tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post6297034736963448415..comments2024-03-28T09:22:36.967+13:00Comments on Offsetting Behaviour: I hate economic impact numbersEric Cramptonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-52092242819779588342012-08-07T08:46:15.145+12:002012-08-07T08:46:15.145+12:00Think of the statistical life years that have been...Think of the statistical life years that have been lost writing and reading them. And the wages paid for their production...Eric Cramptonhttp://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-80147136202117214402012-08-07T02:07:32.968+12:002012-08-07T02:07:32.968+12:00Sounds like someone needs to do a study of the eco...Sounds like someone needs to do a study of the economic impact of economic impact studies?Vnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-30592873906230628942012-08-06T21:10:45.306+12:002012-08-06T21:10:45.306+12:00Both the press release and Hill's interpretati...Both the press release and Hill's interpretation are awful but to me the worst feature is putting lipstick on the pig. This is really a story about poverty in NZ, about solo parent families, under achievement in education and life by *parents*.. and little to do with the health authorities.. after all, if parents do not present their children for treatment, then bugger all can be done to help them.<br /><br />If you want to do this story right you have to explain that it is an *outcome* of a much larger story.. and explain the figures much better!<br /><br />JCJCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-68194498486694274662012-08-06T20:41:02.417+12:002012-08-06T20:41:02.417+12:00I like Seamus's idea - although I have my view...I like Seamus's idea - although I have my views on the answer. This is the main problem with economic impact studies, I believe - nobody actually has a reasonable idea as to the real purpose of the number at the end. To me it doesn't actually answer the all important question of whether the thing that creates the economic impact is actually a sensible idea in the first place. The common thread between all such studies is the connection to public funding - and surely the question that should be answered by any analysis worth its salt is whether the investment is justified. Economic impact figures by themselves are insufficient and say pretty much nothing helpful in the bigger picture. What is needed is a comparative economic impact of an alternative use of the government funding to give the economic impact some kind of relevance. Surely governments at all levels would be keen to see how an investment in a sporting event such as the Rugby World Cup or a V8 Supercars race, for instance, would stack up against an equivalent investment in the health or education sector? Any alternative will do! And don't get me started on whether the economic impacts actually materialise....Sam Richardsonhttp://twitter.com/sarichardson75noreply@blogger.com