title: Distributional Impacts of Interest Free Student Loans

authors: Coker, Emma

subjects: Student loans

abstract: Prior to 2006, New Zealand charged one of the highest rates of interest on student loans in the world; however, in line with the Labour government’s agenda to increase access to tertiary education, this was the year a blanket subsidy was applied to interest on all such loans. Literature theorising on the implications of introducing an interest-free arrangement of this nature suggests the policy is likely to exacerbate income inequality. This distributional effect is attributed to the consequent non-price rationing of scarce educational resources and, in the case of income-contingent repayments, the benefit is greater the wealthier the borrower.

Changes in inequality owing to New Zealand’s education subsidy are examined from two aspects in this thesis. First, data from the New Zealand Income Survey (2002-2007), is analysed to determine the distributional effects on a subgroup of likely student loan holders relative to the total sample population. Propensity score and kernel matching techniques reveal that the subgroup of likely student loan holders have higher average incomes irrespective of the subsidy, which suggests the large subsidisation may in fact be an inefficient way to target income inequality. 

Second, public opinion regarding inequality in New Zealand is evaluated using data from the International Social Science Survey (1999 & 2009). OLS and probit regression models both suggest citizens would prefer to live in a society with less inequality; although, individuals from 2009 were less likely than those surveyed a decade earlier to believe it is the Government’s responsibility to intervene. This indicates a policy such as the blanket subsidy on student loan interest may not adhere to public opinion as a solution to mitigate inequality.

text: Distributional Impacts of Interest Free Student Loans Prior to 2006, New Zealand charged one of the highest rates of interest on student loans in the world; however, in line with the Labour government’s agenda to increase access to tertiary education, this was the year a blanket subsidy was applied to interest on all such loans. Literature theorising on the implications of introducing an interest-free arrangement of this nature suggests the policy is likely to exacerbate income inequality. This distributional effect is attributed to the consequent non-price rationing of scarce educational resources and, in the case of income-contingent repayments, the benefit is greater the wealthier the borrower.

Changes in inequality owing to New Zealand’s education subsidy are examined from two aspects in this thesis. First, data from the New Zealand Income Survey (2002-2007), is analysed to determine the distributional effects on a subgroup of likely student loan holders relative to the total sample population. Propensity score and kernel matching techniques reveal that the subgroup of likely student loan holders have higher average incomes irrespective of the subsidy, which suggests the large subsidisation may in fact be an inefficient way to target income inequality. 

Second, public opinion regarding inequality in New Zealand is evaluated using data from the International Social Science Survey (1999 & 2009). OLS and probit regression models both suggest citizens would prefer to live in a society with less inequality; although, individuals from 2009 were less likely than those surveyed a decade earlier to believe it is the Government’s responsibility to intervene. This indicates a policy such as the blanket subsidy on student loan interest may not adhere to public opinion as a solution to mitigate inequality.

year: 2014

title: Measures of Dosage for Spinal-Cord Electrical Stimulation: Review and Proposal

authors: Single, Peter S.

abstract: This manuscript proposes an electrical definition of therapeutic dose for spinal cord systems used for the treatment of chronic pain, analogous to the pharmacological definition. Dose-response relationships are fundamental to pharmacology, radiotherapy, and other treatments, but have never been properly established for neuromodulation. This manuscript offers a robust measure of dose, pre-requisite to establishing a reliable and repeatable dose-response relationship. The new definition, enabled by the system transresistance obtained from measurement of evoked action potentials, recognizes the mechanism of action of spinal cord stimulation (SCS), and should improve acceptance of the therapy as compared to pharmacological treatments which are currently used more frequently for the treatment of chronic pain. The new definition suggests methods for personalization and standardization of the dose in SCS, and is potentially generalizable to all neuromodulation therapies in which nervous tissue is excited including sacral nerve stimulation (SNS), vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), and deep-brain stimulation (DBS). Formulas are provided, and applied using patient data. Powerful conclusions are drawn from application of the new measure.

text: Measures of Dosage for Spinal-Cord Electrical Stimulation: Review and Proposal This manuscript proposes an electrical definition of therapeutic dose for spinal cord systems used for the treatment of chronic pain, analogous to the pharmacological definition. Dose-response relationships are fundamental to pharmacology, radiotherapy, and other treatments, but have never been properly established for neuromodulation. This manuscript offers a robust measure of dose, pre-requisite to establishing a reliable and repeatable dose-response relationship. The new definition, enabled by the system transresistance obtained from measurement of evoked action potentials, recognizes the mechanism of action of spinal cord stimulation (SCS), and should improve acceptance of the therapy as compared to pharmacological treatments which are currently used more frequently for the treatment of chronic pain. The new definition suggests methods for personalization and standardization of the dose in SCS, and is potentially generalizable to all neuromodulation therapies in which nervous tissue is excited including sacral nerve stimulation (SNS), vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), and deep-brain stimulation (DBS). Formulas are provided, and applied using patient data. Powerful conclusions are drawn from application of the new measure.

year: 2023

title: Issues in Maori Language Planning and Revitalisation

authors: Harlow, Ray

subjects: Te reo Māori

abstract: All languages which have undergone changes of status in the course of their histories have been the subject of language planning, be this consistent or piecemeal, officially driven or diffuse. In some cases, the processes have been and are still relatively ‘painless’ or even subliminal, at least as far as much of the population speaking the language is concerned. English is an extreme case in this respect, so that Ayto (1983) is able to speak of the ‘failure of language reform’ as a striking characteristic of its history. Many of the issues which could potentially be associated with its position in both the world and in particular countries do not, to all intents and purposes, arise. They have been dealt with by history; the way English works as a lingua franca, as an official language, as an international language in a variety of domains and regions, its spelling systems, its vocabulary, just ‘growed’, with only sporadic help from conscious planning.

text: Issues in Maori Language Planning and Revitalisation All languages which have undergone changes of status in the course of their histories have been the subject of language planning, be this consistent or piecemeal, officially driven or diffuse. In some cases, the processes have been and are still relatively ‘painless’ or even subliminal, at least as far as much of the population speaking the language is concerned. English is an extreme case in this respect, so that Ayto (1983) is able to speak of the ‘failure of language reform’ as a striking characteristic of its history. Many of the issues which could potentially be associated with its position in both the world and in particular countries do not, to all intents and purposes, arise. They have been dealt with by history; the way English works as a lingua franca, as an official language, as an international language in a variety of domains and regions, its spelling systems, its vocabulary, just ‘growed’, with only sporadic help from conscious planning.

year: 2003-02