PEF home page and weblog
I’ve just written a blog post about social assistance in Canada. Points raised in the blog post include the following: -Social assistance has two contradictory objectives: 1) to give people enough money to live on; and 2) to not give people enough money to live on. -Very few immigrants receive social assistance (relative to the […]
Posted by Nick Falvo under aboriginal peoples, Alberta, Austerity, BC, economic history, economic thought, fiscal federalism, fiscal policy, homeless, housing, immigration, income, income distribution, income support, Indigenous people, NEO-LIBERAL POLICIES, Ontario, poverty, public services, Role of government, social indicators, social policy, unemployment.
May 9th, 2017
Comments: none
Allan Moscovitch and I have co-authored a blog post that looks at the history of child benefits in Canada. Points made in the blog post include the following: -Child benefits can reduce both poverty and homelessness. -When child benefits began in Canada after World War II, one major motivating factor for the federal government was […]
Posted by Nick Falvo under aboriginal peoples, Austerity, child benefits, Conservative government, demographics, economic history, economic thought, fiscal federalism, fiscal policy, Harper, Harper economics, history of economic thought, homeless, income, income distribution, income support, Indigenous people, labour market, poverty, Role of government, social policy, women.
April 30th, 2017
Comments: none
I have an opinion piece on Saskatchewan’s recent budget in the Regina Leader-Post. Points raised in the opinion piece include the following: -Reductions in personal and corporate income taxes help the rich more than the poor (and this budget cut both personal and corporate income taxes). -Increases in sales tax hurt the poor more than […]
Posted by Nick Falvo under aboriginal peoples, Austerity, budgets, Child Care, corporate income tax, debt, deficits, economic growth, economic models, economic thought, employment, fiscal policy, health care, income, income distribution, income support, income tax, Indigenous people, inequality, NEO-LIBERAL POLICIES, population aging, post-secondary education, poverty, public infrastructure, public services, Saskatchewan, social policy, taxation, unemployment.
April 23rd, 2017
Comments: none
This year’s Alternative Federal Budget (AFB) was released on March 9. I was proud to be the primary author of its housing chapter (that chapter is available in English here and in French here). The first AFB exercise began in 1994, with the first AFB being published in 1995. That involved a joint effort between […]
Posted by Nick Falvo under aboriginal peoples, Alberta, Austerity, Bank of Canada, banks, BC, budgets, debt, deficits, democracy, economic crisis, economic growth, economic history, economic literacy, economic models, economic thought, employment, federal budget, feminist economics, fiscal policy, gender critique, housing, income distribution, income tax, Indigenous people, inequality, inflation, interest rates, labour market, macroeconomics, Manitoba, monetary policy, NDP, NEO-LIBERAL POLICIES, Nova Scotia, Ontario, party politics, poverty, progressive economic strategies, public infrastructure, public services, Quebec, Role of government, Saskatchewan, social policy, stimulus, taxation, unemployment, women.
March 20th, 2017
Comments: none
This fall, Canada’s Parliament will debate a proposal to expand the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). And over at the Behind the Numbers web site, I’m co-author of a blog post titled “Ten things to know about the CPP debate.” The blog post’s other co-authors are Allan Moscovitch and Richard Lochead. Points raised in the blog […]
Posted by Nick Falvo under Austerity, CPP, demographics, employment, income, income support, inequality, labour market, media, OECD, Old Age Security, older workers, part time work, pensions, population aging, poverty, privatization, progressive economic strategies, retirement, Role of government, self-employed, seniors, small business, social policy, taxation, unions.
October 29th, 2016
Comments: 1
“I don’t read newspapers, I don’t watch the news. I figure, if something important happens, someone will tell me.†Justin Trudeau’s surprising confession in a 2001 Globe and Mail essay (“Something I’m Passionate About”, Feb.3) raises three questions: 1)  does he read newspapers and watch the news now?; 2) if yes, does he read the Report […]
Posted by Wenonah Bradshaw under Austerity, Balanced budgets, Federal elections 2015, Liberal Party policy.
October 12th, 2015
Comments: 3
This is a guest blog post from Mario Seccareccia, Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa. ——- Since the October 2008 federal election, Canadian politicians have been struggling to come to terms with what to all accounts has turned out to be a “lite†version of the 1930s, whose major difference is that today we have […]
Posted by David Pringle under Austerity, Balanced budgets, deficits, economic history, macroeconomics, Mulcair.
September 21st, 2015
Comments: 8
Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor, Laurentian University Co-editor, Review of Keynesian Economics Follow him on Twitter @Lprochon First, it was his enthusiastic support and admiration of Margaret Thatcher; now it is his overzealous support of balanced budgets. What’s next? What is Mr. Mulcair ready to do to get the keys to 24 Sussex? How close […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, Mulcair, NDP, Neocon.
August 29th, 2015
Comments: 22
Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate professor of Economics – Laurentian University Founding co-Editor – Review of Keynesian Economics Follow him on Twitter – @Lprochon This story from the CBC on August 14, 2015. See story here. With the NDP riding high in a number of national polls at the moment, there is an increasingly real possibility […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, Canada, economic crisis, Harper economics, Harper recession, NDP.
August 14th, 2015
Comments: 7
Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor, Laurentian University Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics Follow him on Twitter @Lprochon Mr. Harper and the Conservatives never miss an opportunity of reminding Canadians that we should vote for them in October in order to ensure economic prosperity in the future. At the heart of this argument is the belief […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, Conservative government, economic crisis, Harper economics, Harper recession.
August 10th, 2015
Comments: 1
Harper’s economics and geocentrism Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor, Laurentian University Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics What a month it’s been. While the first half of 2015 has not been kind to Canadians and the economy, July has proven to be worse. On the economic front, we have had a tumultuous month capping a tumultuous first […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, Harper economics, Harper recession.
August 2nd, 2015
Comments: 1
Mr. Harper’s recession Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate professor of economics, Laurentian University Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics Short of a miracle, Canada is officially in recession, which I predicted back in January. But this recession was wholly avoidable had Mr. Harper and his government abandoned their wicked policies of austerity in favour of a growth-oriented […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, fiscal policy, Harper.
July 15th, 2015
Comments: none
Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor, Laurentian University Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics In its recent report released in early June, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made some startling policy announcements: given the general depressed economic condition in the world economy, now is not the time to pay down the national debt if that implies sacrificing […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, IMF, NEO-LIBERAL POLICIES.
June 8th, 2015
Comments: none
Is another recession on its way? Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor, Laurentian University Co-editor, Review of Keynesian Economics Canada’s economy shrank in the first quarter by a whopping 0.6%. Is this the beginning of a new recession? Recessions of course are defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Now we learn today that Canada’s […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under American economy, Austerity, Bank of Canada, Canada, economic growth, recession.
May 30th, 2015
Comments: 1
Louis-Philippe Rochon is associate professor of economics at Laurentian University and co-editor of the Review of Keynesian Economics. Originally published by CBC. See here. In its April budget, the federal government announced it had succeeded in balancing the budget. Such an achievement, however, will prove to be at best a Pyrrhic victory. History shows austerity […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, Balanced budgets, fiscal policy.
May 29th, 2015
Comments: 2
Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor, Laurentian University Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics With the tabling of a new federal budget on April 21, the Conservatives are trying to reinvent themselves as good economic managers, stalwart of sound finance. But after almost nine years in office, the data simply does not confirm this story. Mr. Harper’s […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, Conservative government, deficits.
April 28th, 2015
Comments: 4
Cross-posted from my blog. I’ve been banging the drum of “slow-motion austerity” for a while and little in the 2015 federal budget suggests any change from the pattern of death by a thousand cuts. This budget is another is a series of unspectacular austerity budgets. Taken together, however, the cuts rapidly add up and budgets […]
Posted by Michal Rozworski under Austerity, budgets.
April 25th, 2015
Comments: 1
CONSERVATIVES MAKING A MOCKERY OF WORKING CANADIANS Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor of Economics, Laurentian University Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics Today, with great fanfare, Minister of Finance, Joe Oliver, tabled his much-delayed budget in the House of Commons. Despite the government’s best effort to confuse Canadians with tales of terrorism, the economy and job […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, Balanced budgets, budgets, Canada, economic crisis.
April 21st, 2015
Comments: 2
LABOUR MARKET DEREGULATIONS NOT WORKING: IMF See original CBC column here. Recent — and potentially watershed — International Monetary Fund (IMF) documents have cast doubt on the merits of labour market deregulation of the last three decades, with important consequences for Canada. But will anyone listen? The last 30 years have not been kind to economic growth and wealth creation. The economic “successes” […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, deregulations, IMF, labour market.
April 19th, 2015
Comments: 1
Balanced budget legislation will be disastrous for Canada Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor of Economics, Laurentian University Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics Twitter @LPROCHON Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s latest muses about introducing balanced budget legislation is the worst policy for Canada, and will doom us to European-style crises and rob future generations of prosperity. While […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, Balanced budgets, budgets, deficits, fiscal policy.
April 10th, 2015
Comments: 2
THE FEDERAL BUDGET AND CANADA’S ANNUS HORRIBILIS See Original post here for the CBC. Canada’s Finance Minister Joe Oliver announced a new – and long overdue – federal budget for April 21. With the Canadian economy doing so badly, this budget will be crucial. Will the minister do the right thing and give Canadians a […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, budgets, Canada, Conservative government, deficits, economic crisis, federal budget, fiscal policy.
April 6th, 2015
Comments: 3
Louis-Philippe ROCHON Associate Professor, Laurentian University Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics Follow him on Twitter @Lprochon With data on the performance of Canada’s labour market released today, many economists and pundits on both sides of the 49th parallel are arguing that what seems to be emerging is two very clear and different paths for […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under American economy, Austerity, economic growth, labour market.
March 13th, 2015
Comments: 10
The Fredericton Daily Gleaner published an op-ed I wrote about how the province doesn’t have a structural deficit, despite the government claiming it does.  The commentary piece is behind a pay wall so I’ve copied it below. Last month, CUPE New Brunswick also published a paper I wrote on this issue, Deficit Déjà Voodoo: is New […]
Posted by Toby Sanger under Austerity, debt, deficits, New Brunswick.
March 12th, 2015
Comments: none
Jean-Francois Ponsot Associate Professor of Economics, Université de Grenoble (France) and Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor of Economics, Laurentian University (Canada) Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics ___________________ The final agreement between Greece and the Eurogroup is a disappointment for anyone who held high hopes that Greece would have taken away more than a mere extension to […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, capitalism, economic crisis, Europe, Greece, Uncategorized.
March 8th, 2015
Comments: 5
LOUIS-PHILIPPE ROCHON Associate Professor, Laurentian University Co-editor, Review of Keynesian Economics Follow him on Twitter @Lprochon ________________________ As I have said before (see here) and will say again: any solution to Greek’s tragedy, which involves keeping the Euro as a currency is a second-best solution, unless the appropriate institutional changes are adopted. Anything short of […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, economic crisis, Europe, Greece, Uncategorized.
February 17th, 2015
Comments: 2
Posted earlier as an opinion piece for CBC. See original post here (this post slightly modified from original) By Louis-Philippe Rochon Follow him on Twitter @Lprochon Much was at stake earlier this week when finance ministers from G20 countries met in Istanbul to discuss Greece and the state of the world economy in light of recent […]
Posted by Louis-Philippe Rochon under Austerity, Conservative government, deficits, economic crisis, economic growth, federal budget, Federal elections 2015, financial crisis, fiscal policy, G-20, heterodox economics.
February 15th, 2015
Comments: none
This is a guest blog post from Louis-Philippe Rochon. Follow him on Twitter @Lprochon. — What a tumultuous few weeks we witnessed in Greece. Though the victory of Syriza was ill-received in particular in Germany and the European Central Bank, it was nonetheless a resounding victory for democracy. This victory may now spill into other […]
Posted by Nick Falvo under Austerity, debt, democracy, economic crisis, economic growth, Europe, exchange rates, Greece, monetary policy, progressive economic strategies.
February 10th, 2015
Comments: 4
It’s a bit of a headscratcher. First, Ontario Conservative leader Tim Hudak builds his whole campaign around a promise to create one million new jobs in Ontario over eight years, then one of his first campaign commitments threats  is to reduce the number of Ontario government employees by 100,000, together with a wage freeze for every […]
Posted by Toby Sanger under Austerity, labour market, Ontario election 2014, public services, unemployment.
May 11th, 2014
Comments: 4
The current edition of Canadian Dimension magazine has a fascinating series of articles on episodes of economic transition around the world (more of them bad than good in recent times, of course). It’s a very thoughtful & informative collection, and I highly recommend it (and every progressive economist should subscribe to CD, by the way). […]
Posted by Jim Stanford under Austerity, economic history.
April 7th, 2014
Comments: 2
On Tuesday, April 8, results of the Mental Health Commission of Canada‘s At Home/Chez Soi homelessness study will be released at an Ottawa press conference. The study followed more than 2,000 participants in five Canadian cities. All were homeless when the study began. Half of them received the Housing First intervention, and half of them did […]
Posted by Nick Falvo under Austerity, cities, Conservative government, homeless, housing, municipalities, social policy, Toronto.
April 5th, 2014
Comments: 5