Zombie Ideas: policy pendulum and the challenge of effective policymaking.

Ideas are important as a foundation for public policy, but they can also become 'zombie ideas' which survive even though they have been proven to be ineffective. Both the political right and the political left have their own zombie ideas, and when there is a change in government old ideas may return. This article presents the concept of zombie ideas and discusses its relevance for policy in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]