Category Livio Di Matteo
The Impact of Economics Blogs
I blog, therefore I am. What if I blog about blogging? What kind of impact does blogging have? Blogging is a flexible creative format that can present economic ideas at a fairly high level of analysis but without the formal process and format of a refereed journal article. Moreover, blogs allow for a fairly […]
Net Worth, Wealth Effects and Recessions
According to a report by Bank of Nova Scotia economists Derek Holt and Karen Woods, Canadian businesses have begun to pull back on investment and accumulate inventories which may be a sign that the economy is about to head into another recession. After the surprise second quarter drop in GDP, if there is another drop, […]
Fences, Walls, Pillars and Banking
A government report out of the United Kingdom recommended that UK banks should “ring-fence” their retail banking divisions to protect them from riskier investment banking arms. The Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) calls for these changes to be implemented starting in 2019.
Employment and Political Regimes: Some Ontario Evidence
According to a recent Nanos poll conducted for the Globe and Mail, after health care, the economy/jobs is the top concern of Ontario voters this fall election. Ontario voters may be interested on how employment growth has fared in their particular neck of the woods under various political regimes.
Ranking Employment Performance
It has been the conventional wisdom in Canada that we have weathered the Great Recession and the financial crisis much better than the rest of the world. Ever wonder why when government comparisons are made about how Canada fared during the Great Recession, the comparison made is inevitably with the G-7 countries?
Is the Dreaded Double Dip Near?
Statistics Canada has released the Canadian economic accounts with GDP estimates for the second quarter of 2011. Overall, real gross domestic product or GDP declined by 0.1 percent in the second quarter following a 0.9 percent increase in the previous quarter.
Gold Prices Bubbling Away
Well, I normally do not follow the price of gold or other precious metals but an email from a former student of mind has piqued my curiousity. My former student is studying medicine rather than economics but has a consuming interest in economics and markets and forwarded me a newsletter on the price of gold […]
British Tuition Hikes: A Canadian Opportunity?
Last Thursday, about 300,000 British secondary school students (England, Wales & Northern Ireland) received their A-level results, which are a key determinant of whether or not they will receive a place at a university of their choice. This year, the number of applicants to British universities was about 684,000 but the number of spaces was […]
Thinking About Economics
As part of my fall teaching load, I will be teaching what economists sometimes refer to as “History of Thought” but which is more correctly termed the “History of Economic Thought” or perhaps “Evolution of Economic Theory and Analysis”.
Dealing with the Current Financial Crisis
Well, I'm certainly not a macroeconomist and I have even less expertise when it comes to the world of money and banking and international finance. Yet, given the current situation in financial markets and the world economy, I cannot help but wonder if the problem is also institutional. So, here it goes.
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative 
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