This and that for your Thursday reading. – Paul Constant discusses a new study showing that the positive effects of minimum wage increases for low-income workers actually grow over time. And Sheila Block highlights how a $15 increased minimum wage stands to offer far more to workers than Doug Ford’s
Continue readingTag: Poverty
Accidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Ann Pettifor discusses the trend toward financialization which has led to regular economic disasters – and suggests the public is well aware it’s getting left behind in the policy choices which have created it. – ScienceDaily takes note of the strong connection between
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Newly-signed FPT housing framework agreement
I’ve just written a blog post about the newly-signed federal-provincial-territorial housing framework agreement. This agreement builds on (and helps move forward) Canada’s National Housing Strategy, which was released last fall. One of the points made in the blog post is that the federal government’s stated objective of removing approximately half-a-million
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – The Canadian Press reports on new research showing how wealth shocks at any level of income or wealth are associated with a higher risk of mortality: Middle-aged Americans who experienced a sudden, large economic blow were more likely to die during the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Nathaniel Lewis laments the state of the U.S.’ woefully insufficient social supports, while emphasizing the importance of public social spending in particular: (P)rivate “social spending” is, for the most part, regressive and narrowly distributed. Households are bearing the cost directly for the goods
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Five things to know about the 2018 Alberta budget
On March 22, the NDP government of Rachel Notley tabled the 2018 Alberta budget. I’ve written a blog post discussing some of the major ‘take aways’ from the standpoint of Calgary’s homeless-serving sector (where I work). Points made in the blog post include the following: this was very much a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Vanessa Brcic offers some observations on the connection between poverty and health, including the importance of ensuring marginalized people are treated with respect: The economic argument for poverty reduction is clear, but we see in health care what is more plainly obvious
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Ten proposals from the 2018 Alberta Alternative Budget
The 2018 Alberta Alternative Budget (AAB) was released yesterday—it can be downloaded here. An opinion piece I wrote about the AAB appeared yesterday in both the Calgary Herald and the Edmonton Journal. Inspired by the Alternative Federal Budget exercise, this year’s AAB was drafted by a working group consisting of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Spencer Piston argues that it’s unreasonable to blame people living in poverty for not participating in political structures designed to exclude them – while noting that many Americans want to see a far more progressive tax system which politicians have made no
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Homelessness and employment: The case of Calgary
I’ve just written a blog post about homelessness and employment, with a focus on Calgary (where I live and work). Points raised in the blog post include the following: -Persons experiencing homelessness usually have poor health outcomes, making it especially challenging to find and sustain employment. -There are several non-profits
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Martha Friendly, Susan Prentice and Morna Ballantyne discuss how universal child care is a necessary element of any serious push toward equality for women. Dennis Grunding notes that it will take a concerted public effort to secure the universal pharmacare program Canadians want
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: How to Measure and Monitor Poverty? LIM vs LICO vs MBM.
The federal government has promised to launch a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy in the coming weeks or months on the basis of now completed consultations with Canadians and the still ongoing deliberations of an advisory committee. As part of this process, there has been discussion about which poverty or low
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Noortje Uphoff writes about the long-term effects of growing up in poverty and the resulting stress on a child: Our childhood affects our health across the course of our lives. Stress, it seems, is a major contributor. While a life lived with
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Andrea Gordon offers the latest on the inequality caused by forcing schools to rely on fund-raising for basic equipment and activities. And Wanda Wyporska comments on the class pay gap which sees children of less wealthy parents face lifelong disadvantages: The report
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Five Things to Know About the 2018 Federal Budget
I’ve written a blog post about the 2018 federal budget. Points made in the blog post include the following: -Important new housing investments were made for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. -The Working Income Tax Benefit was expanded, made automatic and rebranded (i.e., renamed). -Canada’s official unemployment is now the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – The Council of Canadians sets out the key numbers in the Libs’ all-talk, no-action federal budget, while David Macdonald highlights its ultimate lack of ambition even when there’s plenty of fiscal room to work with. David Reevely focuses on the grand total of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Nick Falvo highlights some of the most important proposals in the CCPA’s alternative federal budget (parentheticals omitted): 3. Introduce a national pharmacare program. This proposal would help address the fact that many Canadians simply cannot access prescription medication; it would also result
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Ten proposals from the 2018 Alternative Federal Budget
I’ve written a blog post about this year’s Alternative Federal Budget (AFB). Points raised in the blog post include the following: -This year’s AFB would create 470,000 (full-time equivalent) jobs in its first year alone. By year 2 of the plan, 600,000 new (full-time equivalent) jobs will exist. -This year’s
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: The Working Poor and the Working Income Tax Benefit
Here is a short research paper I wrote for the Broadbent Institute. https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/broadbent/pages/7073/attachments/original/1519312305/Canada’s_Working_poor_and_the_Working_Tax_Benefit_-_Report.pdf?1519312305 And here is a short summary: The Liberal government have promised to make progressive changes to the Working Income Tax Benefit (WITB) in next week’s budget. Let’s hope that they deliver. The increased insecurity of work and
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Homelessness in BC
In anticipation of tomorrow’s provincial budget in British Columbia (BC), I’ve written a blog post about the state of homelessness in that province. Points raised in the blog post include the following: -Public operating spending by BC’s provincial government has decreased over the past 20 years. -Even after controlling for
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