Maxim Institute - real issues - No 246
Maxim Institute - real issues - No 246
Maxim Institute - real issues - No 246 29 March 2007 www.maxim.org.nz
Social justice and the case for connection Governor-General to launch new book from Maxim Institute Day-care has long-term effects on child development A Europe of results?
IN THE NEWS
'Reinventing New Zealand's Welfare State' Review of statistics on families underway
Social Justice And The Case For Connection
This Friday Maxim Institute will host over 200 invited community, business, academic and political leaders at the Auckland Town Hall, THE EDGE(R), for its 2007 Forum - Pursuing Social Justice in New Zealand.
The Forum will explore the case for connection; the idea that people's needs are best met in a relational way by those around them. Institutional or bureaucratic help, which is non-relational and typically focuses on material needs, is only ever second-best. Well-being is far more than one's bank balance, and no government can take the place of the community in bestowing identity, securing belonging, shaping character or showing love.
These things, which are vital for human flourishing, are forged and sustained through living and dynamic relationships with family, communities, iwi, voluntary organisations and faith communities. Social justice is not something which we can abdicate to government; it makes demands of each one of us, to care for and to connect with others.
The Forum will feature a top line-up of local and international speakers, including: leading social scientist, Professor David Fergusson; Principal Youth Court Judge, Andrew Becroft; Social Research Director at Australia's Centre for Independent Studies, Professor Peter Saunders; and Families Commissioner, Lyn Campbell. A panel of MPs from major Parliamentary parties will also discuss and debate how government can respond to the challenge of reinvigorating civil society in New Zealand. Throughout the day, delegates will be inspired by stories of ordinary Kiwis taking the initiative and making a practical difference.
Read more about the Maxim Institute
Forum 2007
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GOVERNOR-GENERAL
TO LAUNCH NEW BOOK FROM MAXIM INSTITUTE Maxim Institute is
delighted that His Excellency the Governor-General of New
Zealand, The Honourable Anand Satyanand PCNZM, will
officially launch a new book from Maxim Institute, Pursuing
Social Justice in New Zealand: 14 New Zealanders share their
stories of communities helping people in ways government
cannot, at the Maxim Institute Forum on Friday 30
March. The book, which was edited by Maxim Institute
Policy Analyst Ruth Porter, features compelling arguments
and inspiring stories from a diverse group of New
Zealanders. Among the contributors are former All Black
captain, John Graham, who considers the importance of
volunteerism in sport; Maori Party co-leader, Dr Pita
Sharples, who describes what insights Maori can offer to the
concept of social justice; and Ruby Duncan, a former nurse
who spent nine years working in a slum in Manila, who
reflects on how their community projects changed the lives
of many people at risk. Pursuing Social Justice in New
Zealand lays out a stirring challenge: the relational fabric
of family and community life must be strengthened if social
justice is to thrive. We all have a part to play and a
responsibility to act. Read more about the book and order
your copy online
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DAY-CARE
HAS LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT Latest research
findings reported in the USA indicate that day-care impacts
negatively on children's behaviour, even up to age 12.
Children who were in day-care any time from birth until age
five, for a period of a year or more, were more likely to
show disruptive behaviour eight years later. This is the
conclusion of the latest report from the Study of Early
Child Care and Youth Development. However, results also
indicate that while time spent in day-care has moderate
effects on child development, the quality of parents' care
has a far stronger impact. While this may reassure parents
who have no other choice but to use day-care, the findings
clearly indicate that sustained time in day-care is not
ideal for children. The finding, that children who were
exposed to early and sustained day-care showed more
behavioural problems, persisted even after family
characteristics, family conflict and the quality of the
day-care centre were taken into account. However, as is the
case with all research, the report does have limitations.
Firstly, the study does not use a representative sample, so
care has to be taken when generalising the findings.
Secondly, the design of the study does not allow us to draw
strong conclusions about whether increased day-care directly
causes greater behavioural problems, or is merely associated
with them. Nonetheless, these results from the largest and
longest-running study of day-care in the USA confirm earlier
research surveyed by Maxim Institute which found early and
sustained day-care is associated with moderate increases in
problem behaviours, lower socio-emotional well-being and
slight improvements in cognitive development. Parents
should be encouraged by the implicit message of this
research, that they have a unique role to play in their
child's development. With the weight of evidence suggesting
that replacing parental involvement with day-care is related
to poorer outcomes for children, it is time for us all to
acknowledge and honour the vital contribution that parents
make. Read Maxim Institute's Research Note The effects of
early and sustained day-care during the formative years for
infants
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A
EUROPE OF RESULTS? Ordinary Europeans are increasingly
disillusioned with the results of political union of the EU,
and the politicians and technocrats know it. The leaders of
Europe gathered last weekend to celebrate the 50th birthday
of the EU, the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of
Rome. In an attempt to re-envision a tired and frayed
'European ideal', the occasion was marked by issuing the
'Berlin Declaration', which states that 'European
unification has made peace and prosperity possible' and
calls for 'a renewed common basis' for the EU. Despite the
lavish fanfare and the thin veneer of unity, observers might
be forgiven for thinking the EU is now a solution looking
for a problem. The rhetoric of the Berlin Declaration is
populist in nature and is meant to justify the EU's
existence to Europeans who no longer see why the idea of
Europe is needed. In the same vein, the President of the EU
Commission, José Manuel Baroso, has started talking about
'a Europe of results'. With GDP growth hovering below two
per cent each year since 2001, and the average unemployment
rate still high at 7.5 per cent, it is not surprising the
Eurobarometer poll has shown 50 per cent of Western
Europeans do not consider EU membership 'a good
thing'. With the original vision for Europe limping to a
standstill, one purpose of the Berlin Declaration is to
affirm (and hence create) a significant global role for the
EU in the future, with references to addressing climate
change, world poverty, energy security, terrorism, organised
crime and illegal immigration. These initiatives are about
centralising governance for the sake of centralisation, with
all the problems of remoteness and lack of accountability
this brings. In reality, this centralisation means
member-states will have to comply with new regulations and
directives in areas where consensus is likely to break down
and the objectives will likely prove impossible to
meet. There are two lessons for New Zealand. First, big
problems like climate change are not necessarily dealt with
better by a higher form of government like the EU or the UN.
National governments are more than adequate for the task.
They are closer to the people whose lives are affected by
the decisions that are made. Further, in a world where
governments commit to more and more international treaties
and protocols, New Zealand should be mindful that these
obligations have a real impact on law and life here. There
is no better illustration than the past 50 years of European
integration. Read the Berlin Declaration
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IN
THE NEWS 'REINVENTING NEW ZEALAND'S WELFARE STATE' A new
Issue Analysis by Professor Peter Saunders from the Centre
for Independent Studies critiques the ever-increasing size
of government in New Zealand, fuelled largely by an
inexorable rise in welfare spending. Most of this rise is
driven by 'churning', that is, by government taking tax so
that it can give it back to the same people who paid it, in
the form of benefits and services. Churning has undesirable
economic effects like inefficiency and the creation of bad
incentives. It also limits people's ability to make choices
for themselves and undermines personal responsibility and
community ties. The report recommends three major policy
changes to reduce 'tax-welfare churning while still ensuring
that everyone is guaranteed a decent, basic level of
provision': a tax exemption for income below the minimum
subsistence level; personal savings accounts for all workers
to take the place of government assistance in times of
sickness or unemployment; and options to opt out of the
government health and superannuation schemes in return for
tax reductions. Read the Issue Analysis Reinventing New
Zealand's Welfare State
REVIEW
OF STATISTICS ON FAMILIES UNDERWAY Statistics New Zealand
recently released a report detailing new information needs
for families, the first since 1978. Significant changes in
New Zealand families since then meant there was a need for a
review of the type of information collected about families.
Key gaps in existing information include a lack of
information on family structures and the type of support
families rely on. Maxim Institute made a submission on the
review and is pleased with its findings. These findings will
be assessed in a separate project, after which there will be
a decision as to whether this information is included in new
data collection procedures. Read more about the Review of
Official Family Statistics
TALKING
POINT 'Human connection, and the cohesion it gives rise
to, is vital in the life of a country. In attending to the
social fabric which undergirds our country, in caring for
others, we become most truly ourselves, yoked into community
and into belonging . . . . Social justice really does begin
in our own hearts, and on this side of the fence.' Ruth
Porter, Pursuing Social Justice in New Zealand ENDS