About the Government Economics Network (GEN)

Page updated 18 Jan 2012

Good governance requires good advice built on high-quality information and robust analysis. Economic analysis is an integral part of developing evidence-based policy. The New Zealand public service is rightly proud of the quality of its advice.However, there is scope to improve the level and utilisation of economic skills across the public service. Recognising this, in late 2010 a group of senior economists from public service departments established a network to strengthen economic capability across government and to improve the use of economics in public policy analysis.

Objectives of the Network

The GEN has three main objectives:

• Support economics training and professional development in the public sector
  • For non-economists:support public sector agencies to foster interest in and understanding of economics issues and approaches, and applying economic tools in policy development and analysis.
  • For economists: support public sector agencies to maintain and up-skill economics-based policy staff (professional development). This could include developing or arranging economic courses at an advanced level to help public service economists to refresh their theoretical economics and to stay up-to-date with methodological developments, including research techniques. 
• Develop linkages between economists across government
  • Develop linkages between government economists in order to benefit from network externalities, by:
    • promoting discussion and collaboration amongst lead economists and more junior economists across the public sector, including sharing approaches to economic issues and providing opportunities for peer review;
    • sharing resources across the public service in order to get better and cheaper access to economic databases and training services; and
    • strengthening links between public service economists and academic, think tank and private sector economists.
• Support and strengthen economic advice to government
  • Including by:
    • providing a repository for 'expert' advice and guidance on economic issues and techniques which are common across government (eg. discount rates, value of life, measuring social costs, collecting and analysing data); and
    • providing advice from the 'profession' to Chief Executives on the economic skills needed to maintain policy capability.

Structure of the Network

The network includes a wide range of public sector agencies and Crown Entities which use economics in their work. It is led by a Governance Group comprising representatives from a cross-section of government agencies. The Group is chaired by Grant Scobie, the Acting Chief Economist of the Treasury. The other members are:

• Philip Stevens, Ministry of Economic Development;
• Bronwyn Croxson, Ministry of Health;
• Joanne Leung, Ministry of Transport;
• Rob Hodgson, Department of Labour;
• Richard Lynch, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry;
  
• Steen Videbeck, Commerce Commission
• Veronica Jacobsen, Ministry of Science and Innovation; and
  
• Matt Benge, Inland Revenue.

The Governance Group is responsible for developing the network, setting its objectives and direction, and overseeing the management of the network's activities. The Governance Group will consult with, and report back to, the wider network membership as appropriate.