In a time when governments are running up enormous welfare bills and intrusively regulating everyday life, this series of essays reminds us that many people do not need to rely on the government to survive.In a time when governments are running up enormous welfare bills and intrusively regulating everyday life, a series of essays by...

Policy experts often think alike, even when the evidence contradicts them. CIS researchers Jennifer Buckingham, Andrew Norton, Phil Rennie, Jeremy Sammut, and Peter Saunders argue that this is how billions of dollars are spent on government programs that don't work. The CIS social policy 'mythbusting team' refute six myths that have led to poor policymaking...

One reason working-age welfare dependency remains high is that the demand for unskilled labour is in decline. Part 1 of this CIS Issue Analysis showed that more education and training will be of limited help to jobless people who do not have the ability to perform highly skilled tasks. What they need is an expansion...

Employers are reporting shortages of skilled labour, yet unskilled workers are sitting idle on welfare. Many commentators think both problems can be solved by more education and training, but this paper disputes this. The solution to the skills shortage lies in policies like delayed retirement and increased female participation in the workforce. The solution to...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Government in New Zealand keeps expanding. The main driver has been the inexorable increase in spending on the welfare state. New Zealanders are much richer than when the welfare state was founded. People’s incomes should therefore be sufficient for them to buy many of the services earlier generations could not afford. This means...