Competition and Regulation Times. December 2000. Issue 3.

Title: Don't ignore NZ's e-Leadership Abstract: New Zealand is a world leader in preparedness for electronic commerce, according to recent research from NZISCR Author: Lewis Evans, David Boles de Boer, Bronwyn HowellTitle: Relevance rules. Translation talks. Abstract: What is the place for private and public research? Together! Author: Adrian OrrTitle: Yes, Virginia, Christmas really is a dead (weight) loss Abstract: Judy Bethwaite delves into her Christmas stocking to see whether Santa's offerings match her expectations, and asks the eternal question: "Who bears the cost when Santa gets it wrong?" Author: Judy BethwaiteTitle: In search of a healthier constitution somewhere between the electoral college and MMP Abstract: The recent US presidential election failed to establish a winner within the 18-hour time slot that modern media allow for such matters. Many touted this "failure" of the Electoral College system as a potential constitutional crisis. Author: Charles CangialoseTitle: Has corporatisation made our public hospitals sick? Abstract: Bronwyn Howell asks why corporate model, successfully used to run private nonprofit hospitals in New Zealand, has failed to significantly improve the performance of our public hospitals. Author: Bronwyn HowellTitle: Unique New Zealand needs unique competition laws Abstract: New Zealand's small size may be a significant and inherent "barrier to entry" with implications for the way we regulate firms, writes Prof. Lewis Evans, Executive Director of ISCR. Author: Lewis Evans Title: The state of our State-Owned enterprises Abstract: It is difficult to make simple generalizations about the performance of State-Owned Enterprises, a recent ISCR study found. "THE SOE model created probably the best environment in the last century for state-owned businesses to operate efficiently" says co-author Prof. Lewis Evans, Executive Director of ISCR, "yet the most striking thing about our study is the wide range of performance by SOEs. The companies had different starting points, and they were affected differently by changes to markets and regulatory conditions during the period we studied," he says. Author: Neil Quigley, Lewis EvansTitle: The Rural-Urban digital divide in New Zealand: fact or fable? Abstract: Is there really a "digital divide" separating urban and rural New Zealand?If the furore surrounding the recent Telecommunications Inquiry is to be believed, rural New Zealanders' uptake of electronic commerce is severely retarded by poor telephone lines and the absence of high-capacity cabling in country areas. Author: Bronwyn Howel