Foreign
Affairs
China Ascending
In a new article, the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs
Institute’s Derek Burney examines the global shift of economic power from
the U.S. to Asia, and specifically
China.
Canada, he argues, must develop a strategy
to deal with this change and exploit the emerging economic opportunities. Read
Caveats, Values and the Future of
NATO Peace Operations
National caveats that
restrict the activities of different NATO contingents in Afghanistan are more
than just operationally problematic; they represent profound differences among
NATO countries on the use of force, writes Stephen Saideman from the Centre for International Policy
Studies. These differences, Saideman maintains,
have had significant domestic political repercussions so that it is unlikely
that NATO will be able to agree on deploying "out of area" operations in the
near to medium future. Read
L’administration
Obama et le Projet Aegis
Un article
du Centre
d’études des politiques étrangères et de sécurité (CEPES) discute
des relations entre les États-Unis et la Russie dans le context du projet de
bouclier antimissile, et de la nouvelle position de l'administration
Obama envers ce plan. Lire
Economy
Unlocking the Potential of the
Atlantica Region with Special Economic Zones
Canada is the only G-8 country without
Special Economic Zones, or SEZs, claims a new report by the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.
The
study examines SEZs around the globe, evaluating what works and
what doesn't. It concludes that SEZs would help the Atlantica region –particular
the Port of Halifax – become an economic engine for the
region. Read
Ready for Takeoff: Bold Tax Policy
Moves for a More Competitive Western
Canada
This report by the Canada West Foundation explores
taxation in Canada with a special emphasis on how the
four western provinces, as a region, fit into the broader Canadian tax picture.
The report concludes by working through three broad tax areas: 1) personal
income taxation; 2) various forms of corporate taxation; and 3) sales taxes and
provides a list of potential tax reforms that Western Canadians ought to
consider in building a more competitive tax system. Read
Dropouts: The Achilles’ Heel
of Canada’s High-School System
Canadian
high-school dropout rates are too high, in many cases, and are costly to
society, with the problem being particularly acute among Aboriginals and
francophone Quebecers, according to a C.D. Howe Institute study released this
week. In Dropouts: The Achilles’ Heel of Canada’s High-School System,
author John Richards examines the problem’s scope on a province-by-province
basis and makes policy recommendations to address it. Read
Will Alberta
Lose Its Tax Advantage?
Alberta
historically has prided itself on its provincial tax advantage, and for good
reason: with abundant natural resource revenues, the province has been able to
leverage its advantage to attract capital and people in order to grow and
diversify its economy, writes the University of Calgary’s Jack Mintz. He
warns, however, that Alberta’s tax advantage is diminishing as tax regimes in
other provinces become more competitive. Mintz proposes an approach that he
believes would maintain Alberta’s tax competitiveness. Read
Public
Policy
The BC Agricultural Land Reserve: A
Critical Assessment
The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR)
was established in 1973 in order to ensure a local food supply by preserving
land for the purposes of farming rather than development. A new report by the Fraser Institute offers a critical
assessment of the ALR arguing that the costs of the ALR outweigh its benefits.
The report examines some of these costs in order to promote a re-evaluation of
the government’s role in the agricultural sector. Read
A Guide for Policy-making in an
Uncertain World
Comprehensive
in scope, and grounded in actual case studies, a new book – available for free
online from the International Institute
for Sustainable Development – is a contribution to public policy management.
Creating Adaptive Policies: A Guide for
Policy-making in an Uncertain World describes the concept of
adaptive policy-making and presents seven tools for developing such policies.
Based on hundreds of interviews from over a dozen policy case studies, the work
serves as a pragmatic guide for policy-makers. Read
Book
Energy /
Environment
Oil Sands Media
Monitor
This report from Dan Gibbins of the
Canada West Foundation is the fifth
in a series following coverage of the oil sands through traditional and internet
media. The media monitors track how the oil sands are being perceived from
both an environmental and economic perspective. Read
Bangkok Talks on Climate
Change
In this International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD) commentary, John Drexhage calls for a greater focus on
discussing substantive issues within the 2009 negotiations on the future of the
international climate change regime. Reflecting on the outcomes of the climate
negotiations in Bangkok in September/October 2009, IISD's Director of climate
change and energy observes that while constructive headway is being made in some
areas, several key issues, including emission targets and financing, remain far
from resolved. Read
News from Canadian
Universities
Once-in-a-Lifetime
Coincidence Offers New Hope for Lung-Disease
Treatments
An
extraordinary scientific coincidence at McGill University has opened the door
to potential treatments for newborn lung distress and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. A McGill electron microscopy expert recently discovered
identical defects in tissue samples taken from genetically engineered mice
produced at New York University, and children suffering from a multi-organ
disease being studied at Washington University in St. Louis. Read
Is Nanotechnology the Next Big Thing
or the Next Big Nightmare?
The Liu Institute's Milind Kandlikar says
research is moving toward a better understanding of how nanoparticles can affect
human health and the environment. He cautions, however, that scientists don’t
yet know what properties might make nanoparticles and nanowaste hazardous. Read
