Foreign Affairs

Afghanistan’s Alternatives for Peace, Governance and Development

International policies in Afghanistan during the past eight years have proven wrong-headed and ineffective in delivering the promised peace, stability and democratic governance, claims M. Nazif Shahrani a professor at the University of Indiana. Writing for the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Shahrani critically examines the underlying assumptions behind what he views as failing policies and explores alternative approaches to rescue Afghanistan’s war-to-peace transition. Read

 

 

Economy

The Coming Pension Plight

As savings erode in the face of the financial meltdown, there is more and more discussion about the financial well-being of seniors and the baby boomer seniors to come, claims the Canada West Foundation’s President Roger Gibbins. He examines what governments should do to ensure the financial well-being of those who have left or are about to leave the labour force. Read

 

The Sky is Falling; The Sky is Falling; Or is it?

A recent Government of Nova Scotia review of the province’s finances is an exercise in cynical political manipulation, says a new report issued by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Nova Scotia Office. NDP governments have a history of releasing dire financial reports immediately after their election in order to dampen the expectations of their own members, the public, social movements and trade unions, says the report’s author, Saint Mary’s University professor Larry Haiven. Read

 

How Flexible Can Inflation Targeting Be?

Canada’s inflation targeting regime could be improved with an optimal degree of flexibility for policymakers and a firmer, lower target band, according to a study from the C.D. Howe Institute. In the study, Queen’s University economist Thorsten Koeppl examines how much discretion an inflation-targeting Bank of Canada can be allowed without compromising its low inflation goal, and makes three specific suggestions for improving the regime. Read

 

Economic Review of Canada’s Radio Broadcasting Industry

A new Statistics Canada publication provides national and regional financial and operating statistics for the radio broadcasting industry including air time sales, programming expenses and employment statistics. The study contains selected statistics for large metropolitan areas, by language of broadcast and type of broadcaster for both AM and FM stations. Read

 

Time for More Harmony in Canadian Pension Rules

Canada’s maze of provincial pension regulations discourages the creation of national, single-employer pension plans, at a time when 60% of working Canadians do not have private pensions sponsored by their employer, according to a study from the C.D. Howe Institute. Author Gretchen Van Riesen says national single-employer pension plans are at a very fragile juncture, and suggests four options for regulatory reform and harmonization. Read

 

The Economic Crisis through the Lens of Economic Wellbeing

The Centre for the Study of Living Standards has released a report concluding that the current recession will erase many of the economic and standard of living gains made since the mid-1990s. Unemployment and poverty will likely continue to rise and stay at high levels for years, contend author Jean-François Arsenault and Andrew Sharpe. Read

 

 

Environment

A Conversation with Jim Prentice

As part of the Institute for Research on Public Policy’s special issue on water, Environment Minister Jim Prentice sat down for an interview with Policy Options Editor L. Ian MacDonald. Their half-hour conversation also touched on climate change and how to reduce emissions in Canada, North America and worldwide, all in the run-up to December’s COP15, the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Read I Policy Options

 

 

Arctic

The Northern Policy Universe

Coinciding with Prime Minister Harper’s visit to the Arctic the Institute for Research on Public Policy has released the concluding chapter, “The New Northern Policy Universe,” from its pathbreaking book, Northern Exposure: Peoples, Powers and Prospects in Canada’s North. This forward-looking collection examines the key elements of a truly integrated Northern Strategy including, with a unique focus on the views and perspectives of northerners. Read

 

 

Public Policy

The Future of Unions: Are they a Dying Breed?

In a recent interview on CBC Radio, Atlantic Institute for Market Studies Executive Vice President Charles Cirtwill examines the changes confronting unions and suggests the pending labour shortage will make union membership even more superfluous. Read

 

 

Education

Study Identifies Ontario’s Best Public Schools

“Good schools” in Ontario have principals, teachers and other staff who are making a positive difference in student performance, regardless of their students' socio-economic backgrounds, says a recent study from the C.D. Howe Institute. Read

 

Popularity Fuels Disclosure on Facebook

The need for popularity drives young adults to disclose more personal information on Facebook than they normally would reveal, according to University of Guelph researchers. The study by psychology graduate students Emily Christofides and Amy Muise was published in the journal CyberPsychology and Behaviour in June. Their work, including another study that found Facebook use fuels jealousy in relationships, has attracted international media attention, as well as a $50,000 federal grant from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. Read

 

When Zombies Attack: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection

Zombies are a popular figure in pop culture/entertainment and they are usually portrayed as being brought about through an outbreak or epidemic. A new research paper from Carleton University and the University of Ottawa models a zombie attack, using biological assumptions based on popular zombie movies. The authors contend that only quick, aggressive attacks can stave off the doomsday scenario: the collapse of society as zombies overtake us all. Read