| WELLINGTON: In a surprise move, the Government has decided to implement National finance spokesman Don Brash’s recommendations, forcing the unemployed to work for the dole.
From Monday, the nation's unemployed will be asked to front up at their nearest Post Office at 8am, where they will be given a variety of topics to be researched and drafted into Working Papers. Beneficiaries would then be given payment for their work at the end of the day, in cash. The Working Papers will cover a variety of economic, financial, trade and social issues and will be used to inform internal policy discussions within the Reserve Bank and Treasury. Initial topics for publication will range from the general; Publicly Financed Education in an Endogenous Growth Model, to the more specific; Ethnicity and Early Labour Market Experiences in the Hamilton Region. In line with Dr Brash’s wishes the unemployed would further be required to publish a report on every new law or regulation, to determine whether that law or regulation would enhance New Zealand’s growth prospects or detract from them. Each new law would also be scrutinised for its effect on the unemployed. Long term beneficiary Derek Charmers (BA(Hons) (Otago) MEc (ANU) MA PhD (Prin)) for one, was not happy about the new arrangement. “People who know me are well aware of my feelings on the forward rate unbiasedness hypothesis in inflation-targeting regimes. To be forced to go down that tired old path again would be extremely detrimental to my emotional wellbeing, not to mention my intellectual growth.” Not all beneficiaries were against the policy change, however. Anne Dove, of Timaru, thought the scheme may be of benefit to herself and unemployed neighbour Ruth Mills. “Myself and Ruth have been drafting working papers, unpaid, on Monetary Policy and Inflation Forecasting for three years now. As long as the Government is willing to provide us with access to key policy papers and statistical information from other government departments, along with unlimited photocopying, I feel we can really start to make inroads on our projections.”  Brash, implementer of brave new plan. |
| Unemployed to draft Reserve Bank, Treasury papers for dole |
Saturday, 01 February 2003 12:00
