Matt Ridley: We owe our prosperity to 2 men from Glasgow

Hi rational optimist. A special treat for you today: a new Matt Ridley essay that traces mankind’s prosperity back to 2 Scottish men from 1776. Enjoy.

A quarter of a millennium ago, the world was changed by two men from Glasgow. In the spring of 1776, Adam Smith, a former professor of philosophy at Glasgow University, published “The Wealth of Nations,” his extraordinary book about how prosperity is mostly a spontaneous phenomenon deriving from the human habit of exchange and specialisation.

Roger Partridge: The Nobel’s Timely Reminder - Prosperity Cannot Be Planned

This month’s Nobel Prize in Economics arrives at an opportune moment. The award to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt for having explained innovation-driven economic growth provides a salutary reminder about what drives prosperity. And what does not.

Roger Partridge: A labour law reform that works for workers

Every day, New Zealand workers clock longer hours than their peers in most developed nations yet produce far less value per hour worked. This productivity paradox has haunted our economy for decades, condemning workers to lower wages and longer working days.

Now, Parliament has a chance to help change this cycle. Select Committee submissions closed last month on the Government’s Employment Relations Amendment Bill 2025.

Clive Bibby: Productivity gains and responsible spending are the key to prosperity

For those of us who recognise the need to balance the nation’s books, politicians who focus on fixing the things that matter are “gold” in the modern era.

I use the term “gold” advisedly because its value is based on its rarity.

In just about every country of the Free World, governments are trapped in a cycle of frivolous spending which only increases national debt to unsustainable levels.