Category Livio Di Matteo
Dealing with the Baby Boom: You Only Die Once
It has been a week of immersion in health economics for me. Last Friday, we had Herb Emery from Calgary visiting Lakehead and he gave a seminar presentation on generational balance and public health care spending in Canada. I also just got back from a workshop on health expenditure forecasting and along with last Friday’s […]
Why Dalton McGuinty Desperately Needs a U.S. Economic Recovery
Recent reports suggest that the federal government may be seeing some improvements on the deficit front due to increases in revenue. However, no such luck seems to be gracing Ontario. Indeed, the Drummond’s report forecast of continued lackluster revenue growth for Ontario due to its weak economy has placed Ontario’s government in a bind.
Driving Investment: Public or Private?
Yesterday’s Statistics Canada release on public and private investment spending intentions noted that: “Canadian public and private organizations reported that they intend to invest $394.1 billion in construction and machinery and equipment in 2012, up 6.2% from investment in 2011.” Indeed, one story I came across mentioned how important public sector capital spending was going […]
The Economics of Street Performers
Well, I have had the ultimate travel and tourism experience by spending a few days in Las Vegas – my first time – and a place I can now best characterize as a Disneyland experience for adults.
Gasoline Prices
Well, the Family Day long weekend is upon us and gasoline prices here in Thunder Bay have spiked up again. Last week, gasoline in Thunder Bay was about $1.17 a liter and right now it is about $1.30 though prices are a bit lower on the south side of town. Thunder Bay's prices have been […]
Why I’m Not Worried About Italy’s Economy
With all the doom and gloom about Europe’s economy and the debt crisis, some recent statistics from the Italian Central Bank caused me to reflect that despite its problems, the Italian economy is more robust than one might think because of its strong performance when it comes to private wealth.
When D-Day Comes, Then What?
On Wednesday, we shall see the unveiling of Don Drummond’s recommendations for the repairing of Ontario’s finances. Quite frankly, I was a little surprised that Drummond Day was not set for February 14th and advertised as a set of tough love policies to highlight the uncompromising bond between Ontario’s leaders and its people but I […]
Stein’s Law and Canadian Health Spending
Health economist Uwe Reinhardt in a recent Economix Blog posting noted the recent rates of U.S. health spending growth for 2009 and 2010 reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were marked as the lowest rate in the 51-year history of the National Health Expenditure Accounts. Indeed, the growth rate for 2009 was […]
Looking for an Example of Price-Elasticity of Demand?
The application results for UK universities in the wake of a tripling of tuition fees are in and they show a drop in applications. The limit on tuition fees in September 2012 is projected to rise to up to 9,000 pounds per year up from about 3,350 pounds for an increase of about 169 percent. […]
The Balance of the Federation
The Canadian Federation is an institutional arrangement whereby the constituent units are able to both cooperate and compete with jurisdictions that are both separate and coordinate. The debate over the respective roles of the federal and provincial governments has taken various forms over time with views that emphasize the centrality of the federal government along […]
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative 
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