The economic collapse of the 1930s brought down democracies across Europe unleashing fascism across the continent. Other countries, including Canada and the United States, introduced drastic measures to protect the vulnerable which helped save them from the same fate. Capitalism was failing, rescued by the rudiments of the welfare state.
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Views from the Beltline: The welfare state and the American dream
The American founding fathers had a vision of a roughly equal society. At least for white people—others didn’t count in either the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. Equality was to be based on the economic asset that mattered most in those pre-industrial days—land. Even the poor would have a
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Leashing the corporations with the Biden tax
There was a period following WWII when we approached utopia. Well, OK, maybe that’s overstating it, but we had created probably the finest society, in terms of the economic welfare of ordinary people, that humanity has ever managed. We had for some time enjoyed the benefits of capitalism but in
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On breaking solidarity
After nearly a year of a declared pandemic (and several months of inaction before that), far too little has changed in Saskatchewan’s political discussion of our response to COVID-19. In particular, the Moe government has regularly insisted on pushing to reopen as much as it can get away with –
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: Beware of basic income
Wouldn’t it be great to get a cheque every month just for being you? This is the sweet, fuzzy vision the Ontario and federal Liberals, are counting on to sell their latest idea, a basic income. Just this year, the Ontario government laid the groundwork for a pilot project to test the idea. Any actual large-scale program […]
Continue readingMichal Rozworski: Podcast: Defending Bernie-nomics and debunking the housing market
This week, I interview two guests on fairly different topics linked by the fact that they both give very effective debunkings of some mainstream economic thinking. First, I speak with JW Mason, economics professor at John Jay College in New York City, about the debate that has erupted around Bernie Sanders’ economic program. JW argues […]
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: 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 readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Austerity and economy in Quebec (transcript)
On last week’s podcast, I interviewed two researchers from Montreal’s IRIS, or the Insitut de recherché et d’informations socio-economiques, which has now been producing important progressive research for 15 years. This conversation with Julia Posca and Eve-Lyne Couturier is a great introduction to Quebec’s experience with austerity, the resource extraction agenda and
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Podcast: Austerity and economy in Quebec
https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/podcast150525-iris.mp3 Many in English Canada recognize the CCPA, but relatively few know of IRIS. Tucked away in an old Montreal school that has been repurposed as a home for a wide array of social enterprises and NGOs, IRIS, or the Insitut de recherché et d’informations socio-economiques, has now been producing important progressive research in
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Calling capital’s bluff in Alberta
The votes had barely been counted in Alberta when stories purporting to herald capital flight, particularly from the oil sands, were already appearing in venues like the Financial Post. As if on cue, the TSX fell 2%,the day after the Alberta election. What are we to make of this? Is Notley’s Alberta in the
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Beyond social democracy: new institutions, new subjects
So many of the debates on the contemporary left come back to the legacy of social democracy. The Swedish experience came closest to fulfilling social democratic ideals in the post-war era and so speaks to these debates in a unique way. Earlier this year, I talked to Petter Nilssen of Sweden’s
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Trumpeting the Nordic Model – How Socialism Wins the Day
Damn, Ólafur Grímsson, President of Iceland, is getting cocky. For good reason of course. Keeping the people that run your country and businesses educated and healthy = productivity and innovation. Shocked I am. Positively aghast. 🙂 Filed under: Education, International Affairs, Politics Tagged: Neo-Liberal Troll Bait., Nordic Countries,
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canadian WW2 Veteran: “At 91, I am history, and I fear its repetition” [VIDEO]
Smith, 91, one of the last remaining Canadian World War 2 veterans, fears that unrestrained capitalism is killing collective rights and western democracy. The post Canadian WW2 Veteran: “At 91, I am history, and I fear its repetition” [VIDEO] appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Doug Henwood on US economics and politics
https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/podcast-141114-doug-henwood.mp3 This week, it’s my great pleasure to present a feature interview with Doug Henwood — economic analyst, author of books including Wall Street and host of the wonderful Behind the News radio show and podcast that inspired this show. Doug always introduces his show by saying his guests will be “taking a look at worlds of
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: On childcare in Ricochet
I forgot to post the piece I wrote on the NDP’s universal childcare proposal for Ricochet. Here it is belatedly. It was published last weekend and tries to situate the childcare proposal in the context of broader changes to the welfare state. Why the NDP’s childcare proposal has irritated all the
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Political Eh-conomy Radio: Looking towards childcare in Canada, with lessons from Sweden
https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/podcast-141016-childcare.mp3 This week, the federal NDP reignited a national debate over childcare by proposing a universal $15 per day childcare program. This is the focus of today’s episode, which features two guests. First up, Angela MacEwen. Angella is an economist with the Canadian Labour Congress and has long been a strong
Continue readingCapitalism—an irrational system in an age of climate change
Capitalism is generally recognized as having one great strength. That, of course, is as a creator of wealth. Aided by the remarkable advance of technology (some would say inspired and facilitated by capitalism) it has created wealth unknown before in human history. Capitalism is also generally recognized as having one
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Thatcherism: A grand, failed economic experiment
By: Andrew Jackson | Broadbent Institute Admirers and detractors of Margaret Thatcher can agree that she will be remembered as one of the key political architects of our times. Along with her soulmate, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, she broke decisively with the post-war Keynesian welfare state and ushered in the still-enduring age
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