Monthly Archives: March 2011
The federal deficit and the GST
My blogging has been light, partly because of this, partly because my teaching load this term is heavier than usual, and partly because I've been spending so much time trying to get a good feel for the numbers that will form the background of the federal budget scheduled for March 22. I keep thinking "Okay, […]
Does tweeting signal success?
More than one person has suggested that I start tweeting, but I'm afraid to. As my nearest and dearest have observed "Who would follow you on twitter?" It would be mortifying to be on twitter and have no followers. Yet tweeting is like bird song. A bird who sings early, long, and well will typically be […]
Ricardian Equivalence does not assume full employment
The Ricardian Equivalence Proposition asumes many, many things. But full employment equilibrium (however you define "full employment") is not one of those things it assumes. I disagree with Antonio Fatas (and others who believe the same).
Revisiting Ontario’s Decline
Well, there have been some great comments regarding my post on whether Ontario is in decline. Alot of good points have been raised including how output is attributed to regions as well as how important the effect of oil prices has been. One comment in particular by Kosta piqued my curiosity.
Livio Di Matteo, Lakehead University
I’m a professor of economics at Lakehead University. My areas of research are economic history, health economics and public policy. More detailed information on my activities, publications as well as a short c.v. can be found on my page at the Lakehead Economics Department website I’m a professor of economics at Lakehead University. My areas […]
Ricardian confusions squared
Hang on now, Paul, Mark, Progrowthliberal, and Antonio Fatas. Justin Yifu Lin (pdf) is basically right. He's making an important point. It's similar to one I made a couple of years back. Sure, a temporary increase in useless government expenditure, even under Ricardian Equivalence, will give a bang for the buck. But it's a totally […]
Is Ontario in Decline?
With a battered manufacturing sector, a large public sector deficit, a drop in per capita GDP relative to other provinces and becoming a recipient of equalization, Ontario has definitely seen better days. The question is whether this is represents a long-term trend towards economic decline for Ontario or is it simply a short-term aberration?
Livio Di Matteo joins Worthwhile Canadian Initiative
As many of you are no doubt aware, Lakehead University's Livio Di Matteo has been writing on economic policy for quite some time for various newspapers and on his own blog, Northern Economist. We are happy to announce that Livio has accepted our invitation to blog at WCI as well; he will be making his […]
Revealed preference for newsprint and the rise of Fox News.
My dog can't talk, but his preferences are revealed by his actions. I know he likes tofu better than chicken because, given a choice between a piece of tofu and a piece of chicken, he will pick the tofu. Choices reveal human preferences too. In January, my parents arranged for me to have a free […]
LED holiday lights and the rebound effect
The holiday light market is now dominated by energy-efficient LEDs. According to BC Hydro: The big difference is that they use up to 90 per cent less energy than incandescent lights, which means your holiday lighting charges could be as much as 90 per cent less than if you used incandescent lights only. The charges could be […]
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative 
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