Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Sheila Smith examines how private equity is hollowing out the real economy in the name of profit-taking. And Klaus Schwab suggests a “Great Reset” – though his preference for a continued capitalist model misses many of the most important opportunities for a more
Continue readingTag: Poverty
Accidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Bryan Borzykowski recognizes that many Canadian families are weathering the COVID-19 crisis only by taking on more debt – though it’s worth questioning whether the burden should fall on individuals to dig their way out from under it, rather than receiving systemic relief.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Polly Toynbee writes that the coronavirus has highlighted how poverty kills – and how a concerted fight against inequality is a precondition to a healthier society: This time the coronavirus epidemic touches everyone, as all can see who is harmed most. This time,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Duncan Cameron writes that while the COVID-19 pandemic has been catastrophic, we shouldn’t pretend that it’s at all surprising – or that the necessary responses are in doubt: Though it has taken the world by surprise, the COVID-19 pandemic is a white
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: The Pensioner and the Pandemic and …
The Government Wants to Lock Me in My Room Well this blog post is taking somewhat of a change of direction from that planned, which was to focus on the benefits of being a retired pensioner at this time, since the Ontario government is telling me that I will suddenly
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Adam Tooze writes that the coronavirus pandemic has offered a reminder that the economy (particularly defined in terms of shareholders’ interests) can’t be given priority over human survival and well-being. – John Daley discusses three possible options in responding to the coronavirus –
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Affordable housing, homelessness and the upcoming federal budget
I’ve written a ‘top 10’ overview of things to know about affordable housing and homelessness, as they relate to Canada’s upcoming federal budget. The overview is based on the affordable housing and homelessness chapter in the just-released Alternative Federal Budget. A link to the ‘top 10’ overview is here.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Todd Gordon and Geoffrey McCormack write about Canada’s crisis of capitalism – which is only being laid bare by a coronavirus pandemic exposing the fragility of a system built on precarity and debt. – Kim Kelly discusses how service workers will face the
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Cost savings associated with Housing First
I’ve written a summary of a recent study I co-authored on savings to the health and justice sectors associated with Housing First (i.e., the immediate provision of subsidized housing, along with social work support, to persons experiencing long-term homelessness). The study, based on a large sample size from Calgary, finds
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Heather Scoffield points out that the Trudeau Libs’ definition of poverty (for the purposes of claiming credit for having reduced it) excludes many people facing extremely precarious financial circumstances. Sarah Boseley discusses how the UK Cons’ gratuitous austerity has led to declining
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Ezra Klein discusses the socialist ethic behind Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. And Umair Haque writes that the antidote to Donald Trump’s authoritarianism is a far stronger recognition of the need for collective action. – Meanwhile, Shree Paradkar notes that the vilification of
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: income support for low-income households in Alberta
Next week, Jason Kenney’s UCP government will table its second budget. With that in mind, I’ve written a blog post titled “Ten things to know about income support for low-income households in Alberta.” Points raised in the blog post include the following: -Low income is associated with lower food expenditures,
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Ten things to know about subsidized rental housing in Alberta
In anticipation of next week’s Alberta budget, I’ve written a ‘top 10’ overview of subsidized rental housing in the province. Points raised in the blog post in include the following: -On a per capita basis, Alberta has far fewer subsidized housing units than the rest of Canada. -In 2017, BC’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Monika Dutt offers a reminder that some of the best investments we can make in improving public health are aimed at social factors: As a physician, I often see people at high risk of poor health because they live in poverty. We know
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – John Clarke writes about the war on people living in poverty arising out of needless austerity: The OCAP years have seen the abandonment of social housing by governments, the elimination of the Canada Assistance Plan (CAP), Tory cutbacks that compare to those of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – George Monbiot recognizes that our climate policy needs to be based on maximizing our shift to a sustainable society, not on trying to barely reach insufficient emission reduction targets: It’s not just the target that’s wrong, but the very notion of setting targets
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Assessing progress on St. John’s Plan to End Homelessness
I’ve written an assessment of the 2014-2019 St. John’s Community Plan to End Homelessness. The full assessment can be found here. Points raised in the assessment include the following: -Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest unemployment rate of any Canadian province. This pulls people into homelessness, while also making it
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Tom Blackburn writes about the UK’s rare opportunity to elect a government which is actually committed to empowering workers. – Don Pittis writes that an effective transition toward a clean energy economy will result in far superior outcomes for workers than an
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Will Hutton discusses how the U.S.’ monopolistic economic system threatens anybody who becomes subject to its whims. And Eric Levitz points out how a wealth tax which ensures that everybody is required to contribute to the price of a functional civilization should appeal
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Olivia Bowden reports on new research showing that the harmful health effects of air pollution are even worse than previously known. – But in case anybody was under the illusion that we’d expect polluters to pay for the cost of their damage, Chris
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