I feel more like a broken record: another piece for Ricochet on the economic debate in the 2015 election and the missing big picture. This after the Globe Debate on the economy. The Conservatives have promised balanced budgets and have even enshrined them in law. The NDP is also promising balanced
Continue readingAuthor: Michal Rozworski
Michal Rozworski: Podcast: Canada’s immigration failures, Quebec’s hot autumn
http://rozworski.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Podcast150914-Refugees-and-QC.mp3 My two guests this week are Harsha Walia and Roger Rashi, talking on two different topics, but both of very immediate interest. First, Harsha Walia, author of Undoing Border Imperialism and long-time anti-racist and migrant rights activist, discusses the changes to Canada’s immigration system over the past decade
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: Podcast: Jane McAlevey on organizing to win today
http://rozworski.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Podcast150831-Jane-McAlevey.mp3 I’m very happy to have an extended interview with Jane McAlevey this week. Jane is a well-known US labour organizer and author. During the 2000s, she worked for the SEIU, organizing mostly service and care workers. Much of her work was in right-to-work states, places where the labour movement has
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: The economics of the possible and beyond
Last week, I wrote a short piece for Ricochet on the kind of simple but serious economic thinking missing from the Canadian election debate so far. Here, I want to expand on the reasons why we might have trouble talking honestly about the barriers to significant economic reform without a real popular upsurge. If
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: This election, let’s really talk about the economy
Here’s a short, “populist” piece on going beyond the very limited economic debate in the election campaign so far. It was published on Ricochet: The word ‘austerity’ is finally in the mix, but all parties stuck in the right-wing’s frame Austerity is on the agenda of the Canadian election, as the
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: The case for a $15 minimum wage the NDP should make
A piece of mine published in Ricochet yesterday, making the best possible case for a $15 minimum wage in federally-regulated industries. Here it is in full: Of all of the NDP’s campaign promises so far, one of the simplest has gotten the most press: the $15 minimum wage for workers
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: Podcast: The challenge of Sanders and Corbyn to the extreme centre
http://rozworski.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Podcast150814-Sanders-Corbyn.mp3 Over the past year, unlikely challengers have emerged to the dominant politics of the center-left in both the US and the UK. Jeremy Corbyn is looking increasingly poised to win the leadership of the UK Labour Party next month. Meanwhile, on this side of the Atlantic, Bernie Sanders
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Harper’s housing promises and the crisis of affordability
Over the past two weeks, Stephen Harper has made three new housing-related promises on the campaign trail. However, they won’t help the crisis of affordability. The pattern is familiar: make things worse and prepare to blame others. First, there’s the promise to allow first-time home buyers with RRSPs to take an
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: Harper’s hopeless housing promises
Over the past ten days, Stephen Harper has introduced three new housing policy promises. However, they won’t help the crisis of affordability. The pattern is familiar: make things worse and prepare to blame others. First, there’s the promise to allow first-time home buyers with RRSPs to take an extra $10,000
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: Linda McQuaig is right, but there’s more to it
Since her common-sense quip that most of Canada’s tar sands reserves will have to stay in the ground, Linda McQuaig has been vilified by much of the political establishment and (rightfully) defended by a minority of voices in the media. That the facts of climate science vindicate her has made little difference to the debate. Is
Continue readingMichal Rozworski » Political Eh-conomy: Podcast: A labor journalism resurgence?
http://rozworski.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Podcast150803-Labour-reporting.mp3 As unions and workers suffered defeats over the past few decades, so has labor journalism dwindled from a mainstay of major media outlets across Canada and the US to a relatively niche reporting interest. The past few years, however, have seen a still small but noticeable resurgence of
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Canada’s new recession and the push for alternatives
The Bank of Canada today cut its benchmark interest rate two weeks ago to nearly record lows, now just 0.5%. In the face of an oil shock and other weakness, monetary policy is expected to do the heavy lifting of beating an economic funk. Today’s move reflects a poverty of
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Where is Canada’s mild Keynesian alternative?
You know something is up when the social democrats are trailing the centrist pundits on the economy. The space for a just a mild Keynesian alternative in Canada is wide open. Such an alternative, however, needs a political rather than merely a technocratic push. Here is a fragment of a piece
Continue readingMichal Rozworski » Political Eh-conomy: Where is Canada’s mild Keynesian alternative?
You know something is up when the social democrats are trailing the centrist pundits on the economy. The space for a just a mild Keynesian alternative in Canada is wide open. Such an alternative, however, needs a political rather than merely a technocratic push. Here is a fragment of a piece
Continue readingMichal Rozworski » Political Eh-conomy: “Can ‘people over profits’ become a reality in Greece?”
This is the full transcript of my podcast interview with John Milios; it appeared earlier this week in Jacobin. John is a prominent figure within Syriza; he was the party’s chief economic advisor until earlier this year and is also a member of the party’s central committee, one of the 109 who
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: “Can ‘people over profits’ become a reality in Greece?”
This is the full transcript of my podcast interview with John Milios; it appeared earlier this week in Jacobin. John is a prominent figure within Syriza; he was the party’s chief economic advisor until earlier this year and is also a member of the party’s central committee, one of the 109 who
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Podcast: Syriza’s John Milios, “I will continue to fight against austerity”
https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/podcast150720-greece-milios.mp3 Greece continues to be in flux. Two weeks ago, the Greek people voted over 60% No in a referendum on further austerity. One week ago, the Greek government agreed to a new Memorandum in principle after an all-night negotiation, described at times as “mental water-boarding”. Finally, last Wednesday, the
Continue readingMichal Rozworski » Political Eh-conomy: Podcast: Syriza’s John Milios, “I will continue to fight against austerity”
http://rozworski.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/podcast150720-greece-milios.mp3 Greece continues to be in flux. Two weeks ago, the Greek people voted over 60% No in a referendum on further austerity. One week ago, the Greek government agreed to a new Memorandum in principle after an all-night negotiation, described at times as “mental water-boarding”. Finally, last Wednesday, the
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: The alternative to economic fatalism
The Bank of Canada today cut its benchmark interest rate today to nearly record lows, now just 0.5%. In the face of an oil shock and other weakness, monetary policy is expected to do the heavy lifting of beating an economic funk. Today’s move reflects a poverty of economic policy
Continue readingMichal Rozworski » Political Eh-conomy: Canada’s new recession and the push for alternatives
The Bank of Canada today cut its benchmark interest rate today to nearly record lows, now just 0.5%. In the face of an oil shock and other weakness, monetary policy is expected to do the heavy lifting of beating an economic funk. Today’s move reflects a poverty of economic policy
Continue reading