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Keith Rankin
Political Economist, Scoop Columnist
Keith Rankin taught economics at Unitec in Mt Albert since 1999. An economic historian by training, his research has included an analysis of labour supply in the Great Depression of the 1930s, and has included estimates of New Zealand's GNP going back to the 1850s.
Keith believes that many of the economic issues that beguile us cannot be understood by relying on the orthodox interpretations of our social science disciplines. Keith favours a critical approach that emphasises new perspectives rather than simply opposing those practices and policies that we don't like.
Keith retired in 2020 and lives with his family in Glen Eden, Auckland.
Keith Rankin - Latest News [Page 10]
Trans-Pacific Partnership or Jousting Contest ?
Thursday, 6 August 2015, 9:02 am | Keith Rankin
The perpetually nearly-finished TPP negotiations perpetuate once again. Cars and cows are the problem, we are told. More >>
Centenary of the Battle for Chunuk Bair
Monday, 3 August 2015, 9:25 am | Keith Rankin
Keith Rankin, 3 August 2015 This coming weekend marks the centenary of the Battle for Chunuk Bair. This battle is often regarded, as in the overview to the 1991 movie Chunuk Bair, as "a formative NZ nationhood moment". Indeed it was the principal ... More >>
The Balance of Payments and the Housing Market
Thursday, 30 July 2015, 9:50 am | Keith Rankin
On Morning Report on Friday (24 July), I heard the following exchange between Guyon Espiner and Finance Minister, Bill English. More >>
Auckland Housing: What's in a Name?
Tuesday, 21 July 2015, 9:03 am | Keith Rankin
What would economic historians 50 years' hence think of the Auckland housing market in the 2010s? Possibly not much; there may be bigger issues to investigate. But how would they deal with the lack of official data about property ownership? They would ... More >>
The Flag and the 'Waste of Money' Syndrome
Thursday, 9 July 2015, 12:12 pm | Keith Rankin
The new flag consultation 'road show' publicity process is drawing to an end. The whole exercise of trying to choose a flag that appropriately represents New Zealand to the world has been fraught with much cynicism; indeed with so much cynicism that ... More >>
Currencies: Rules of the Game applied to Germany and Greece
Thursday, 2 July 2015, 10:42 am | Keith Rankin
This week's financial default of Greece's government reminds us that we should understand how exchange rate systems are meant to work, and why, more often than not, they don't work for both technical and political reasons. More >>
Japan's Twenty-First Century Settlement
Thursday, 25 June 2015, 11:34 am | Keith Rankin
To see a future that works for the time being – sort of – look to Japan. More >>
Greece's Economic Woes are Systemic
Wednesday, 24 June 2015, 10:33 am | Keith Rankin
In The Daily Blog on 13 June, I wrote (Greece and all that – Unpacking Austerity in Europe) about Greece's resistance to the ongoing attempts within Europe to make Greece a scapegoat for the systemic problems of the Eurozone (Euro Area) of the European ... More >>
Housing Supply: Investment versus Rental Properties
Thursday, 11 June 2015, 2:11 pm | Keith Rankin
The housing debate in New Zealand is befuddled by the language used, and by people with propertied interests who are happy to maintain such confusion. More >>
Effective Citizenship and Property Ownership
Thursday, 4 June 2015, 1:13 pm | Keith Rankin
In principle, citizenship is universal, inclusive and binary. A person is either a citizen or a non-citizen; no half measures. In a formal sense, Citizenship (big 'C') of a nation is linked to birth or having gained Citizenship as a consequence ... More >>
Thought for this Day: Cultivated Mythologies
Tuesday, 2 June 2015, 9:42 am | Keith Rankin
Keith Rankin, 2 June 2015 In The Daily Blog on 30 May, I wrote about inflation as a potential rebalancing solution in a financially unbalanced world. In the article I presented an analysis of the Great Inflation of the 1970s, and suggested that inflation ... More >>
Universal Superannuation and Workers
Thursday, 28 May 2015, 11:45 am | Keith Rankin
The musings of Labour leader Andrew Little over the universality of New Zealand Superannuation have created an opportunity for politicians in New Zealand to get to grips with the underlying contrast between universal and selective welfare. More >>
Thought for this Day: Budget Politics
Monday, 25 May 2015, 9:17 am | Keith Rankin
After watching TVNZ's Q+A yesterday – especially the Bill English interview and the ensuing panel discussion – I realised the full political significance of the Budget. More >>
Thought for this Day: Remembering Krithia
Thursday, 21 May 2015, 12:36 pm | Keith Rankin
Thought for this Day: Remembering Krithia Keith Rankin, 21 May 2015 We heard much in April about the ANZAC soldiers landing and fighting at ANZAC Cove on Turkey's Gallipoli Peninsula. And we went through the 'Lest we Forget' and "We shall ... More >>
Zero-Sum Financial Reality: (+X) + (-X) = 0
Tuesday, 19 May 2015, 12:42 pm | Keith Rankin
Keith Rankin, 19 May 2015 The Greens astonished me on Sunday ( Scoop transcript of Metiria Turei interview, Q+A, TVNZ 17 May) by proposing a children's Kiwi Saver as part of a plan to boost New Zealand's saving culture. (Winston Peters also astonished ... More >>
Thomas Chalmers 1780-1847: Evangelist, Political Economist
Friday, 15 May 2015, 8:49 am | Keith Rankin
This week I read "Chalmers as Political Economist" by Boyd Hilton, from the 1885 book "The Practical and the Pious" edited by AC Cheyne. The Reverend Thomas Chalmers was an important Scottish figure in the early nineteenth century, living in years ... More >>
Housing Finance and Infrastructure | Keith Rankin
Thursday, 14 May 2015, 9:53 am | Keith Rankin
The Reserve Bank acted yesterday to limit the folly of our banks in lending too much to Auckland property 'investors'. The Reserve Bank is not concerned about housing as such. Its concern is "financial stability" with particular reference to the security ... More >>
MPs' Real Property Interests | Keith Rankin
Tuesday, 12 May 2015, 11:23 am | Keith Rankin
Looking at the 2015 Register of Pecuniary Interests of Members of Parliament , I note that 'real property' interests are not listed in a systematic way. The information given says little about how those properties are being used. More >>
MPs' Real Property Interests
Tuesday, 12 May 2015, 9:17 am | Keith Rankin
Looking at the 2015 Register of Pecuniary Interests of Members of Parliament , I note that 'real property' interests are not listed in a systematic way. The information given says little about how those properties are being used. More >>
UK Election: Anticipation and Afterthoughts
Monday, 11 May 2015, 9:06 am | Keith Rankin
Last Thursday's British election (7 May) result was a surprise to just about everyone in the United Kingdom. But not to me. I correctly anticipated the result on 23 April ( United Kingdom General Election on 7 May ), and on 2 May ( First-Past-the-Post ... More >>
