datacentre is comparable to: - 80 hectares of vineyard - 60% of a meat works - a quarter of an average Canterbury irrigation consent - two waterparks - half an apple orchard. 121
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 29/04/2026A third-trimester vaccination sharply reduces infant RSV hospitalisation. Kiwi women were part of the vax trials. It is authorised for use in about 40 countries, with a pile of approvals in 2023-24. But nobody has applied for Medsafe authorisation. So Kiwi women can't get it to protect their kids 120
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 20/04/2026"A vaccine during pregnancy which protects newborns against nasty chest infections is cutting hospital admissions of babies by more than 80%, UK health officials say." www.bbc.com/news/article... It's great news, for those in ~40 countries that aren't NZ. In NZ, it is not Medsafe-authorised.bbc.comPregnancy vaccine reduces baby hospital admissions for RSV by 80%A study confirms the vaccine gives excellent protection for babies against life-threatening chest infections. 182
Reposted by Eric Cramptondarianwoods.bsky.social @darianwoods.bsky.social · 16/04/2026In New Zealand, diesel is now over US$7 a gallon. Yet the government is resisting calls to cut fuel taxes. I brought @ericcrampton.bsky.social onto The Indicator from @planetmoney.bsky.social to explain why. 111
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 13/04/2026The National Policy Statement on Urban Development gave public transport providers a superpower. Set a mass transit node, and the 200 hectares around it gets upzoned, plausibly creating billions of dollars of development opportunities. Superpowers should be used. www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3609... 100
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 09/04/2026Amazing. And Saskatchewan's law remained in place until 1969. 020
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 08/04/2026The RBNZ is consulting about a proposal that it would not have statutory authority to undertake. I wish I better understood what the RBNZ thinks it is doing. It feels like ongoing governance failures. offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/2026/04/acce... 020
Reposted by Eric CramptonJ.C. Bradbury @jcbradbury.com · 04/02/2026My article (with @bradhumphreys.bsky.social ) "Yes, There is an Economic Consensus That Professional Sports Facilities are Inadvisable Public Investments" is now published in Economic Development Quarterly. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... 24815
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 01/04/2026Ubiquitous driverless cars risk turning streets into parking lots, unless use of the roads is properly priced. This week's column riffs on Ben Southwood's piece at Works in Progress, noting that NZ's more ready than others for proper road pricing. 000
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 27/03/2026So long as prices can rise to clear markets, risk of running out is low. No formal rationing required. 030
Eric Crampton @ericcrampton.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Extensive @dileepafonseka.bsky.social interview with Alain Bertaud at BusinessDesk. Auckland's improved since Bertaud's last visit. I hope it will be even better on his next visit. businessdesk.co.nz/article/infr... 021
Reposted by Eric CramptonMichael Clemens @mclem.org · 25/03/2026The best and brightest young people from around the world are getting the message: Reconsider investing your talents in the United States. Cumulative issuance of F-1 student visas by calendar month, down circa 32% as of September (latest available) Source: travel.state.gov/content/trav... 116077
Reposted by Eric CramptonDavid Hood @thoughtfulnz.bsky.social · 23/03/2026I think it is important to give credit to RNZ for "looking out the window to see if it is raining" in this article. Because we should note when media are being responsible in reporting claims, not just getting angry on cases of bad reporting www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic... 512646