IPS Publications

IPS WP 10/06 - Living the Good Life? New Zealand expatriates, intentions to return, and the importance of lifestyle

2010-03-08T16:57:48Z

This paper explores the role of lifestyle in migrant destination choice, using
the example of expatriates’ intentions to return home. Much of the previous
research on migrants and destination choice has occurred within the fields of
geography and demography, while research on lifestyle and factors that
matter to families has tended to be within the work-life literature. Using the
specific case of New Zealand expatriates returning to New Zealand, this
paper represents an attempt to bring together these bodies of work to further
explore the reasons migrants with families move to particular destinations.
The analysis examines the degree to which expatriates report “lifestyle” as
the reason for their return, then attempts an analysis of the concept of
lifestyle with attention to the variables that matter to expatriates with
families. As such, the paper explores the intersection between migration
decisions and work-life variables. Finally, the paper concludes with a
proposal for the development of a more nuanced set of indicators to measure
the lifestyle factors that are relevant to the decisions of expatriates. 
Key words: migration, expatriates, families, lifestyle, indices

Policy Quarterly Volume 6 Number 1

2010-03-03T15:09:09Z

Welcome to this new issue of Policy Quarterly (PQ). We hope you find the new format appealing and accessible. With the recent retirement and resignation of various academic staff in the School of Government and the appointment and five new staff members, we have taken the opportunity to refresh the editorial board of PQ. Paul Callister remains on the board, and is joined by four new members: Dr David Bromell, Dr Valentina Dinica, Dr Michael Di Francesco and Dr Mike McGinnis. I am very grateful to those who have contributed their services to PQ in the recent past (i.e. editing and reviewing submissions) and those who have offered to assist during the next few years.

I would also like to thank the School of Government Trust for its generous agreement to fund the bulk of the direct costs of publishing PQ for the next three years. This places PQ on a firm financial footing and significantly reduces the extent to which the IPS will need to seek other sources of funding.

As we enter 2010 and a new decade, there is a plethora of important international and domestic policy issues confronting New Zealand. On the global front, critical issues include the regulation of financial markets, managing the large fiscal deficits that have arisen in the wake of the financial crisis in late 2008 and early 2009 (and the related risks of default in the case of certain European countries), and responding to the rise of China as an economic giant (including the related issues of trade, exchange rate management and global economic governance).

Addressing the consequences of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen will also be high on the agenda. Plainly, progress was much less than many had hoped. Accordingly, the immediate prospects of the global community successfully concluding a new, legally-binding multilateral agreement (whether a Kyoto-plus or a new protocol) to take effect when the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of 2012 are now poor. In the medium-term, of course, much will depend on domestic policy developments in the US: if the Senate eventually passes legislation establishing a comprehensive and effective emissions trading scheme, then there is a reasonable chance of negotiating a satisfactory multilateral post- 2012 arrangement; but if not, then the days of relying on multilateral approaches to mitigate climate change look bleak. Instead, there may be no alternative but to rely on a bottom-up approach, based on domestic, bilateral and regional arrangements. These are most unlikely to deliver the level of emission reductions that many leading scientist consider necessary if we are to avoid dangerous climate change – partly because national targets will lack stringency, and partly because there will be insufficient incentives for investment in green technologies.

This issue of PQ includes brief perspectives on the Copenhagen conference from five contributors: Phil O’Reilly (the chief executive of Business New Zealand), Peter Neilson (the chief executive of the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development), Mark Belton (the managing director of Permanent Forests International, and a leading expert on forestry issues), Paul Melville (a policy analyst with the Fonterra Cooperative Group) and Geoff Keey (the political advisor for Greenpeace New Zealand). As these contributions highlight, the Copenhagen conference was not a complete failure, with good progress on a number of important issues – especially on measures to address deforestation and the establishment of the Global Alliance to address greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. The problem, of course, will be how to maintain the momentum on these issues if the wider negotiating framework remains highly uncertain. This issue of PQ also includes contributions on four other important issues. Terry Stokes, the head of the School of Government, discusses the relative weighting of research and teaching in universities and suggests changes to the performance-based research fund (PBRF) in the interests of ensuring that applied research is not disadvantaged. Susan St John considers the recent controversy over the full-funding of accident compensation in New Zealand and argues that the current policy framework is misguided. Christina Hood evaluates the National-led government’s key change to the emissions trading scheme at the end of 2009, namely the shift from historical grand-parenting of free units to an uncapped production-based allocation, and questions the fiscal sustainability, equity and environmental effectiveness of the new policy. Finally, in the context of the current review of the legislation governing electoral finance, Alec Mladenovic explores the philosophical principles that should guide how democracies regulate the funding of political parties and electoral campaigns. Fundamentally, he argues that more attention needs to be given to the principle of political equality, in particular the norm of equal opportunities for political influence.

A variety of important policy issues will be canvassed in future issues of PQ, including the likelihood of special issues addressing the following subjects: regulatory policy frameworks and the advantages and disadvantages of a Regulatory Responsibility Act; the funding and consequences of infrastructure investment; ethics and public policy; political finance and related constitutional issues; and health policy issues. Papers on other policy-related matters are, of course, always welcome.

Jonathan Boston

IPS WP 10/05 - Would New Zealand�s economic performance improve if we were more ethical?

2010-03-01T17:36:29Z

Ethical behaviour has not traditionally been a major focus of economic analysis. However recent advances in our understanding of how markets actually work show that ethical behaviour is an important foundation for good economic performance. This paper looks at the evidence that suggests that ethical behaviour is good for the economy, investigates the extent to which these issues are relevant to New Zealand, and canvasses the public policy implications of the finding that ethical behaviour is important for economic efficiency.

IPS WP 10/04 - The new governance arrangements for the public health sector and the need for wider public sector reform

2010-03-01T17:12:30Z

Across the OECD countries the organisation of the public health service is subject to frequent scrutiny. In New Zealand there have been five major changes to the governance model for the public health service since the public finance and state sector reforms of twenty years ago.Reliance of politicians and public sector leaders on structural change may well continue. To anticipate the potential limitations and strengths of the reforms approved by the Cabinet in late 2009, this paper assesses the report of the Ministerial Review Group (MRG) and subsequent Cabinet decisions against seven themes relevant to improving the future capacity of public sector organisations.

A central conclusion of the MRG’s report is the need for a new public health delivery model.

To this end a key MRG recommendation is the creation of an independent National Health Board (NHB) to plan and monitor health service delivery through the District Health Boards. Consistent with this are proposals for the centralisation of some supporting functions andimproved regional coordination. Cabinet has been more constrained in the changes eventually to be made. For example the NHB is an entity within the Ministry of Health. The Cabinet decisions also put in place initiatives to centralise support functions and improve regional coordination. However, little consideration is given to “consumers”, who are at times patients, and the special relationship which exists between medical professionals and patients. From this perspective, the MRG’s recommendations display strong managerial predilections.

This paper concludes that to improve the new public health service delivery model, additional changes will be required. These changes are centred on:

(1) improving consumer/patient and health professional/patient relationships;
(2) building from this the other elements of a supporting service delivery value chain, including appropriate structures and funding mechanisms;
(3) nurturing an allied and uniting continuous improvement culture able to bring about change to the entire health system through its components within the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Onward with Executive Power � Lessons from New Zealand 1947-57

2010-02-09T20:22:59Z

Onward with Executive Power – Lessons from New Zealand 1947-57 includes new and exciting research on constitutional, political and policy developments during the late 1940s and 1950s, a critical stage in the evolution of New Zealand as a modern, independent state. The period was characterized by a significant evolution in New Zealand's relationship with Britain, the passing of the Statute of Westminster, the first transfer of power between Labour and National, the strong leadership styles of Fraser and Holland, the abolition of the Legislative Council, a landmark waterfront strike, and an ambivalent attitude towards full national independence. Importantly, too, the period had major ramifications for the conduct of politics during the remainder of the century, certainly until the recent era of proportional representation. In particular, it underscored and entrenched the 'elected dictatorship' available to post-war prime ministers and single-party governments. Onward assesses the lessons of the Fraser-Holland era for contemporary New Zealand politics and highlights how many of the central issues of the immediate post-war years remain with us and are still unresolved.

Dr Harshan Kumarasingham completed his Ph.D on the Westminster System from Victoria University of Wellington, which won the Sir Desmond Todd Memorial Prize. He has held many research positions including a Claude McCarthy Fellowship to India, Visiting Scholar at the University of Melbourne, Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and a British Council Research Exchange Award at Queen Mary College at the University of London.

IPS WP 10/03 - Families, Ageing and Migration: Indian Communities in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch

2010-02-01T17:42:34Z

The migration of older people to join family members in other countries and “trans-national’ families are issues of growing significance. They have implications for policies on retirement incomes, care and support services, and cultural retention, as well as for family health and cohesion. The New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy supports the provision of culturally appropriate services to older people and the recognition of diversity within the older population. The Indian community in New Zealand is growing fast and becoming more diverse socio-economically and culturally. It is a significant element of the population and provides example of the interaction of families, ageing and migration. On the basis of interviews with representatives of Indian community organisations and family case studies, the research examines issues arising for older Indians and their families. Many of these also apply to older people in general, such as the need for social contact and opportunities for contribution and participation. Other issues, such as balancing co-residence and aspirations for independence, are more specific to the Indian community, but may apply also to other ethnic groups.

IPS WP 10/02 - Older Women-Younger Men Relationships: the Social Phenomenon of 'Cougars': A Research Note

2010-01-28T20:57:47Z

Couples where the woman is significantly older than her male partner currently have a high prominence in national and international media and in popular culture. The women in such arrangements have attracted a colloquial label, ‘cougar’. This arrangement represents a break from the past when generally the male was the older partner. Our initial analysis of census data suggests that the extent of the older woman–younger male couple is exaggerated by the media. Nevertheless, the data indicate it is an important group and its size does seem to have been growing since the 1980s, at least for those living together in the same households. Like other researchers we also suspect that the number of couples where the woman is older who form long-term relationships is considerably smaller than the number of such couples who have had short-term relationships. Our brief canvassing of theories of partner choice suggests there are social and economic reasons for further growth of this type of partnering arrangement. If there is further significant growth, it is likely the somewhat negative predatory term ‘cougar’ will disappear or at least change its current connotations.
Key words: Women, relationships, cougars, homogamy, heterogamy.

Climate Change 101: An Educational Resource

2010-01-14T16:56:57Z

Climate change is widely recognised as the most important issue now facing humanity. Proposals to reduce emissions or to adapt proactively to future climate changes often result in intense public debate about the urgency, feasibility, and cost, as well as the appropriate balance, of responses to climate change. A better and much broader understanding of the causes and effects of climate change, together with the options for mitigation and adaptation at the global scale, is critical for such societal discussions to be fruitful. Climate Change 101 – An Educational Resource provides a clear, succinct, and measured summary of our current knowledge of climate change, its potential impacts, and the scope for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
adapting to inevitable changes.

Climate Change 101 draws its substance mostly from the findings contained in the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But it also highlights more recent scientific developments and illuminates the key issues that underpin the current international negotiations for a new global agreement on climate change. This book is intended as an educational resource for anyone seeking a robust scientific overview of the complex and interdisciplinary challenge that climate change represents for the global community.

Andy Reisinger is a senior research fellow with the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute at Victoria University of Wellington. He has worked in climate change science and policy as a research scientist and senior policy adviser on climate change to the New Zealand government. From 2006 to 2008, he was responsible for managing the production of the Synthesis Report of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Lenny Bernstein co-authored chapter 6 on mitigation options. He was employed for 30 years in the petroleum industry and, since 1999, has followed scientific and political issues related to climate change as a consultant. He has served as a lead and convening lead author on the Third and Fourth Assessment Reports of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and was a member of the Core Writing Team for the Synthesis Report of the Fourth Assessment Report.

Eliminating World Poverty: Global Goals and Regional Progress

2010-01-14T16:56:43Z

"The poorest of the world have been patient, but a hundred years is too long to wait for justice...to make poverty history, we need to make new history today, and make it happen now."
- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, 2008

Eliminating World Poverty brings together, in an edited collection, revised versions of many of the papers presented at a major symposium on the demanding theme of eliminating world poverty - global goals and regional progress. The Institute of Policy Studies hosted the symposium in March 2009.

The Symposium was prompted by a desire to assess progress towards meeting the ambitious objectives embraced by the Millennium Summit at the United Nations in September 2000. These Millennium Development Goals, as the objectives are called, are due to be achieved by 2015 - barely six years away. A more specific aim of the symposium was to evaluate the progress thus far in the South Pacific region and assess the options available to policy-makers for overcoming the obstacles of sustainable development.

Jonathan Boston is Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Institute of Policty Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. He has published widely on public management, social policy, tertiary education, comparative government, and New Zealand politics. In recent years he has been actively involved in the policy issues surrounding climate change.

Conceptualising the Border

2010-01-14T16:56:27Z

History shows that borders have always marked the limits of a political authority. Travellers seeking permission to enter have always been asked to respect that authority (when in Rome...).

In a world interconnected by technology and transport, how a state manages its borders affects a very wide range of interests, including public health, the environment, local identity, security, trade, tourism, and revenue.

How should governments manage the flows of people and goods across their borders? What powers are appropriate? Do thses powers differ from regulating similar flows of people and goods inside a country?

This monograph takes a first principles approach to these questions, as it explores the simple connection between state sovereignty and border management. The conclusions are relevant to many policy questions that are confronting New Zealand and other states, as they seek simultaneously to reduce and increase the barriers at their borders.