Category Frances Woolley
The echoes of internment
The internment of Japanese-Canadians during the second World War was one of the less noble points in Canadian history. But this post is not about guilt or shame. Economists are increasingly aware that history matters. A recent survey by the Harvard-based Canadian economist Nathan Nunn describes how decisions made centuries ago – for example, the types of […]
The Liberal dilemma: centrist or centralist?
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines Canada's Liberal party as centrist. If this is true, then their collapse can be explained by a splintering of the electorate, so fewer Canadians identify with the centre, or by an increase in political competition. Now other parties, such as the Greens, compete for the centrist vote. While both these stories […]
Riding the Loser Cruiser
People will use public transit if it's the lowest cost way of getting from point A to point B. Costs have three components. The first is money costs – the cost of gas or a bus fare or a train ticket. The second is time costs – the opportunity cost of time spent driving or […]
Collective Disasters and Individual Responsibility: Lessons from the Kobe earthquake
Japan's 1995 Kobe earthquake resulted in the loss of 6,432 lives, and the complete destruction of over one hundred thousand buildings – a loss of homes comparable to that caused by Japan’s recent tsunami. The people of Japan rebuilt then. Can they rebuild now? (In the pictures: a post-earthquake collapsed expressway; Kobe's expressway today).
Musings on Good Friday
Today is Good Friday, the end of Lent, the Christian period of fasting or sacrifice. In Europe, it was once traditional to fast, or give up eating animal products, for the duration of Lent. That traditional sacrifice is the source of some well-known Easter rituals. We're celebrating the end of Lent today with hot cross […]
A rant about EI premiums
It's her first job. She paid $105 last year in Employment Insurance premiums. But she worked fewer than 910 hours. So she wouldn't be eligible to claim EI, even if she was laid off. It's not fair that she has to pay premiums, but receives no entitlement to benefits in return.
What’s the best way to scale grades?
It happens. An exam question is not clear, or more challenging than intended. The exam is marked by an over-zealous TA. Or perhaps the students haven't studied as hard as they should have. As a result, the students' grades are, in some sense, too low – they do not accurately convey the students' level of […]
Understanding Victim Fine Surcharges
In Canada, people who break the law pay a “victim fine surcharge.” For federal offences, the surcharge is 15 percent of any fine imposed. For criminals who are not fined, a set surcharge of $50 or $100 is imposed, depending upon the severity of the crime. The funds raised through these fines stay in the […]
Does vote swapping increase efficiency?
Liberal voters in rural Alberta, Conservative voters in central Ottawa, and Green Party supporters across the country have one thing in common: their votes are almost certain to have no impact on the outcome of the Canadian election. Vote swapping websites offer these voters some hope of political power. A voter can register at votepair.ca or other […]
What can we learn from a random sample of land lines?
Every day throughout the election campaign, new poll numbers are released. Nanos Research, one of the leading polling companies, describes its methodology: A national random telephone survey is conducted nightly by Nanos Research throughout the campaign. Each evening a new group of 400 eligible voters are interviewed. The daily tracking figures are based on a three-day […]
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