The AIMS commentary series on Swedish Health Care in Transition
Johan Hjertqvist explores the rapid transition in the style and format of health care being experienced in the Stockholm metropolitan area.
Equalization’s good intentions are not enough
In the November/December 2001 edition of The Taxpayer Magazine, Brian Lee Crowley, AIMS President, continues to point-out the problems with Equalization. He emphasizes that after 44 years and close to $200 billion in equalization spending, the Atlantic provinces are only barely more able to meet the needs of their citizens with their own revenue sources than they were when equalization was introduced in 1957. In addition, the incentives attached to equalization can penalize the poorer provinces for developing their economy and encourage them to settle for permanent reliance on federal transfers. The article then outlines two positive suggestions on what can be done to break this provincial “welfare trap”.
What’s the Canadian dollar worth?
At a time in 2001 when the Canadian dollar sat at 63 cents, Brian Lee Crowley's gave this commentary on CBC Radio. He argues devaluation often looks like a good deal in the short run, but it almost always masks a declining standard of living. Bitter experience from around the world teaches that you cannot devalue your way to prosperity.
Pay the people, not governments
In this op-ed piece from the National Post, AIMS President, Brian Lee Crowley partners with Peter Holle, the President of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and Michel Kelly-Gagnon, the Executive Director of the Montreal Economic Institute to discuss the potential benefits of targeting equalization at individuals rather than provinces.
What’s the Canadian dollar worth? (media)
Corporations, senior executives and Americans are the primary beneficiaries of our low Canadian dollar, says AIMS President, Brian Lee Crowley, in this week’s regular newspaper column. The last time that the U.S. and Canadian dollars were at par was November 1976. Today, the loonie stands at a mere 63 cents or so, and tests new lows each week. This represents a very significant decline in our standard of living, because we either have to buy less from our U.S. neighbours, or else we have to pay more for the same things. While those who can avoid these impacts do, it means that our dollar's relentless slide over the last 25 years has harmed the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society more than anyone else. Publication: CHH, November 21, 2001
AIMS On-Line for mid November 2001
Here is what's new at AIMS, Atlantic Canada's Public Policy Think Tank