Public Policy Education
In order to be effective and sustainable, public policy requires to be built on solid foundations
and the best way to ensure this is a well-informed public. After all it is the public that
votes in governments and makes choices on what policies they want. It is then left to the
politicians and their advisers to state and implement the optimal policies to maximise the
public benefit.
In a democracy however one of the problems members of the public face is getting access to
well-communicated research which they can use to form their views. Certainly the government
sector itself will on occasion provide that information. But at times there develop gaps in
the market for knowledge pertinent to those issues of the day which public policy is called
to address.
We see a role for sponsoring such research and disseminating it to the public.
Examples of such material currently under preparation which the Foundation has funded include;
- The science of climate change. A book, "Poles Apart" that outlines the scientific evidence for and
against the proposition that anthropogenic global warming is a substantial issue and requires
public policy responses. Published 2009.
- The effectiveness of public health policy in New Zealand. Research targeted at measuring
how strong the outcomes are from our public health system and where and how New Zealanders
might get better outcomes from the taxpayer dollars allocated this sector. The book, "Health Cheque" published 2009.
- Care of the Ocean - these cover 70% of the world's surface but the public in general is quite ignorant about the state of our oceans. "Our oceans, their Future" (2010) looks at the role of oceans, the stresses they are under, and the prospectus for protections of the heritage.
- New Zealand Tax and Welfare System. Largely the result of a legacy of stepwise changes, our tax and welfare system is notable in its complexity, debateable in its objectives, and confused in its incentives. This study looks at how it can be simply fixed, clarified and meet objectives. Projected publication date - early 2011.