In their seminal 2012 book, “Why Nations Fail,” Acemoglu and Robinson offered a powerful new framework for understanding why some societies thrive and others decline – those based on inclusive growth succeed, while those where growth is extractive wither… In particular, they believe we need to be cautious about “good” economic policies that have the side effect of either reinforcing already dominant groups or weakening already frail ones.
Four years ago, these graduates were living in women’s shelters, hiding behind false names, not daring to think about the future. Today, they are working in banks, law offices, high-tech firms or Woodgreen’s network of early learning centres. Their salaries range from $35,000 to $55,000. Their lives have structure and purpose.
At a time when 95 per cent of aboriginal young people don’t go to university — and many of those who start fall away — the program Ryerson and FNTI have developed is worth heeding. It offers the youth of First Nations — the fastest-growing segment of Canada’s population — an opportunity to learn the skills they need without sacrificing their identity… There are no lecture halls, no passive listening and no jockeying for dominance. “We are all teachers and learners… We all bring our knowledge to the sharing circle.”
… by the broadest measure of expenditure on research and development, Canada has fallen from 16th out of 41 comparable countries in the year Stephen Harper became prime minister, to 23rd in 2011… Canada is letting its science advantage fritter away, as if that could somehow help its private-sector R&D gap close… The government has known, since its first year in office, that the private sector is not doing enough applied research. Its response has been to put the brakes on pure research in universities.
In their seminal 2012 book, “Why Nations Fail,” Acemoglu and Robinson offered a powerful new framework for understanding why some societies thrive and others decline – those based on inclusive growth succeed, while those where growth is extractive wither… In particular, they believe we need to be cautious about “good” economic policies that have the side effect of either reinforcing already dominant groups or weakening already frail ones.
Investing in public health is a wise choice in good times and an urgent necessity in the worst of times. Had austerity been organized like a clinical trial, it would have been discontinued, given evidence of its deadly side effects. There is an alternative choice that we found in the historical data and through the present recessions, that when we place people and their health at the center of economic recovery, it can help get our economy back on track faster and yield lasting dividends to our society.
The national poll reveals that Canadians, both new immigrants and Canadian-born, overwhelmingly support progressive values such as reducing income inequality, better pensions, and stronger environmental regulations… there is no significant statistical difference between the attitudes… contrary to recent reports that have portrayed the political trend lines of the country as moving in a small “c” conservative direction. If anything, the opposite would seem to be the case.”
We blindly cut, hoping that will drive us back to prosperity and out of the worsening cycle of child and family poverty… Three decades of austerity-worship, and the promise of four more austerity budgets to come in Ontario, have worsened child and family poverty… In 1989, about 10 per cent of Ontario kids lived in poor families. By 2010, that number was up to 14.5 per cent… The conversation needs to change… Forget minimum wage and the discussion of what costs business will bear. Let’s talk about the living wage.
… a 20-member Senate Appointments Committee (SAC) made up of respected members of the Order of Canada… would be the responsibility of the Governor General… New senators would be appointed for a term of six years… No longer would senators sit as members of one political caucus or another. All 104 would be independent members… No more “whipping” senators into lock-stepping. Senators would not be permitted to attend or participate in the party caucuses of the House of Commons
Recent Comments