Monthly Archives: May 2009
Yet another review of Joseph Heath’s “Filthy Lucre”
I spent the past weekend in Toronto, attending the meetings of the Canadian Economics Association, and I took advantage of the occasion to track down the book that was the subject of Nick's earlier post. (The bookstores here in Quebec City cannot be relied upon to provide such fare). To echo Nick's review, it is […]
A plea for a sensible change to EI
The Canadian Labour Congress' Andrew Jackson is worried about EI claimants who might be exhausting their benefits. If the opposition is serious about using EI reform as a cudgel for bashing the government, they would do well to read Andrew's post.
A $50 billion deficit is really a $25 billion deficit
If the government runs a deficit, it means you have to increase taxes or cut government spending sometime in the future, right? Well no, that's not exactly right.
On the sheer pointlessness of reducing hours for EI eligibility as a counter-cyclical policy
One of the points I've been making about the psychodrama over reducing the EI eligibility requirements (eg: here and here) takes the form of a question: "Just what problem is this supposed to solve? How many people are there who were hired three months ago – in the teeth of the worst labour market in […]
Bad economics du jour: The National Post on the deficit
Today's edition of the National Post offers up two variations on the same clanger, namely that the upcoming deficits are due to a ramp-up of spending. Terence Corcoran – Don't blame deficit on the economy: Today's deficits in Ottawa are a direct product of five years of fiscal expansionism and continued spending increases. Spending has […]
EI and I on CBC
I was on CBC Newsworld's show Politics this afternoon, along with Derek Burleton of TD Economics, talking about the opposition parties' insistence that the government reduce the number of hours worked before becoming eligible for Employment Insurance (see here, here and here). You can watch the video here – we're in the first segment. We […]
A Canadian economics blog! A Canadian economics blog!
Adam P – a frequent and insightful commenter here on WCI – has decided to start his own blog: Canucks Anonymous! His latest post has beer and pizza! Enjoy!
“John Cochrane’s” argument for fiscal stimulus
I just finished reading John Cochrane's paper, where he applies the fiscal theory of the price level to the current crisis. (Thanks Adam P!). OK, I admit I didn't really read it thoroughly; I skimmed it. It's full of good insights, and also bad mistakes. The best thing to do with a paper like that […]
Summoning the ghost
I've been reading through the Annex of the Bank of Canada's most recent Monetary Policy Report (pdf), the "Framework for conducting monetary policy at low interest rates", and reading Deputy Governor John Murray's speech on unconventional monetary policy. I can't quite put my finger on the right metaphor. "Atheists explaining the efficacy of prayer" comes […]
My fear: Michael Ignatieff is to EI as Stephen Harper is to the GST
Well. It would appear that I have become the go-to person for those who are interested in examining the merits of the policy proposals that are the backdrop for Ottawa's psychodrame de jour. Put briefly, my point – expressed here and especially here is that Michael Ignatieff's proposals for EI reform ignore the scholarly literature […]
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative 
Recent Comments