Inequality Will Follow Late Boomers and Gen Xers into Retirement
Here is my latest piece for the Globe and Mail, It talks about the way that inequality is going to follow this generation of workers into their senior years.
Category: Canada
Maclean Publishes ’75 Charts Every Canadian Should Watch in 2017′
I’m happy to have been able to contribute to Macleans’ list of ’75 Charts Every Canadian Should Watch in 2017′. My post was on the ‘Gig Economy’ and you can find it here (you have to scroll down to find it, but that gives you a chance to see some fascinating graphs first) but as […]
Switzerland May Have Voted No, But the Idea of a Universal Basic Income is Not Dead
Really, it seemed like the universal basic income (UBI), was going to be the hot new thing in economic policy. It sounds like such a simple solution to economic woes, so uncomplicated, just so basic really. Give every citizen in a country some form of stipend so that at the very least everyone has enough […]
Yes, Negative Interest Rates are a Thing Now
Way back when I studied economics, I don’t actually remember learning what a ‘negative interest rate’ was. In fact, even a few years ago when I taught graduate-level economics (a whole other post), I don’t remember it being in the curriculum, or even being asked about the topic. That was then, however. These days, negative […]
Hey I’m a Politician (Again!)
Hey I’m a politician – again! I’ve declared to be a candidate for Town Council in my home town for a by election coming up in a few weeks. It’s my second try at this, given that I unsuccessfully made a bid for a seat in the last municipal election (see my experiences in that […]
Free Schooling – but No Free Lunch
How would you like free college tuition for you and for your kids? It would really take the pressure off, right? Of course you’d take it if offered – but what if there was a catch, the catch being really high taxes forever? That’s the deal that Denmark – and a lot of Europe for […]
Where Did All the Mall Rats Go?
Do you go to the mall? I used to, quite a bit actually. In the 70s, 80s, 90s, even the 00s – the mall was the place to buy stuff, and I liked stuff as much as any child and young woman in North America. Now, you can buy stuff in lots of other places […]
Advice to Future Politicians: Do Not Forget the Timbits
Hey – I just lost an election! It was not exactly a surprise – I was going up against a 10-year incumbent and I only put a couple of months and a relatively small amount of money into the battle – but it is disappointing just the same. Still, I am glad I gave it […]
Tourists Can be Smart (or at Least Think They Are)
I love this: the newest trend in travelling is ‘Literary Tourism’, or making a pilgrimage to the birthplaces of your favorite authors or the sites of their books. As this article from the Atlantic details, it is certainly a gentler way to vacation than doing a bike tour or even schlepping from tourist attraction to […]
Exciting News from the Bank of Canada (No, I am Not Making a Joke)
I have to admit, following the antics of the world’s central banks has been a bit of a bore the past few years. Since the end of the financial crisis (no, we are no going to debate whether there is a still a crisis going on), central banks have basically left interest rates at crazy- […]