Smooth Sailing Ahead For the Global and Canadian Economy?
The consensus forecast of just about everybody – the IMF, the OECD, the Bank of Canada, the Canadian banks – is that Canada will share in a global recovery from…
economic crisis
For Whom the Wall Fell? A Balance Sheet of the Transition to Capitalism
Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, what does the balance sheet of so-called “transition” countries (even if the term is no longer fully adequate) look like? For…
Monetary Imperialism
Photo by Chris Dlugosz In theory, the global financial system is supposed to help every country gain. Mainstream teaching of international finance, trade and “foreign aid” (defined simply as any…
World’s 8 Richest Have as Much Wealth as Bottom Half, Oxfam Says
How concentrated has wealth become in the globalized modern world? Here’s one answer: Just eight of the richest people on earth own as much combined wealth as half the human…
Economic power to the people!
Photo by Jose Luis Magana I want to inaugurate this new column by harkening back to something old. I recently came across a pamphlet first published in 1943 by the…
The Basic Income debate
On April 13, 2017, about 300 people, all of them united in their desire to improve the well-being of the most vulnerable among us, took their seats in the OISE…
Basic Income and the left: The political and economic problems
Should the Left and labour support a demand for a Basic Income (BI)? This simple question has provoked a fervent and confusing debate. The discussion over BI touches on real…
The Alternative Federal Budget 2017
This year’s Alternative Federal Budget (AFB) was released on March 9. I was proud to be the primary author of its housing chapter (that chapter is available in English here…
Welcome to the new dark ages, where only the wealthy can retire
Photo from Pixabay.com As never-ending politically motivated austerity takes hold, more and more people will find they cannot afford to stop work. But it doesn’t have to be like this.…
Pope Francis: Capitalism is “Terrorism against all of humanity”
Photo by Long Thiên Once again, Pope Francis has made global headlines, shocking reporters late Sunday after blaming the “god of money” for the extremist violence that is taking place…
Portland to vote on taxing companies if CEO earns 100 times more than staff
Photo by Scott Cameron The city council of Portland in Oregon will vote on Wednesday whether to impose a tax on companies whose CEO’s pay exceeds the median salary of…
The New Global Financial Cold War
Photo by Des Byrne The Guns and Butter Interview Suppose a country owes money to another nation’s government or official agency. How can creditors collect, unless there’s an international court…
The US Economy Has Not Recovered and Will Not Recover
Photo by Dave Center The US economy died when middle class jobs were offshored and when the financial system was deregulated. Jobs offshoring benefitted Wall Street, corporate executives, and shareholders,…
Richest 62 people as wealthy as half of world’s population, says Oxfam
Photo by Alberto Carrasco-Casado The vast and growing gap between rich and poor has been laid bare in a new Oxfam report showing that the 62 richest billionaires own as…
Struggling to manage your life? Our destructive system is likely to blame
Photo by frankieleon I was dismayed by the comments of two women on CBC Toronto’s Metro Morning recently. The program deserves credit for planning throughout the week to deal with…
International Monetary Fund’s Rogues Gallery
Photo by Ryan Hyde Introduction The IMF is the leading international monetary agency whose public purpose is to maintain the stability of the global financial system through loans linked to…
State Terror or Capitalist Terror, Military Coup or Capitalist Coup
The Rosariazo in 1969. The worsening economy and the onset of dictatorship led to waves of protests, strikes and riots. • Photo by Carlos Saldi Introduction Democratic critics of military…
Global Corporate Cash Piles Exceed $15 Trillion
Photo from Public Domain The global economy is slowing – from China to Brazil to South Africa and beyond. Currency wars initiated in 2013 by Japan’s introducing a ‘quantitative easing’…
Would an NDP win mean the end of Canada?
Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate professor of Economics – Laurentian University Founding co-Editor – Review of Keynesian Economics Follow him on Twitter – @Lprochon This story from the CBC on August 14,…
Harper has the worst economic record in history
Louis-Philippe Rochon Associate Professor, Laurentian University Co-Editor, Review of Keynesian Economics Follow him on Twitter @Lprochon Mr. Harper and the Conservatives never miss an opportunity of reminding Canadians that we…