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• Occasional Papers

• 08/01
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• 08/04
• 08/05
• 08/06
• 07/01
• 07/02
• 07/03
• 07/04
• 07/05
• 06/01
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• 06/04
• 06/05
• 06/06
• 06/07
• 06/08
• 06/09

The Ministry undertakes in-depth analysis of aspects of the New Zealand economy relevant to policy as part of its role as one of the Government's main economic advice agencies. Occasional Papers are produced as part of the Ministry's policy process and released to contribute to economic debate.

The papers reflect the views of their various authors, and not necessarily the views of the Ministry or the Government.

The Ministry intends to publish occasional papers from time-to-time, as policy relevant work of broader interest is completed.

• 08/01: Some Rise by Sin, and Some by Virtue Fall: Firm Dynamics, Market Structure and Performance  [ Published 05 May 2008 ]
  This paper investigates the microeconomic dynamics of the New Zealand economy using a powerful new SNZ-held dataset.
• 08/02: Do Exporters Cut the Hedge? Who Hedges, When and Why?  [ Published 05 May 2008 ]
  This paper uses data derived from the prototype Longitudinal Business Database to analyse the currency denomination and hedging behaviour of New Zealand merchandise exporters.
• 08/03 - Firm Level Patterns in Merchandise Trade  [ Published 05 May 2008 ]
  This paper examines patterns of merchandise exporting at both the firm level (1996-2005) and the product level (1988-2005).
• 08/04: A Comparison of Qualitative and Quantitative Firm Performance Measures  [ Published 05 May 2008 ]
  This paper compares information on firm performance, reported in the Business Operations Survey, with alternative measures taken from administrative sources, brought together n the prototype Longitudinal Business Database.
• 08/05: Assessing Agglomeration Impacts in Auckland: Phase 1  [ Published 05 May 2008 ]
  By examining the presence of agglomeration effects in Auckland, this paper presents a new set of relationships by which Auckland’s productivity performance can be considered.
• 08/06: Assessing Agglomeration Impacts in Auckland: Phase 2  [ Published 05 May 2008 ]
  In this paper we examine the contribution of sectoral composition and workers’ educational attainment to the observed productivity benefits that are currently being achieved in Auckland’s CBD.
• 07/01: Geographic Concentration and Firm Productivity  [ Published 24 October 2007 ]
  This paper looks at why firms in dense urban areas are more productive than those based in smaller labour markets using data on location and labour productivity from most New Zealand firms.
• 07/02: HR Practices and Firm Performance: What Matters and Who Does It?  [ Published 24 October 2007 ]
  This paper examines whether adoption of certain human resource practices impacts on a firms success, finding that use of a suite of high performance practices impacts positively on firm performance.
• 07/03: Capital Intensity and Welfare: National and International Determinants  [ Published 24 October 2007 ]
  This paper looks at the links between capital intensity, per capita incomes and welfare and how certain factors lead to some countries having higher capital intensity than others.
• 07/04: Just How Innovative are New Zealand Firms? Quantifying & Relating Organisational and Marketing Innovation to Traditional Science & Technology Indicators  [ Published 24 October 2007 ]
  This paper explores the strategies, practices and characteristics that make firms successful and finds that good management practice combined with innovative activities provides an additional effect on future innovation outcomes.
• 07/05: New Zealand Financial Markets, Saving and Investment  [ Published 13 November 2007 ]
  This paper is based on a project which explores the link between New Zealand’s financial system and economic performance.
• 06/01: Practice Makes Profit: Business Practices and Firm Success  [ Published 15 March 2006 ]
  This study finds that four categories of business practices are particularly important for New Zealand firm performance: (i) up-to-date capital equipment; (ii) "high performance" employee-related practices; (iii) R&D; and (iv) market research.
• 06/02: Determinants of National R&D and Patenting: Application to a Small, Distant Country  [ Published 15 November 2004 ]
  This report investigates a number of factors that may explain New Zealand's low rate of privately-funding research and development. Once these factors are controlled for, New Zealand is found to be rather average in its performance.
• 06/03: The Effects of Agglomeration on Economic Activity: The Empirical Evidence on Mechanisms and Magnitudes  [ Published 15 January 2006 ]
  This report examines the effects of agglomeration – the benefits to be gained from the concentration or clustering of firms – on economic activity. It relates the literature to the current debate about the role of Auckland in the New Zealand economy.
• 06/04: A Smooth Ride: Terms of Trade, Volatility and GDP Growth  [ Published 15 May 2006 ]
  This report analyses the proximate reasons behind New Zealand's recent high, stable terms of trade and then examines (compared with past experience) whether this and earlier terms of trade behaviour explains growth outcomes since 1960.
• 06/05: Trade and Networks: Mechanisms for Productivity Growth  [ Published 15 September 2004 ]
  This paper considers the international literature on the relationship between international connections and productivity growth. The focus is on the empirical evidence for firm-level productivity improvements, and the mechanisms by which these may occur.
• 06/06: Public Policy Framework for the New Zealand Innovation System  [ Published 15 May 2006 ]
  Both theory and evidence suggest that innovation shapes output and productivity growth. This report develops a broad conceptual and empirical framework against which innovation policy issues in New Zealand can be assessed and evaluated.
• 06/07: Impacts of Employment Regulation: Towards an Evaluation Framework  [ Published 15 November 2005 ]
  This report reviews the alternative empirical methods for evaluating the impact of employment regulation on innovation, productivity and economic growth in the New Zealand economy. It concludes that no method is unambiguously superior.
• 06/08: Business R&D, Innovation and Economic Growth: An Evidence-Based Synthesis of the Policy Issues  [ Published 14 May 2006 ]
  This paper assesses the literature on R&D and government incentives. The trend within the OECD is towards non-discretionary incentives and New Zealand is looking increasingly unusual in terms of its sole reliance on discretionary grants for business R&D.
• 06/09: Improving the Water Allocation Framework in New Zealand  [ Published 15 May 2006 ]
  Water is a finite, scarce and valuable resource underpinning New Zealand's economy and environment. This paper proposes that the present allocation arrangements could be improved to achieve improved enhanced economic and environmental outcomes.