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Research Associate, Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Max has twin research interests in economic inequality and open government, and has also worked extensively as a journalist. His most recent book is Too Much Money: How Wealth Disparities Are Unbalancing Aotearoa New Zealand, published by Bridget Williams Books (BWB). He edited the best-selling Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis (BWB), and wrote Wealth and New Zealand (also with BWB).
Recent academic publications by Max include an analysis of Rich List top wealth (with Tim Hazledine), published in New Zealand Economic Papers, and three IGPS working papers on wealth inequality data, two with Geoff Rashbrooke and Wilma Molano, one with Geoff Rashbrooke and Albert Chin. He is also one of the country's most sought-after commentators on inequality, both in print and on radio and TV.
His work on open government included the publication in June 2017 of Bridges Both Ways, a report outlining the options for transforming the transparency and responsiveness of New Zealand government. This was followed by the book Government for the Public Good: The Surprising Science of Large-Scale Collective Action, published in 2018.
Max has also worked extensively as a journalist, writing for outlets in Britain and New Zealand including the Guardian, the Spinoff and Newsroom. He is a fortnightly columnist for Stuff. He has twice been the recipient of the Bruce Jesson Senior Journalism Award, and was a 2015 Winston Churchill Fellow. He can be found on Twitter at @MaxRashbrooke.

Experience

  • –present
    Research Associate, Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
  • Wellington, New Zealand
  • Article Feed
  • max.rashbrooke@gmail.com
  • Joined