Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Chris Haun Author-Email: chrisghaun@gmail.com; Title: A Detailed Analysis of Canada’s Post-2000 Productivity Performance and Pandemic-Era Productivity Slowdown Abstract: Labour productivity growth in Canada has diminished considerably relative to the pre-2000 period, dropping from 1.74% per year in the 1973-2000 period to an average of 0.86% per year for the past two decades. Work by many productivity researchers, including those at the Centre, evinces a second step-wise reduction in the annual growth rate of labour productivity following the year 2000, resembling the substantial slowdown observed in the 1970s. This report serves to both contextualize Canada’s productivity performance and to identify the sources of the slowdown, leveraging recent Statistics Canada and OECD data to provide stylized facts on the post-2000 productivity slowdown in the country. Through comparisons with the United States and other peer countries in the OECD, we characterize Canada’s productivity performance as relatively poor but hardly exceptional. We also identify a substantial differences in the size of the Canada-U.S. productivity gap depending on the aggregate chosen. Moreover, by utilizing the CSLS’s own decomposition framework as well as Statistics Canada growth accounting estimates, we find that a) the post-2000 slowdown has been driven primarily by trends in withinsector productivity and b) the slowdown reflects broad deterioration in all three primary sources of growth. Ultimately, given the persistent challenges facing the Canadian economy like enduring supply chain constraints and fading investment (particularly in ICT) we frame the path back to 1% annual productivity growth as a narrow one. File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2023-11.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-11 Classification-JEL: Keywords: labour productivity, Canada, slowdown, withinsector productivity Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Adriana Suuronen Author-Email: Title: A Detailed Analysis of Labour Productivity Development in New Brunswick, 1997-2022 Abstract: This report analyzes labour productivity developments in New Brunswick at the aggregate level and for two-digit NAICS industries between 1997 and 2022. Total economy labour productivity increased in New Brunswick by 1.05 percent per year over the period, similarly to Canda’s growth rate of 1.12 percent per year. Nevertheless, the level of labour productivity in New Brunswick was only 80.5 percent of Canada’s value in 2022. In New Brunswick, business sector industries experienced labour productivity growth of 1.12 percent per year and non-business industries grew at a rate of 0.71 percent annually between 1997 and 2022. Growth was slightly higher in Canada during the period of 1.19 percent per year for business sector industries and 0.85 percent annually for non-business sector industries. Industries that disproportionately contributed to growth of the total economy labour productivity in New Brunswick include: agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (which experienced a growth rate of 5.25 percent annually during the period); mining and oil and gas extraction (which decreased at a rate of 4.16 percent per year); wholesale trade (which experienced a growth rate of 2.60 percent during the period); transportation and warehousing (which experienced growth rate of 2.04 percent annually during the period); and informational and cultural industries (which experienced a growth rate of 2.44 percent annually during the period). File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2023-10.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-10 Classification-JEL: Keywords: New Brunswick, labour productivity, NAICS Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Leonel Ordoñez Author-Email: leordonez38@gmail.com Title: The Deteriorating Investment Performance of New Brunswick: The Achilles Heel of the Economy Abstract: This report provides a throughout analysis of investment trends in New Brunswick over the past six decades. Based on New Brunswick's investment growth, the share of investment in GDP and net investment, the overall picture suggests that the province's investment has weakened. Particularly since 2008, the province experienced a substantial fall in its gross investment which slightly picked up after 2015. The main driver of this development was nonresidential business investment in structural assets. This type of investment witnessed a sharp fall after the 2008-2009 economic crisis, and it was produced by the investment fall in the utility industry. In addition, although to a lesser extend, non-residential business investment in machinery and equipment (M&E) contributed to the overall investment fall. From 2000 to 2021, investment in M&E did not grow and its share of GDP experienced a steep downward trend. File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2023-09.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-09 Classification-JEL: Keywords: New Brunswick, net investment, GDP, M&E Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Timothy Sargent Author-Email: tim.sargent@csls.ca Title: An Econometric Analysis of the Impact of Broadband Internet on Productivity Abstract: In this paper we look at whether increases in broadband internet penetration have a significant impact on productivity. We use data on a panel of 116 countries over the period 2009–2019 to estimate the impact of increases in fixed broadband penetration rates and high-speed broadband penetration rates on labour productivity, measured as output per person. We find a significant impact on productivity from increases in fixed broadband penetration rates. Our estimates indicate that broadband internet increased labour productivity growth by an average of 0.20 percentage points annually in developed countries and 0.26 percentage points in developing countries: this meant that broadband internet accounted for around 16 per cent of productivity growth in developed countries and 20 per cent of productivity growth in developing countries. For Canada we find that broadband internet contributed an average of 0.15 percentage points annually to Canada’s overall productivity growth of 0.91 per cent, about 17 per cent of total productivity growth. However, we did not find significant impacts for high-speed broadband over the period studies: it is possible that this is because applications that require higher speeds, such as videoconferencing, had not been widely deployed over our time period. This study emphasizes the crucial impact of broadband internet investment on boosting Canada's economywide productivity. This research indicates an important role for the government in facilitating the expansion of broadband access, optimizing regulatory frameworks, and stimulating private sector investment, especially in underserved regions, to enhance the social and economic benefits throughout Canada. File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2023-08.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-08 Classification-JEL: Keywords: high-speed broadband, internet, productivity, regulation, private Sector Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Adriana Suuronen Author-Email: Title: The Recovery of the New Brunswick Provinical Government Fiscal Situation Abstract: This report examines how the New Brunswick provincial government has recovered from a fiscal situation filled with deficits and debt. New Brunswick has faced fiscal challenges for years. Debt was a worry for many before the 2008-2009 fiscal year. During this period the New Brunswick provincial government was never able to achieve budget surpluses for more than three consecutive years. This fear heightened after the financial crisis of 2008 when the provincial government ran budget deficits for nine consecutive fiscal years. Then, in 2017-2018 New Brunswick achieved its first budget surplus since the financial crisis and has run budget surpluses since. This report describes the trends of the fiscal situation in New Brunswick between 1990-1991 and 2021-2022 and explores how policy decisions regarding the revenues and expenditures of the provincial government have led to the recovery of the New Brunswick fiscal situation since 2009-2010. This report also analyzes the debate on how New Brunswick should move forward concerning their budget balance. Many say that New Brunswick’s citizens currently need more government aid. Nevertheless, the best way to support New Brunswick’s citizens is up for debate. Decreasing tax revenues or increasing program expenditure would both decrease the budget surplus and potentially help those living in New Brunswick. The overall findings indicate that the recovery of the New Brunswick provincial government fiscal situation was largely due to an increase in equalization payments and a decrease in expenditure in the province. File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2023-07.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-07 Classification-JEL: Keywords: New Brunswick, fiscal, revenue, expenditure Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Atakan Bakiskan Author-Email: Author-Name: Sarah El Kaissi Author-Email: Title: Literature Review of the Economic Impacts of Broadband Abstract: This comprehensive literature review examines the economic impacts of broadband, with a focus on productivity and economic growth. Incorporating 55 quantitative economic papers covering cross-country, firm-level, and industry studies, we provide detailed explanations of data choices, methodologies, and key findings. We explore various measures used to quantify broadband impacts, including penetration rates, speed, and technology adoption. We analyze studies on broadband's effects on total output, total factor productivity (TFP), employment, and the applications enabled by broadband, such as social media, e-commerce, and cloud computing. Methodological challenges, such as endogeneity and data limitations, are discussed, underscoring the need for improved methodologies and data to accurately assess broadband's economic impact. Overall, findings indicate a generally positive association between broadband penetration and output and labour productivity, despite some mixed results from earlier studies. More recent studies with improved methodologies consistently demonstrate a positive impact. Similarly, studies on TFP and employment reveal a positive influence of broadband. Creation-Date:2023-09 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2023-06.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-06 Classification-JEL: Keywords: broadband, productivity, penetration, speed Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Tim Sargent Author-Email: Author-Name: Laura Denniston Author-Email: Title: Valuing Data: Where Are We, and Where Do We Go Next? Abstract: The importance of data as a driver of technological advancement cannot be underestimated, but how can it be measured? This paper looks at measuring the value of data in national accounts using three different categories of data-related assets: data itself, databases and data science. The focus then turns to three recent studies by statistical agencies in Canada, the Netherlands and the United States to examine how each country uses a cost-based analysis to value data-related assets. Although there are two other superior ways of valuing data (the income-based method and the market-based method, as well as a hybrid approach), the authors find that these methods will be difficult to implement. The paper concludes with recommendations that include widening data-valuation efforts to the public sector, which is a major holder of data. The social value of data also needs to be calculated by considering both the positive and negative aspects of data-related investment and use. Appropriate data governance strategies are needed to ensure that data is being used for everyone’s benefit. Creation-Date:2023-09 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2023-05.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-05 Classification-JEL: Keywords: data, technology, governance Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Tim Sargent Author-Email: Title: The Contributions of Indigenous People to Further Labour Force Growth in Canada: An Update Abstract: The Canadian population is ageing quickly, putting downward pressure on labour force participation and ultimately on economic growth. However, the Indigenous population in Canada is relatively youthful and fast-growing, and could help offset some of the impacts of population ageing, especially if participation rates were to rise to levels in the rest of the population. This report attempts to quantify this potential contribution of Indigenous people to labour force growth in Canada over the period 2021–2041. We use a variety of population growth scenarios from Statistics Canada for the Indigenous population, and labour force participation rate estimates from the 2021 Census, to model scenarios where participation rates by age remain constant, and scenarios where participation rates for Indigenous people move to the levels of non-Indigenous people. We find that Indigenous people will contribute 10 per cent of future labour force growth nationally in a Medium-growth Scenario for the Indigenous population, and much more in provinces and regions where non-Indigenous labour force growth is slow, or where the Indigenous population is a greater share of the population. This contribution would be significantly larger—15 per cent—if the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous participation rates were to be closed. Therefore, there is a clear public policy case for investing in additional education and training for Indigenous people so that they can realize their potential to make a significant contribution to Canada’s future prosperity. Creation-Date:2023-06 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/IndigenousLabourForceContribution.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-04 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Indigenous, labour, growth Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: Title: The Atlantic Canada Momentum Index Abstract: Atlantic Canadians have always taken care of each other. Conditions, from the weather to the economy, have made us resilient and entrepreneurial, shapers of our own destiny. It is apparent to us as former leaders in the region that a new day is dawning. Our focus on education is reaping dividends. We are now widely recognized for our cluster of great universities and colleges, which provide springboards to prosperity in an information economy. During the early stages of the pandemic, our Atlantic bubble formed quickly. Fueled by a hard-wired concern for our neighbours, our social cohesion was the envy of the country. Our vaccination rates were high; our infection rates were low. “All of us are better,” the great Alistair MacLeod wrote, “when we’re loved.” We are, and we do. It is no surprise to us that, finally, more people are coming down the road than going. Yet something even more profound is happening — an explosion in innovation led by a new generation of entrepreneurs, combined with our existing economic base and enviable lifestyle, to supercharge opportunity. As the Public Policy Forum convincingly documents in its Atlantic Canada Momentum Index: Population? Up. Immigration? Up. GDP per capita? Up. Education, employment rate, productivity, housing starts, life satisfaction? Up. This report produced by PPF is the beginning of what we hope will be a joyous repositioning of the Atlantic provinces within Confederation. We believe in the future of Atlantic Canada. The wind is in our sails. Creation-Date:2023-03 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/TheAtlanticCanadaMomentumIndex.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-03 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Atlantic, Canada, province, productivity Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Pascal Morimanno Author-Email: Title: An Assessment of First Nations Economic and Social Performance in New Brunswick Abstract: This report presents an analysis of a series of economic and social indicators for the First Nations population in New Brunswick using data from the 2016 and 2021 Population Censuses. The variables used include demographics, income and income composition, labour market outcomes, and educational attainment. Comparisons are made between First Nations and nonIndigenous people at the provincial and national levels, as well as between reserves in New Brunswick. Particular attention was given to the four largest reserves in New Brunswick (Elsipogtog, Esgenoopetitj, St. Mary's and Tobique). There have been large relative improvements for First Nations people in New Brunswick from 2016 to 2021 compared to the non-Indigenous population trends over the same period. However, First Nations people still perform below the non-Indigenous averages. First Nations individuals off reserve have faired better than First Nations individuals on reserve. Finally, the report presents policy recommendations to increase First Nations economic and social performance in New Brunswick. Creation-Date:2023-03 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2023-02.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-02 Classification-JEL: Keywords: First Nations, New Brunswick, economic, social Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Chris Haun Author-Email: Title: Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating Economic Benefits - An Update Abstract: This report estimates the economic benefits associated with the closure of key labour market gaps facing First Nations people in Canada relative to non-Indigenous Canadians. We are primarily interested in the educational attainment gap. However, we also estimate the benefits of closing gaps in average employment income and employment rates between the two populations, conditional on educational attainment. In doing so, we provide an update to earlier reports by the CSLS on the subject. By comparing labour market outcomes recorded in the 2016 Census to those observed in previous Censuses, this report gauges the progress made over the last decade or so in eliminating these gaps. It then offers updated estimates of the economic benefits which would result from closing these gaps in terms of gains in GDP, employment income, employment rates, and productivity. By mobilizing individual-level Census microdata, we are able to breakdown these gains across age group, sex, province, and educational attainment category. Ultimately, we estimate that the cumulative economic benefits associated with the closure of the education gap could be as large as $265 billion, and that the cumulative economic benefits associated with the closure of all three gaps of interest could be as large as $457 billion. Creation-Date:2023-02 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/AFN-Closing-the-Gap_Report-2023_EN.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2023-01 Classification-JEL: Keywords: First Nations, education, employment Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1927 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: Title: Firm-level Productivity Research in Canada: Current State and Future Directions Abstract: The report identifies three areas of productivity research where firm-level data are needed: firm dynamics and productivity growth: decomposition of productivity growth into firm-specific and reallocation effects, dispersion of firm productivity. The concepts related to dynamics, decomposition, and dispersion can overlap considerably so clear-cut differentiation of research into these three areas is not always possible. CSLS research project on estimating productivity decompositions and dispersion for firms in Newfoundland and Labrador is included as an example. Creation-Date:2022-10 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2022-06.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2022-06 Classification-JEL: Keywords: productivity, Canada, firm Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1926 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Vy Tran Author-Email: Title: Covid-19 Labour Market Developments in New Brunswick Compared to Canada Abstract: The present paper attempts to broadly examine whether New Brunswick’s pandemic related responses at the provincial level were successful or not through the assessment of New Brunswick’s labour force performance since the start of the pandemic until December 2021 by comparing the latter to that of Canada during the same period. To do so, this paper attempts to show as well as explain some differences between New Brunswick’s and Canada’s changes pertaining to the prominent labour force characteristics including the size of population and labour force, participation rate, employment at absolute values, employment rate, unemployment at absolute values, unemployment rate, and GDP growth rate based on data published by Statistics Canada. Overall, New Brunswick appear to have a better labour force performance amidst the spread of the pandemic thanks to the timely implementation of stringent public health measures throughout the studied period despite having lower counts and ratios of officially reported deaths, hospitalizations, and infections. Also, the small number of airports with schedule flights coupled with the enactment of the Atlantic bubble agreement helped keep the number and contagion of visitors and newcomers on track, thus prevented the COVID-induced disruptions of the flows of goods and services, therefore optimized the provincial consumption, trades, and employment. Creation-Date:2022-10 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2022-05.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2022-05 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Covid-19, labour, market, New Brunswick, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1926 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Matan Sirota Author-Email: Title: Covid-19 Labour Market Developments in New Brunswick Compared to Canada Abstract: This report revisits the public capital hypothesis in Canada using a classical model with updated estimation techniques. Provincial panel data spanning 1998-2020 are leveraged to determine the effect of public infrastructure on business sector output and productivity. Several specifications (levels and first-differences) of the Cobb-Douglas production function are estimated using OLS and FGLS techniques that account for heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation, cross-sectional dependence, and province-specific effects. I find output and productivity elasticities for aggregated public infrastructure to be predominantly insignificant from zero. A detailed disaggregation of public infrastructure by asset type and function also yields largely insignificant results. Creation-Date:2022-09 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2022-04.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2022-04 Classification-JEL: Keywords: infrastructure, Canada, productivity Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1926 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: Author-Name: Shahrazad Mobasher Fard Author-Email: Title: The Current State of Reseach of the Two-wage Linkages between Productivity and Well-being Abstract: Interest in the topic of well-being has burgeoned in recent years as the weaknesses of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita as a proxy for well-being have become more apparent. At the same time, the global economy has experienced a productivity slowdown. Since productivity growth is recognized as being by far the most important long-term source of sustainable gains in living standards, this development has implications for the future of living standards around the world. These two developments raise a number of issues related to the two-way linkages between productivity and well-being. First, does slower productivity growth constitute a significant threat to the betterment of the well-being of the world’s population, and, if so, by how much? Second, given that many indicators of well-being can have positive effects on productivity, should one aspect of any strategy to revive productivity growth be to focus on policies that improve well-being? The objective of this report is to survey the current state of research on the two-way linkages between productivity and well-being. Creation-Date:2022-03 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2022-02.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2022-03 Classification-JEL: Keywords: productivity, well-being, research, GDP Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1926 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Paskynel Jacques-Arvisais Author-Email: Author-Name: Simon Lapointe Author-Email: Title: The Impact of Transport Infrastructure on Productivity in Canada Abstract: This study examines the relationship between transportation infrastructure and output and productivity in Canada. We estimate different specifications of a static Cobb-Douglas production function (in levels and in differences). The impact of highway infrastructure is mixed. For the 1997-2018 period a higher stock of highways does not translate into higher productivity for the business sector, But from 2009 to 2018, the impact of highways is positive and statistically significant, when we account for province-specific characteristics. The long run elasticity of output with respect to railway lines is statistically significant and quite large (0.27). For this type of infrastructure, then, our results are more conclusive and point to a positive impact of railways on output and productivity. Creation-Date:2022-02 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2022-02.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2022-02 Classification-JEL: Keywords: transportation infrastructure, output, productivity, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1926 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Abrar Arif Author-Email: Title: Economic Projections for Canada and the Provinces, 2019-2038 Abstract: This report is an update of an earlier report by the CSLS in 2018, projecting real GDP growth for Canada and the provinces for the 2017-2038 period (Sharpe and Iglesias, 2018). The projections of this report are based on two additional years of historical data: 2018 and 2019. Two perspectives are explored in the report. First, the historical perspective, comparing current projections to the 2000-2019 period. Economic growth is projected to be slower over the next 20 years, down from 1.98 per cent per year over 2000-2019 to 1.71 per cent per year for the 2019- 2038 period. Second, the earlier projections perspective, comparing current projections for the 2019-2038 period and the previous projections of the 2018 report for the 2017-2038 period. This report projects a growth rate of 1.71 per cent per year for 2019-2038, an increase of 0.15 percentage points over the earlier projection of 1.56 per cent for 2017-2038. An update in Statistics Canada’s population projections assumptions, mainly due to higher immigration assumptions, was the driving factor for the differences between the two projections. Creation-Date:2022-01 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2022-01.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2022-01 Classification-JEL: Keywords: GDP, growth, projection, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1925 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: James Ashwell Author-Email: Title: A Strengthening Position at the Bargaining Table? Understanding the Productivity-Median Wage Gap in Canada, 1976-2019 Abstract: Creation-Date:2021-12 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2021-09.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2021-09 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Productivity, Wage, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1924 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: The Index of Economic Well-being for New Brunswick, 1981-2019 Abstract: This report presents estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality and economic security) for New Brunswick from 1981 to 2019. We find that the IEWB for New Brunswick increased at an average annual rate of 1.34 percent per year over the period. Among the four domains that compose the IEWB, consumption and equality have had positive growth rates, while the wealth domain and the security domain have had small falls. The consumer domain had the highest growth rate (4.31 percent per year) and the equality domain had a growth rate of 1.81 percent per year over the period. The wealth domain declined by 0.24 percent per year and the security domain declined by 0.27 percent per year between 1981-2019. In 2019, among the provinces, New Brunswick is in ninth place, but the province stands out with the second highest ranking in terms of equality. In terms of growth rates, the province had the third highest growth rate in the IEWB between 1981-2019. It also had the second highest growth rate among the provinces in the consumption domain and the best growth rate in the equality domain. Creation-Date:2021-10 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2021-08.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2021-08 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Index of Economic Well-being, New Brunswick Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1923 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Nettie Bonsall Author-Email: Title: North Versus South: Income Disparities in New Brunswick, 2000-2019 Abstract: This report provides a detailed analysis of income trends and levels in New Brunswick by the province’s three census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and four census agglomerations (CAs) compared to trends and levels in areas outside the CMAs and CAs between 2000 and 2019. The three CMAs are in the southern half of New Brunswick, while the four CAs are in the northern half of the province. The average total and after-tax incomes of census family units are analyzed between 2008 and 2019, while the median total and after-tax incomes of census family units are examined between 2000 and 2019 (the respective longest periods over which the income measures were available for all CMAs and CAs). These income measures reveal significant income disparities between the northern CAs and the southern CMAs. According to all income measures discussed in the report, the Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John CMAs had considerably higher average and median incomes than did the CAs and the areas outside the CMAs and CAs. However, taxes helped lessen these sub-provincial income disparities. Moreover, the gaps between income levels in the three CMAs and in the province as a whole narrowed slightly over the measurement periods. In particular, areas outside the CMAs and CAs outperformed the CMAs and CAs in terms of average and median total and after-tax income growth between 2008 and 2019. Creation-Date:2021-10 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2021-07.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2021-07 Classification-JEL: Keywords: New Brunswick, income Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1922 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Nettie Bonsall Author-Email: Title: Richer and Fairer: New Brunswick Income Trends, 1976-2019 Abstract: This report provides a detailed analysis of income trends in New Brunswick over the past four decades. Although income was much lower in New Brunswick than at the national level between 1981 and 2019, the gap narrowed over that period thanks to stronger growth in income in New Brunswick. By 2019, the size of the income gap had fallen to 23 per cent based on real GDP per capita, to 12 per cent based on personal income (which includes government transfers), and to 10 per cent based on personal disposable income (which includes government transfers and tax). The income gap between New Brunswick and Canada also shrank as measured per economic unit (economic families and unattached individuals) between 1976 and 2019. From 2000 to 2019, a period of strong real income growth in both New Brunswick and Canada, the gap between the rich and poor in New Brunswick also narrowed, as after-tax income inequality decreased and poverty rates fell. On the other hand, the wealth gap between Canada and New Brunswick widened between 1999 and 2019. Creation-Date:2021-10 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2021-06.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2021-06 Classification-JEL: Keywords: New Brunswick, income Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1921 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Nettie Bonsall Author-Email: Title: Turning the Tide: Demographic Developments in New Brunswick, 1951-2020 Abstract: New Brunswick experienced virtually no population growth in the 17-year period from 1991 to 2007 after enjoying a 0.92 per cent average annual growth rate from 1951 to 1991. Since 2007, the tide has turned, and the population of the province is once again growing, averaging 0.36 per cent per year. The main driver of this development is gross immigration. After averaging less than 1,000 per year in the1972-2007 period, gross immigration rose to around 2,000 per year between 2008 and 2013 and then jumped to an annual average of around 4,000 in the 2014-2020 period. Net interprovincial migration also contributed to the turnaround, rising from an average annual loss of around 600 in the 1972-2007 period to an average annual gain of about 900 in the 2017-2020 period. The report provides a detailed analysis of these demographic developments at the level of the province, the 15 census divisions (counties), and the three census metropolitan areas and four census agglomerations. Creation-Date:2021-10 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2021-05.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2021-05 Classification-JEL: Keywords: New Brunswick, demographic development Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1920 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: David Lewis Author-Email: Author-Name: Ian Currie Author-Email: Title: Should Economics Play a Greater Role in the Adjudication of Human Rights Claims? The Examples of Injury to Dignity and the Duty to Accommodate Abstract: This paper examines whether economic analysis can help provide firmer foundations for the adjudication of human rights claims in establishing monetary awards for injury to dignity and, in accommodation cases, better capturing benefits for society. In relation to injury to dignity, it explores the prospects for establishing an objective evidentiary baseline through a program of independent economic research. In the area of accommodation, the paper considers if the wider use of Cost-Benefit Analysis could help prevent undervaluation of accommodation and whether governments should help cover the incremental cost of accommodation in some cases. Creation-Date:2021-08 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2021-04.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2021-04 Classification-JEL: D63, I38, I31, J18, J24, J15, J6, K37 Keywords: Human Rights, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Adjudication, Dignity Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1919 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title:The Productivity Performance of New Brunswick Manufacturing: A Detailed Analysis, 1997-2019 Abstract: This report provides a detailed analysis of the productivity performance of the manufacturing sector in New Brunswick. Part one of the report provides a detailed overview of the manufacturing productivity in New Brunswick from 1997 to 2019. This part identifies a major turning point in the province's manufacturing productivity performance in 2004, after which output per hour of manufacturing plummetted from 109 percent of the national average to 75 per cent of the national average. Part two of the report attempts to shed light on this important development from different angles, namely, a growth accounting perspective, an industry perspective, a labour perspective along with a fourth section which examines additional explanations. Creation-Date:2021-06 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2021-03.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2021-03 Classification-JEL: D63, I38, I31, J18, J24, J15, J6, K37 Keywords: Productivity, New Brunswick, Manufacturing, Canada, AIPR, Policy Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1918 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title:The World Bank Doing Business Index for Canada: An Assessment Abstract: Since 2007, Canada's ranking on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index (DBI) has fallen from 4th to 23rd in 2020. The DBI is one of two flagship publications of World Bank. It attempts to measure the business environment in ten areas or pillars for 190 countries. Since 2007, Canada’s ranking has fallen in nine of the ten pillars. However, the overall fall in ranking can be largely explained by Canada's deteriorating performance on four of the pillars of the DBI: trading across borders, dealing with construction permits, enforcing contracts and getting electricity. Following a deep dive into Canada’s performance on the pillars of the DBI, a comparison with other international competitiveness and economic environment indexes is made. This section shows that Canada’s performance on the DBI is an outlier, with Canada’s performance on the Global Competitiveness Index, the World Competitiveness Index, the Economic Freedom Index, and the Human Freedom Index all exceeding Canada’s performance on the DBI in 2020. This report also discusses criticisms of the DBI, which is particularly relevant given the temporary suspension of the DBI, announced August, 2020, in response to data irregularities found in the 2018 and 2020 Doing Business Reports. Creation-Date:2021-04 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2021-02.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2021-02 Classification-JEL: D63, I38, I31, J18, J24, J15, J6, K37 Keywords: World Bank, Canada, Doing Business, Ease of Doing Business, Global Affairs Canada, Toronto, ranking, international Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1917 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Simon Lapointe Author-Email: simon.lapointe@gmail.com Title:Impact of the Model Schools Literacy Project on Literacy and Fiscal Outcomes in First Nations in Canada Abstract: The report examines the results of the Martin Family Initiative's Model Schools Literacy Program (MSLP). The program aims at increasing the literacy of First Nations Children in Canada. The first part of the report reviews the literature on the relationship between literacy and socio-economic outcomes. The second part of the report contains an estimation of the impact of the MSLP or similar programs, if they were expanded to more on-reserve schools in Canada. The report concludes that given the youthfulness of the Indigenous population, and the increasing share of that group in Canada, investing in the education and skills of Indigenous youth, and of First Nations children in particular, is a win-win proposition for all Canadians. The MSLP has shown considerable promise in improving the literacy skills of the participating students. Creation-Date:2021-01 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2021-01.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2021-01 Classification-JEL: D63, I38, I31, J18, J24, J15, J6, K37 Keywords: first nations, canada, schools, literacy, education, indigenous, model school, Martin Family Initiative Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1916 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Ghada Abid Author-Email: gabid065@uottawa.ca Title:Literature Review on Best Practices in Government-Funded Services Supporting the Resettlement and Integration of Government-Assisted Refugees Abstract:This literature review of government-funded refugee services identifies the issues related to refugee resettlement programs; settlement location; housing; mental health services and employment services in different Canadian provinces and cities. It then summarizes the best practices related to refugees’ integration in Canada or in other refugee resettlement countries. Wherever possible, the report mentions relevant policy recommendations addressed to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in the different journal articles, papers or reports. Creation-Date:2020-10 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2020-09.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2020-09 Classification-JEL: D63, I38, I31, J18, J24, J15, J6, K37 Keywords: refugees, canada, resettlement, IRCC, refugee housing, refugee mental health, refugee employment Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1915 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Kimberly Wong Author-Email: kimberlywong056@gmail.com Title:Innovation in New Brunswick Abstract: This report is part of a research project on the linkages between innovation and productivity in New Brunswick, prepared for the Atlantic Institute for Policy Research at the University of New Brunswick. This report examines the innovation situation in New Brunswick by analyzing the levels and trends of seven indicators of innovation: R&D spending, R&D personnel, patents, firm-based innovation statistics, non-residential fixed investment, investment in intellectual property products, and business entry. This report finds that New Brunswick’s state of innovation was weak compared to the other provinces, but has improved over time. New Brunswick ranked below the national average for all seven innovation indicators, with especially poor results for business R&D spending and personnel, patents, and firm-level innovation. However, New Brunswick enjoyed an absolute and relative improvement in five of seven indicators: R&D spending, R&D personnel, patents, firm-based innovation statistics, and investment in intellectual property products. Results for only two indicators—non-residential fixed capital investment and number of active businesses—deteriorated. Creation-Date:2020-09 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2020-08.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2020-08 Classification-JEL: O3, O32, E2, E22, O16, O1 Keywords: innovation, new brunswick, R&D Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1914 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name:Cristina Blanco Iglesias Author-Email:cblancoiglesias@gmail.com Author-Name:Myeongwan Kim Author-Email: Title:What Explains the Rising Profit Share in Canada? Abstract:The distribution of the gains of economic growth among workers and corporations has evolved over time. While an extensive body of literature has studied the fall in the share of labour income in the gross domestic product (GDP), less attention has been paid to the development of the components of its counterpart, the capital share. In the system of National Accounts, the capital share of income can be broken down into net operating surplus and net mixed income (which includes corporate profits before taxes, net interest paid, net other payments and inventory valuation adjustment, and net mixed income) and capital consumption allowances (CCA). This report contributes to the discussion on the rising capital share by studying the evolution of the Canadian corporate profit share in the past three decades using both financial and national accounts data. We analyze trends at the aggregate and sectoral level and compare the aggregate trends to those in the United States during the same period. We also provide an overview of the structural factors affecting the corporate profit share in Canada. According to national accounts data, the corporate profit share before tax in Canada rose 3.8 percentage points between the 1961-1999 and 2000-2017 periods, an increment that significantly enhanced the surge in the capital share of income. Similarly, the financial corporate profit share of income increased by 7.2 percentage points between 1997 and 2017. This development was widespread, with the profit share increasing in all sectors except mining, quarrying and oil, and gas extraction. It was also concentrated. We find that the financial sector, which accounts for less than one tenth of GDP, was responsible for 33 per cent of the increase in the corporate profit share. Complete time series of the profits data used in this report can be found in a profits database developed as part of this research project. Creation-Date:2020-07 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2020-07.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2020-07 Classification-JEL: O4, G3, D24, E22 Keywords:profit share, economic growth, canada, gross domestic product Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1913 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Inez Hillel Author-Email:inez.hillel@csls.ca Title:Holes in the Social Safety Net: Poverty, Inequality and Social Assistance in Canada Abstract:This report looks at Canada’s social safety net before the onset of the crisis caused by COVID-19 and collapsing oil prices. It sets the stage by reviewing trends in poverty and inequality between 1976 and 2018. The report examines the federal government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and its success in reducing poverty for children and seniors. Working-age adults without children have experienced the smallest relative decrease in poverty and currently have the highest poverty rates among any age group. The report analyzes general eligibility criteria and work and training requirements for social assistance, and the adequacy of welfare. National trends show that welfare dependency has fallen significantly between 1998 and 2018. Other significant trends show an increase in the percentage of social assistance recipients reporting a disability, a growing proportion of single adults on welfare and a decrease in the number of families with children receiving social assistance. To reduce poverty and improve welfare adequacy, this report recommends increasing social assistance benefits, raising the minimum wage, improving earning supplements for low-wage workers and extending in-kind benefits to all low-income. Creation-Date:2020-08 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2020-06.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2020-06 Classification-JEL: D63, D61, D84, I38, I31, I32, J18, J30 Keywords:Poverty, Inequality, Social Assistance, Canada, Welfare, Living Standards, Earning Supplements, Low-Wage Workers Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1912 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Kimberly Wong Author-Email:kimberlywong056@gmail.com Author-Name:Alex Stephens Author-Email:astep058@uottawa.ca Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title:The Index of Economic Well-being for Newfoundland and Labrador, 1981-2018 Abstract:This report presents estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality and economic security) for Newfoundland and Labrador from 1981 to 2018. We find that the IEWB for Newfoundland and Labrador increased at an average annual rate of 1.75 per cent per year over the period. All four domains grew between 1981 and 2018, with the strongest growth in consumption and wealth. However, at the end of the period between 2014 and 2018, the IEWB along with the four domains deteriorated. Nevertheless, Newfoundland and Labrador enjoyed significant improvement between 1981 and 2018, especially compared to the other provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador achieved the fourth highest IEWB level of the ten provinces in 2018 and, most impressively, the highest growth between 1981 and 2018. Creation-Date:2020-08 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2020-05.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2020-05 Classification-JEL:D10, D31, J10 J17 Keywords:Newfoundland and Labrador, Index of Economic Well-being, Living Standards, Wealth, Consumption, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1911 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Kimberly Wong Author-Email:kimberlywong056@gmail.com Title:A Review of the Literature on Regrettable Expenditures and Implications for the Index of Economic Well-being Abstract: Creation-Date:2020-08 File-URL:http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2020-04.pdf File-Format:Application/pdf Number: 2020-04 Classification-JEL:D10, D31, J10 J17 Keywords:Index of Economic Well-being, Review, Living Standards, Regrettable Expenditures Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1910 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Kimberly Wong Author-Email: kimberlywong056@gmail.com Title: The Improved Labour Market Performance of New Immigrants to Canada, 2006-2019 Abstract: This report provides a descriptive analysis of the labour market outcomes of new immigrants to Canada from 2006 to 2019. Using data from the Labour Force Survey, it focuses on four labour market indicators: participation, unemployment, and employment rates, as well as average hourly wages. It compares trends in labour market outcomes among very recent immigrants (5 years or less since immigration), recent immigrants (5-10 years since immigration), and Canadian-born workers. This report finds that new immigrants are on average younger and better educated than the Canadian-born. As a result, their labour force participation and employment rates were comparable to, if not better than, those of the Canadian-born. However, the unemployment rates of new immigrants were higher, and average hourly wages were lower. Over the 2006 to 2019 period, very recent immigrants enjoyed an absolute and relative improvement in all four indicators. Recent immigrants enjoyed an improvement in all four absolute indicators and three of four relative indicators; relative hourly wages were the exception. Creation-Date: 2020-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2020-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2020-03 Classification-JEL: F62, O32, O51, O53, L60 Keywords: Immigration, Canada, Labour Market, Productivity, Wage Gap Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1909 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Myeongwan Kim Author-Email: myeongwan.kim@mail.utoronto.ca Title: The Price Effect of Trade: Evidence of the China Shock and Canadian Consumer Prices Abstract: The explosive growth in Chinese imports to Canada over the last two decades has had both negative and positive effects. In this paper, we look at the impact of Chinese imports on the prices Canadians pay for household consumption goods. We find Canadians have benefited from lower prices on some goods and lower inflation overall. To quantify the importance of Chinese imports for individual consumer products and map them to consumer price data, we construct concordance between products in the consumer price index (CPI) and commodities in the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System. We estimate that over the 2001-2011 period, cumulative inflation would have been 1.17-percentage-points higher for the total CPI had there been no change in the Chinese share of total imports in Canada. This assumes other factors are held constant. The average annual inflation for the total CPI was 2.1 per cent over the 2001-2011 period, implying that annual inflation would have been about 0.12-percentage-points higher if there had not been a surge in imports from China. Creation-Date: 2020-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2020-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2020-02 Classification-JEL: F62, O32, O51, O53, L60 Keywords: China Shock, Canada, Imports, Productivity, Innovation Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1908 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: A Prosperity Index for British Columbia: Technical Background Abstract: The Business Council of British Columbia (BCBC) is committed to developing a “B.C. Prosperity Index” for release in 2019. The twin objectives of the index are to track the province’s performance on various socio- economic indicators, both individually and in the aggregate, related to prosperity, defined in terms of living standards and economic well-being, over time and to compare the level and growth rates of these indicators with other sub-national and national jurisdictions. The purpose of this report is to present the estimates of the Prosperity Index for British Columbia with comparisons with three types of other jurisdictions (i.e. peer countries, Canadian provinces and Pacific U.S. states). Creation-Date: 2019-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2019-07-1.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2019-07 Classification-JEL: I31 Keywords: Well-being, Prosperity, British Columbia Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1907 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: John Tsang Title: A Detailed Analysis of Newfoundland and Labrador's Productivity Performance, 1997-2018 Abstract: The main goal of this report is to describe and explain the trends in productivity in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as trends in the variables used in the calculation of productivity, including output, labour input, and capital input. The main take-away from the report is the importance of the oil and gas sector to the economy of Newfoundland and Labrador. That sector has been responsible for most of Newfoundland and Labrador's economic growth, and now accounts for the largest share of the province’s business sector value added among 2-digit NAICS subsectors, even though it employed only 3.8 per cent of the province’s business sector workers in 2018. Due to the size of the mining and oil and gas extraction sector, its productivity performance strongly affects the performance of the overall business sector, which continues to represent a major challenge for the province. However, looking at the business sector excluding mining and oil and gas, productivity growth does fare better. The data can be split in two periods. Driven by the mining and oil and gas extraction sector, Newfoundland and Labrador’s overall productivity experienced impressive growth from 1997 to 2007, with real business sector productivity advancing at a compound annual rate of 6.0 per cent. The situation changed dramatically after 2007 when oil and gas productivity plummeted. Real business sector productivity in the province declined during the 2007-2018 period at a rate of 1.2 per cent per year Creation-Date: 2019-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2019-06.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2019-06 Classification-JEL: O4, J11, L71 Keywords: Productivity, Output, Labour input, Capital input, Newfoundland and Labrador, Oil and mining Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1906 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Myeongwan Kim Author-Email: kimyhtg@gmail.com Author-Name: James Ashwell Author-Name: Nicole Johnston Author-Email: njohn070@uottawa.ca Author-Name: Sebastian Tansil Title: An Improved Connectivity Component for an Infrastructure Index for Remote Indigenous Communities Abstract: In March 2018 a report entitled “An Infrastructure Index for Remote Indigenous Communities” was delivered to INAC. The report included discussion of the rationale and methodology for the index and estimates for the index for 236 remote communities (200 Indigenous and 36 nonIndigenous) with breakdowns by jurisdiction (province/territory) and heritage group. The Index itself consisted of seven components of infrastructure (broadband, transportation, energy, health, education, water and housing) and 15 separate indicators. A database of over 3,450 data points was constructed with publically available information. One weakness identified with the index was the broadband indicator, which focused on the availability of broadband, not its quality in remote Indigenous communities. INAC (now CIRNAC) was interested in addressing this weakness and commissioned the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) to develop a new broadband indicator. In this report, we develop a new index for broadband connectivity, incorporating two key factors that determine the quality of broadband services in Indigenous communities in remote regions: speed and capacity. Creation-Date: 2019-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2019-05.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2019-05 Classification-JEL: H54, R58, H72 Keywords: Infrastructure, Broadband connectivity, Remote communities, Indigenous communities, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1905 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Nicole Johnston Author-Email: njohn070@uottawa.ca Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: An Infrastructure Index for Remote Indigenous Communities Abstract: This report sheds light on the deficiencies in infrastructure faced by Canada’s remote Indigenous communities by quantifying the level of infrastructure in 236 remote communities in Canada’s North. This quantification is done through a composite index based on 13 infrastructure indicators, including availability of broadband, roads, airports, the electrical grid, health care, education, water, and housing, with values ranging from 0 to 1. This report compares the level of infrastructure found in remote Indigenous communities both with remote nonIndigenous northern communities and southern cities. Indigenous communities are broken down by the three heritage groups: First Nations, Inuit and Métis. While the southern cities identified in the 2016 Census as Census Metropolitan Areas have an average index score of 0.97, remote Indigenous communities saw a score of 0.45 and remote non-Indigenous communities a score of 0.82. Inuit communities face the lowest level of infrastructure (an index score of 0.31), and remote Indigenous communities in Nunavut fared the lowest of the jurisdictions with a score of 0.30. Creation-Date: 2019-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2019-04.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2019-04 Classification-JEL: H54, R58, H72 Keywords: Infrastructure, Remote communities, Indigenous communities, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1904 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Myeongwan Kim Author-Email: kimyhtg@gmail.com Title: Does Import Competition Reduce Domestic Innovation? Evidence from the 'China Stock' and Firm-Level Data on Canadian Manufacturing Abstract: A key economic issue in Canada is the declining Business Enterprise Research and Development in manufacturing since the early 2000s. Accompanying this, the total factor productivity (TFP) growth in manufacturing slowed after 2000. However, there has not been a definitive explanation for these trends. To deepen our understanding of this phenomenon, we focus on the increasing Chinese import share in the total domestic absorption in Canadian manufacturing since the early 2000s, which appears to be driven by positive supply shocks within Chinese manufacturing. Based on a firm-level database covering all incorporated firms in Canadian manufacturing, we find that rising Chinese import competition led to declines in R&D expenditure and TFP growth within firms but reallocated employment towards more productive firms and induced less productive firms to exit. The negative within-effects were pronounced for firms that were initially smaller, less profitable, and less productive. These firms also experienced declines in their profit margins due to rising Chinese import competition while larger and better-performing firms did not. Our estimates imply that rising Chinese import competition can explain about 7 per cent of the total decline of $1.36 billion (2007 CAD) in R&D expenditure in Canadian manufacturing between 2005 and 2010. Although it led to declines in TFP within firms, the positive reallocation effects more than offset the negative within-effect. Had there been no increase in Chinese import competition between 2005 and 2010, TFP in Canadian manufacturing would have declined by 1.26 per cent per year instead of the actual 1.09 per cent per year over this period. Creation-Date: 2019-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2019-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2019-03 Classification-JEL: F62, O32, O51, O53, L60 Keywords: China Shock, Canada, Imports, Productivity, Innovation Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1903 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Myeongwan Kim, John Lester Author-Email: kimyhtg@gmail.com, john.lester@sympatico.ca Title: R&D Spillovers in Canadian Industry: Results from a New Micro Database Abstract: Business investment in research and development (R&D) makes a key contribution to rising living standards. Firms undertaking the R&D can reduce production costs and introduce new products that provide benefits to consumers that are not fully captured in selling prices. Further, it is very difficult for R&D-performing firms to prevent some of the knowledge created from leaking out or spilling over to other firms. Since firms do not take these positive spillover benefits into consideration when making investment decisions, most governments subsidize business investment in R&D with the expectation that economic performance will improve as a result. Our study confirms the existence of substantial spillover benefits from R&D performed in Canada, so government support for R&D is justified. However, we do not find any empirical evidence to support the current policy of subsidizing R&D at a higher rate when it is performed by small firms than when it is performed by large firms. We also find much lower private rate of return on R&D performed by small firms than by large firms. Subsidies appear to be playing a key role in this result Creation-Date: 2019-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2019-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2019-02 Classification-JEL: O32, D22, D24 Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1902 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Simon Lapointe Author-Email: simon.lapointe@csls.ca Title: Household Incomes in Canada and the United States: Who is Better Off? Abstract: It is commonly noted that Americans are on average richer than Canadians. For example, in 2016, GDP per capita was US $47,294 in Canada (PPP-adjusted) compared to US $57,798 in the United States. However, this comparison of average incomes does not necessarily imply that all or even most Canadians are worse off than Americans. This report shows that Canadian households in the bottom 56 per cent of the income distribution are in fact better off than American households at the same point of the income distribution. This finding is driven by the lower income inequality in Canada, and illustrates how the usual comparison of incomes between Canada and the United States using GDP per capita or average household income hides a critical part of the story. Creation-Date: 2019-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2019-01.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2019-01 Classification-JEL: O51, J11, J31 Keywords: Canada, United States, Household Income, Well-Being Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1901 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe, Myeongwan Kim Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca, daniel.kim@csls.ca Title: The Contribution of Métis To Future Labour Force Growth In Canada Abstract: This report contributes to the debate on the role of Aboriginal people in the Canadian long-term economic growth by projecting the contribution of Métis people to future labour force growth in Canada as a whole and across regions under various projection scenarios. Based on our projections for the Métis labour force over the period 2011-2036, we find that the contribution of Métis to the total Canadian labour force is significant given their 1.2 per cent share in the total working age population in Canada. In our baseline scenario, the Métis people is projected to account for 6.4 per cent of total labour force growth. The Métis contribution is especially large in the regions with which the Métis has historical ties: namely the Prairie provinces and the Northern region. The contribution in these jurisdictions ranges from 11.8 per cent to 17.0 per cent. We find that the role of ethnic mobility is especially important for the Métis population growth. If we assume no ethnic mobility, the Métis contribution is projected to be 1.9 per cent of the total labour force growth in Canada. Nevertheless, this is still greater than the Métis share in the Canadian working age population in 2011. Creation-Date: 2017-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2017-08.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2017-08 Classification-JEL: J21, N1, J11, E24, I31, F00, I2, J17, O15, F43 Keywords: Labour Force, Growth, Aboriginal, Canada, Trends, contributions, Ethnic Mobility, Population, Age Demographics, Labour Force Participation Rates Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1708 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Don Drummond, Andrew Sharpe, Alexander Murray and Nicolas Mask Author-Email: drummond@queensu.ca, andrew.sharpe@csls.ca. Title: The Contribution of Aboriginal People To Future Labour Force Growth In Canada Abstract: The objective of this report is to contribute to the debate on closing socio-economic gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people by projecting the contribution of Aboriginal people to future labour force growth in Canada as a whole and by region under various scenarios over the 2011-2036 period. Creation-Date: 2017-10 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2017-07.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2017-07 Classification-JEL: J21, N1, J11, E24, I31, F00, I2, J17, O15, F43 Keywords: Labour Force, Growth, Aboriginal, Canada, Trends, contributions, Ethnic Mobility, Population, Age Demographics, Labour Force Participation Rates Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1707 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: James Uguccioni, Andrew Sharpe and Richard Beard Author-Email: andrewsharpe@csls.ca Title: The Human Development Index In Canada: Ranking the Provinces and Territories Internationally, 2000-2015: An Update Abstract: Overall, our report highlights the diverse human development experiences of Canadians that are concealed by Canada’s overall HDI. Creation-Date: 2017-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2017-06.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2017-06 Classification-JEL: E24, I31, F00, I2, J17, O15 Keywords: Human Development Index, International Index, Income, Life expectancy, Education, Well-Being, Canada, Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1706 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email: alexander.murray@csls.ca Title: What Explains the Post-2004 U.S.Productivity Slowdown? Abstract: Based on original data analysis and a review of existing literature, this report summarizes the state of knowledge on the causes of the post-2004 slowdown in U.S. productivity growth. Creation-Date: 2017-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2017-05.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2017-05 Classification-JEL: E24, J24, J11, F43 Keywords: Economic Theory, Labour Productivity, Living Standards, Growth, U.S., Recession, Academics, Literature, Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1705 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Richard Beard Author-Email: rbear029@uottawa.ca Title: The Inclusion Of Natural Resource Wealth In The Index Of Economic Well-Being: Results For OECD Countries, 1980-2013 Abstract: This report presents augmented estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) for 14 OECD countries for the 1980-2013 period Creation-Date: 2017-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2017-04.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2017-04 Classification-JEL: E10, F02, I31, C43, Q00 Keywords: Index, Economic Well-being, OECD Countries, Canada, Natural resources, wealth, resource wealth Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1704 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email: alexander.murray@csls.ca Title: The Effect of Import Competition on Employment in Canada: Evidence from the 'China Shock' Abstract: In this paper, we provide a quantitative assessment of the impact on Canadian employment of a recent shock to Canada’s import supply: the rapid rise of China as a manufacturing export superpower in the late 1990s and early 2000s Creation-Date: 2017-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2017-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2017-03 Classification-JEL: Trends, Trade, emerging economies, labour market, employment, Canadian imports, quantitative assessment, China, Manufacturing Keywords: D70, E24, F16, J21, O24 Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1703 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jacob Greenspon & Erika Rodigues Author-Email: jacobgreenspon@gmail.com Title: Are Trends in Patenting Reflective of Innovative Activity in Canada? Abstract: This report sheds light on trends in Canadian innovation as indicated through patenting. Central to these recent trends is an apparent paradox: the number of patents granted to Canadians, an output indicator of innovative activity, has increased substantially between 2000 and 2014 despite decreased business sector expenditures on research and development, a crucial input to innovation, in the same period. This report examines this issue an provides several potential explanations as to why this is the case, the strongest being that the divergence between trends in patenting and R&D expenditures is caused by greater efficiency of research processes and an increase in strategic filings of patents. Furthermore, this report documents recent trends in patenting activity in Canada from several sources and compares trends across different technologies. Patenting trends are also used to give a regional perspective on innovation by tracking the level of innovative activity occurring in provinces and census metropolitan areas. Creation-Date: 2017-04 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2017-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2017-02 Classification-JEL: O31, O32, Q55, D70, Keywords: Patenting, Research and Development, Innovation, Trends, Technology, Measurement, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1702 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jacob Greenspon Author-Email: jacobgreenspon@gmail.com Title: The Gap Year: An Overview of the Issues Abstract: Taking a gap year between high school and post-secondary education appears to be an increasingly popular phenomenon in popular culture, among well-known individuals and for Canadian youth. This report reviews the literature on issues related to gap years, with a focus on the Canadian context and the experiences of youth in several similar countries. Overall, taking a gap year appears to be a beneficial choice for many Canadian youth, although the impacts of a gap year are often dependent on the youth’s socioeconomic background and the activities they participate in during their gap year. Based on these findings in the literature, a number of options for public policy are proposed to improve knowledge of gap years, increase the take-up of gap years, and make gap years a more accessible option for disadvantaged segments of the population. Creation-Date: 2017-04 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2017-01.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2017-01 Classification-JEL: J11, J18, Y, I21, Keywords: Education, Academics, University, High School, Youth, Socioeconomic, Employment, Measurement, Canada, Gap Year Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1701 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email: alexander.murray@csls.ca Title: Partial versus Total Factor Productivity: Assessing Resource Use in Natural Resource Industries in Canada Abstract: A partial productivity measure relates output to a single input. Total factor productivity (or TFP) relates an index of output to a composite index of all inputs. This report discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each type of productivity measure from theoretical and methodological perspectives. Different productivity measures may be useful for different analytical purposes, and no single measure provides a complete picture of an industry's productivity performance. The report then presents estimates of TFP and a suite of partial productivity measures for a set of natural resource-related industries in Canada. The three forestry products industries and the crop and animal production industry exhibited the best productivity performance over the 1990-2012 period across a variety of productivity measures, while oil and gas extraction and mining experienced the worst productivity performance. Creation-Date: 2016-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-20.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-20 Classification-JEL: D24, J24, O47, Q3, O51 Keywords: Productivity, Total Factor Productivity, Multifactor Productivity, Labour Productivity, Natural Resources, Measurement, Canada, Agriculture Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1620 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Matthew Calver and Alexander Murray Author-Email: alexander.murray@csls.ca Title: Decomposing Multifactor Productivity Growth in Canada by Industry and Province, 1997-2014 Abstract: Between 1997 and 2014, multifactor productivity (MFP) in Canada's business sector industries grew at an annual rate of 0.02 per cent per year − essentially zero. In this report, we decompose aggregate MFP growth into contributions by industry and province. Two sets of results are presented: one based on the generalized exactly additive decomposition (GEAD) and one based on the CSLS decomposition. The two decomposition methods lead to very different conclusions. The GEAD suggests that the reallocation of inputs to the mining and oil and gas extraction industry in the oil-rich provinces were the primary drivers of MFP growth in Canada while the manufacturing sector, concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, dragged MFP growth down. The CSLS decomposition suggests precisely the opposite: mining and oil and gas was the main hindrance to Canada’s MFP performance while manufacturing was the major driver of MFP growth. The disagreement between the two methods is primarily attributable to the fact that the large increase in commodity prices (especially oil prices) over the 1997-2014 period increases the mining and oil and gas industry's contribution to MFP growth according to the GEAD while the CSLS decomposition does not treat such relative price effects as contributors to productivity growth. Creation-Date: 2016-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-19.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-19 Classification-JEL: D24, O51 Keywords: Productivity, Total Factor Productivity, Multifactor Productivity, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1619 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email: alexander.murray@csls.ca Title: Developing an Inclusive Innovation Agenda for Canada Abstract: Inclusive innovation requires that opportunities for participation in innovation be broadly available and that the benefits of innovation be broadly shared. This report considers a number of innovation policy reforms through the lens of this dual emphasis. For policies that would facilitate both innovation and inclusiveness, there is a strong case for implementation. Policies that might promote innovation at the expense of inclusiveness would require that the trade-off be managed or mitigated. Education and training is a potential area of complementarity between inclusiveness and innovation because a highly skilled population is an important facilitator of both. Clusters pose a potential trade-off between the goals of innovation and inclusion, which must be taken into account in the context of policies aimed at supporting their development. There is no strong case for subsidizing small businesses generally. Instead, targeted support should be provided to help growth-oriented small firms to grow. The scope for further regulatory improvement to enhance innovation may be limited, given what Canada has already done in recent decades. But room for improvement still exists in terms of foreign investment barriers and the speediness and accessibility of the legal system. Government investment can play a productive role in an inclusive innovation system; the government should increase direct funding for basic research, especially in clean energy technology. Creation-Date: 2016-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-18.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-18 Classification-JEL: J68, O31, E24, I28, Keywords: Innovation, Income Distribution, Inequality, Education, Clusters, Regulation, Public Policy Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1618 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.jaclyn@gmail.com Title: New Evidence on the Canada-U.S. ICT Investment Gap, 1976-2014 Selected OECD Countries, 1986-2013 Abstract: Productivity growth results in part from investment in information and communications technologies (ICT). To better understand Canada’s poor productivity growth relative to the United States since 2000, this report provides a detailed examination of ICT investment trends in the two countries. The report finds that real ICT investment in the total economy in Canada has yet to recover from the 2008-2009 recession, while it has not suffered the same fate south of the border. Between 2008 and 2014 real ICT investment in Canada fell 1.0 per cent per year, compared to a 2.9 per cent per year increase in the United States. The gap was even greater for real ICT investment per job, down 1.8 per cent per year in Canada versus a 2.8 per cent annual increase in the United States. The weaker ICT investment growth in Canada resulted in a large increase in the Canada-US ICT investment gap from 31.6 percentage points to 43.7 points, as nominal ICT investment per job fell from 68.4 per cent of the US level in 2008, the highest value ever achieved, to 56.3 per cent in 2014. Creation-Date: 2016-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-17.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-17 Classification-JEL: E22, O16, D24, L60, L70, L80, L90, N72, N32, N12, O51 Keywords: Investment, Information and Communication Technology, Information Technology, ICT, IT, Productivity, Industries, Professional Services, Cultural Industries, Canada, U.S. Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1617 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: James Uguccioni and Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: james.uguccioni@gmail.com and andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Decomposing the Productivity-Wage Nexus in Selected OECD Countries, 1986-2013 Abstract: Standard economic theory predicts that in the long run, productivity growth ought to drive aggregate real wage growth. We consider this prediction in the case of 11 OECD countries, and find that the majority have experienced much slower median real wage growth than labour productivity growth over the 1986-2013 period. We decompose the gap between labour productivity growth and median real wage growth into four components: inequality, data source differences, differences between the prices of output and consumption, and changes to labour’s share of income. The decompositions ultimately show that there is no common cause for the productivity-wage gap, though most countries did see inequality grow and labour’s share of income fall to some degree over our period of study. Creation-Date: 2016-11 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-16.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-16 Classification-JEL: J24, J31, O47, O51, O57 Keywords: Productivity, Wages, Income Distribution, Labour Productivity, OECD, Income, Inequality Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1616 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: James Uguccioni, Andrew Sharpe and Alexander Murray Author-Email: james.uguccioni@gmail.com, alexander.murray@csls.ca, and andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Labour Productivity and the Distribution of Real Earnings in Canada, 1976 to 2014 Abstract: Canadian labour is more productive than ever before, but there is a pervasive sense among Canadians that the living standards of the 'middle class' have been stagnating. Indeed, between 1976 and 2014, median real hourly earnings grew by only 0.09 per cent per year, compared to labour productivity growth of 1.12 per cent per year. We decompose this 1.03 percentage-point growth gap into four components: rising earnings inequality; changes in employer contributions to social insurance programs; rising relative prices for consumer goods, which reduces workers' purchasing power; and a decline in labour's share of aggregate income. Our main result is that rising earnings inequality accounts for half the 1.03 percentagepoint gap, with a decline in labour's income share and a deterioration of labour's purchasing power accounting for the remaining half. Employer social contributions played no role. Further analysis of the inequality component reveals that real wage growth in recent decades has been fastest at the top and at the bottom of the earnings distribution, with relative stagnation in the middle. Our findings are consistent with a 'hollowing out of the middle' story, rather than a 'super-rich pulling away from everyone else' story. Creation-Date: 2016-11 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-15.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-15 Classification-JEL: J24, J31, O38, O47, O51 Keywords: Productivity, Wages, Income Distribution, Labour Productivity, Canada, Income, Inequality Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1615 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: James Uguccioni Author-Email: james.uguccioni@csls.ca Title: The Human Development Index in Canada: Ranking the Provinces and Territories Internationally, 2000-2014 Abstract: We develop internationally comparable estimates of the Human Development Index (HDI) for the Canadian provinces and territories over the 2000-2014 period. The HDI is a composite index composed of three dimensions (life expectancy, education and income) measured by four indicators (life expectancy at birth, average years of education, expected years of schooling and GNI per capita). We first replicate the Canadian estimates from the most recent Human Development Report (HDR) using data from Statistics Canada. Next, we generate estimates for the provinces and territories following the same methodology and using the same Canadian data sources. We make these estimates internationally comparable by scaling each province or territory’s estimate to Canada’s in the most recent HDR. This allows the provinces and territories to be ranked in the most recent HDR international rankings for all four component variables as well as the overall HDI. The highest HDI score in 2014 among the provinces and territories belongs to Alberta, which would be fourth in the international rankings, while the lowest ranking region is Nunavut, which would be in 46th place. Overall, our report highlights the diverse human development experiences of Canadians that are concealed by Canada’s overall HDI. Creation-Date: 2016-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-14.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-14 Classification-JEL: O18, O15, O51, O57 Keywords: Human Development Index, Economic Development, Well-Being, HDI, HDR, Canada, Provinces, Education, Income, Life Expectancy Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1614 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: Nunavik's Labour Market and Educational Attainment Paradox Abstract: Nunavik, the northern Québec region of Inuit Nunangat, had stronger labour market performance than the other three Inuit Nunangat regions between 1996 and 2011. For example, Nunavik's employment rate was 54.1 per cent in 2011, while the aggregate employment rate for Inuit Nunangat excluding Nunavik was only 42.9 per cent. Nunavik enjoyed this higher employment rate despite the fact that its Inuit population had, on average, 0.2 fewer years of schooling than Inuit Nunangat as a whole. In this paper, we examine a number of factors that could explain this paradox. Of all the factors examined, (1) public sector job provision and (2) child care availability and cost appear to have the most important impact on Nunavik’s labour market outcomes. First, Nunavik’s public sector, representing two-thirds of the experienced labour force, is a more important component of the overall economy than the public sector in the other three Inuit Nunangat regions, where it represents approximately half of the experienced labour force. Second, due to the implementation of the First Nations and Inuit Child Care Initiative and the Québec Government's family policies in the late-1990s, Nunavik has the greatest availability of child care services and the lowest daily child care fee of the four Inuit Nunangat regions. Both the ample supply of child care and the low cost have contributed to large increases in female labour force participation since 1996 (7.4 percentage points). Creation-Date: 2016-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-13.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-13 Classification-JEL: E24, J13, J15, N32, J45, O18, O11, O12, I25 Keywords: Nunavik, Inuit, Inuit Nunangat, Child Care, Public Sector, Employment Structure, Macroeconomy, Labour Market, Employment, Unemployment, Canada, Quebec, Cost of Living, Housing Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1613 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Nico Palesch Author-Email: csls@csls.ca Title: Creating Opportunity in Inuit Nunangat: The Crisis in Inuit Education and Labour Market Outcomes Abstract: This report documents the labour market, educational, and economic development outcomes for the Inuit in Inuit Nunangat by examining past and present labour market outcomes and tying these together with developments in the major industries across the four regions of Inuit Nunangat. The current status and future outlook for employment and growth in the dominant sectors of Inuit Nunangat, namely the public sector and mining, are also examined. In addition, the effects of low education, limited skills, high living costs, reduced mobility, and insufficient housing, all common factors of life in Inuit Nunangat, are discussed. Finally, the report makes some broad recommendations for how the crisis in labour market and educational outcomes among the Inuit may be ameliorated, while identifying further areas of study that could help increase the understanding of Inuit Nunangat’s economic performance. Creation-Date: 2016-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-12.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-12 Classification-JEL: E24, J13, J15, N32, J45, O18, O11, O12, I25 Keywords: Inuit, Inuit Nunangat, Nunavik, Nunavut, Inuivialuit Region, Nunatsiavut, Canada, Education, Labour Market Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1612 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Matthew Calver Author-Email: csls@csls.ca Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Title: Further Evidence on the Contribution of Services Outsourcing to the Decline in Manufacturing’s Employment Share in Canada Abstract: In October 2015, the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released a report examining how outsourcing of work from the manufacturing sector to the services sector contributed to the recorded decline in Canadian manufacturing employment over the past four decades. The evidence was mixed. An examination of the input-output structure of the economy suggested that the effect of services outsourcing was very small while a decomposition of employment growth by industry and occupation suggested that the effect may have been substantial. This report revisits these results using new custom data products provided by Statistics Canada. In particular, the earlier work examined an input-output structure based on current dollar data which may have skewed the results due to large price swings, particularly in the oil and gas sector. This report uses chained dollar estimates to avoid this problem. Similarly, the employment decomposition used highly aggregated occupational data which may have overstated the contribution of outsourcing to manufacturing’s declining employment share. We use more detailed occupational data from the Census / National Household Survey. We find that the results regarding the contribution of services outsourcing are fairly robust to the choice of data. Furthermore, we are able to reconcile the differing estimates of the importance of services outsourcing between the input-output and occupational decomposition methodologies by noting that much of the decline in manufacturing employment in services occupations might be expected to occur if the manufacturing sector shrank for reasons unrelated to services outsourcing. In particular, the expected share of the decline associated with service occupations in response to a negative shock to the manufacturing sector should be roughly equal to the share of service occupations in total manufacturing employment. Adjusting for this, we find that both exercises suggest the contribution of services outsourcing to the decline of manufacturing’s employment share was quite small, explaining no more than 8.3 per cent. Creation-Date: 2016-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-11.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-11 Classification-JEL: M55, E24, L60, N32, N22, N62 Keywords: Manufacturing, Outsouring, Employment, Canada, Input-Output Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1611 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: Trends in Low-Wage Employment in Canada: Incidence, Gap and Intensity, 1997-2014 Abstract: This paper introduces two new concepts to the debate on job quality: the low-wage gap and low-wage intensity. These two measures provide information on the depth and severity of low wages. Using Labour Force Survey microdata, we discuss trends in these two measures, along with trends in the incidence of low wages over the 1997-2014 period. For example, in 2014, 27.6 per cent of all employees aged 20 to 64 years earned less than two-thirds of median hourly wages for full-time workers aged 20 to 64 years (or $16.01 per hour), our low-wage cutoff. In this same year, the low-wage gap was 21.0 per cent, which means that the average low-wage employee earned approximately 79.0 per cent of the low-wage cutoff (or $12.66 per hour). Consequently, low-wage intensity, defined as the product of the incidence and the gap (scaled by 100) was 5.8. This is down from an intensity of 6.3 in 1997, which was the result of a slightly higher incidence (27.9 per cent) and a higher gap (22.7 per cent). This paper also provides these results by gender, age, educational attainment, industry, occupation, employment status and province. These detailed results help identify which groups face the highest rates, greatest depths, and largest intensities of low-wage employment in Canada. Furthermore, this paper explores the implications of a $15 minimum wage on the low-wage gap in 2014. Finally, to provide a brief sensitivity analysis, we discuss (1) the results for low-wage employment in Canada using a different cutoff (two-thirds mean hourly wages for full-time employees aged 25 to 54 years) and (2) comparisons of our results to those of CIBC’s Employment Quality Index and the OECD’s low-pay data. Creation-Date: 2016-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-10.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-10 Classification-JEL: I31, I32, I38, I30, J39, N32 Keywords: Low-Wages, Low-Wage Employment, Job Quality, Well-Being, Employment Quality, Minimum Wages Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1610 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Mike Pennock Author-Email: csls@csls.ca Title: Slower Economic Growth and Subjective Well-Being in the Canadian Context: A Discussion Paper Abstract: Most mainstream forecasts for national economies expect that mature nations such as Canada will experience a few decades of slower economic growth, relative to past rates. This was reflected in the recent long-term forecast for the Canadian economy by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards. This transition is due to underlying demographic factors which are slowing labour force growth as well as slower rates of labour force productivity. Although there is a consensus among forecasters about the inevitability of slower growth there is less consensus about the magnitude of the change. This model suggests that countries such as Canada could enter into a prolonged period of slower growth without pronounced negative consequences for population well-being if other contributors to well-being are both protected and mobilized to offset the impacts of slower income growth. The most serious threat to wellbeing that is associated with the slow-growth scenario is an expected increase in income inequality and household debt. Canada may be particularly vulnerable to these effects because it is entering a slow growth era with relatively high levels of inequality and household debt, relative to most other mature nations. Creation-Date: 2016-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-09.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-09 Classification-JEL: I31, O10, O15, O16, N32 Keywords: Economic Growth, National Income, Household Income, Economic Development, Well-Being, Prosperity, Social Progress, Canada, Income Distribution, Income Inequality, Income Growth, Household Debt, Unemployment, Government Expenditures, 2008 Recession Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1609 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: James Uguccioni Author-Email: james.uguccioni@csls.ca Title: Firm-level Total Factor Productivity Growth: Canadian Freight Railways, 1986 to 2009 Abstract: Canadian railways are a vital part of the country’s transportation sector, moving goods and people across the country. We perform firm-level productivity analysis of Canadian freight railways for 1986 to 2009, focusing on the two railways which dominate the market: Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP). We obtain total factor productivity (TFP) estimates both by constructing productivity indices and by econometrically estimating cost functions. Driven in part by operational improvements, the strong TFP growth at both firms considerably outpaced aggregate TFP growth in Canada over the period of interest. This robust TFP growth, together with significant capital deepening, led to impressive labour productivity gains. We pay special attention to the productivity effects of the 1995 privatization of CN. While CN enjoyed much stronger productivity growth over the 1986-2009 period than CP, its performance was equally superior before and after the 1995 privatization. Creation-Date: 2016-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-08.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-08 Classification-JEL: D22, D24, H32, J24, L92 Keywords: Rail, Transport, Productivity, Transportation, Canada, Total Factor Productivity, Multifactor Productivity Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1608 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Author-Email: evan.capeluck@csls.ca Title: A Comparison of Australian and Canadian Productivity Performance: Lessons for Canada Abstract: The objective of this report is to examine the impact of public policy on Australia’s productivity performance and to discuss possible lessons for Canada from this experience. To do this, the report conducts a comprehensive analysis of the productivity performance of both countries, with particular interest in determining which underlying factors can explain Australia’s superior productivity growth in recent years. In addition, the report discusses the literature on the effects of public policy on Australian productivity performance since the 1990s. Creation-Date: 2016-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-07.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-07 Classification-JEL: D24, N17, N37, N47, N12, N32, N42 Keywords: Productivity, Capital, Labour, Multifactor Productivity, Productivity Growth, Human Capital, Innovation, Investment, Australia, Canada, Regulation Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1607 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Author-Name: James Uguccioni Author-Email: james.uguccioni@csls.ca Title: Equality and Economic Security Take a Hit: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Selected OECD Countries, 1980-2014 Abstract: This report presents new estimates of the Index of Economic Well-Being and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality, and economic security) for fourteen OECD countries for the 1980-2014 period. It finds that in 2014 Norway had the highest level of economic well-being and Spain the lowest. Canada ranked eleventh among the fourteen countries. Over the 1980-2014 period, Australia enjoyed the most rapid increase in economic well-being in absolute terms, and Italy the slowest. In all fourteen countries, over the 1980-2014 period, there was growth in the consumption flows index and the stocks of wealth index. Over this same period, the economic security index and the economic equality index were largely stagnant in most countries. Most importantly, in all fourteen countries except France, the IEWB grew slower than GDP per capita, a measure that is often used to provide indications into the state of well-being in a given country. According to our estimates, economic well-being, therefore, has not advanced as rapidly as GDP per capita. Furthermore, since 2008, growth in economic well-being has been slower than growth over the 1980-2008 period for nine of the fourteen countries considered, with two countries showing negative growth (Italy and Spain). Creation-Date: 2016-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-06.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-06 Classification-JEL: I31, I32, C43, D63, N34, N32, N37 Keywords: OECD, Well-Being, Wealth, Consumption, Equality, Economic Security Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1606 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Author-Name: James Uguccioni Author-Email: james.uguccioni@csls.ca Title: A Tepid Recovery: The Index of Economic Well-Being for Canada and the Provinces, 1981-2014 Abstract: This report presents new estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality and economic security) for Canada and the provinces for the 1981-2014 period. We find that the IEWB grew at an average annual rate of 0.74 per cent per year over the period, notably below the 1.30 per cent growth of GDP per capita over the same time frame. Both the consumption and wealth domains steady advanced over the period, but their growth was offset by declines in the equality and economic security domains. Since 2008, reflecting the 2009 recession and the weak recovery, Canada’s IEWB has exhibited meager growth, advancing only 0.09 per cent per year. This reflects declines in all domains of the IEWB except consumption. Six of the ten provinces had lower levels for their respective IEWBs in 2014 than in 2008 (Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia). Creation-Date: 2016-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-05.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-05 Classification-JEL: I31, I32, C43, D63, N32 Keywords: Well-Being, Wealth, Consumption, Equality, Economic Security, Canada, Provinces Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1605 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Matthew Calver Author-Email: matthew.calver@csls.ca Author-Name: Fanny McKellips Author-Email: csls@csls.ca Title: Productivity Trends in the Canadian Transport Sector: An Overview Abstract: In recent decades, the overall growth in productivity of many subsectors of the Canadian transportation and warehousing sector has been above average. In particular, while labour productivity (real GDP per worker) grew an average of 0.64 per cent per year between 2000 and 2014 in the transportation and warehousing sector, labour productivity grew an average of 1.83 per cent per year in the truck transportation subsector, 3.25 per cent per year in the air transportation subsector and 2.09 per cent in the train transportation subsector for the same period. Conversely, in the urban transit subsector, labour productivity decreased an average of 0.76 per cent per year between 2000 and 2014. This report provides a detailed analysis of output, input and productivity trends in four subsectors of the Canadian transportation and warehousing sector. It also examines drivers of the productivity growth for each subsector as well as policies that could enable faster growth. Given the impact that the transportation sector has on many Canadian industries as well as the Canadian economy, maintaining productivity growth is important. Creation-Date: 2016-04 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-04.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-04 Classification-JEL: O33, R41, L90, L91, L92, L93, L98 Keywords: Transportation, Canada, Productivity, Rail Transportation, Air Transportation, Trucking Transportation, Urban Transit, Public Policy, Technological Change Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1604 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Matthew Calver Author-Email: matthew.calver@csls.ca Title: Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Abstract: Many existing economic evaluations of health policy recognize multidimensional outcomes and the importance of equally distributing the benefits, but do not to incorporate all relevant outcomes into a single comprehensive metric for cost-benefit analysis. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) inclusive growth framework offers a novel approach for improved evaluation of policies which can address these concerns by aggregating societal outcomes in terms of income, life expectancy, unemployment rates and inequality into a single measure of living standards. We discuss the inclusive growth framework in the context of health policy and how it can be utilized by business leaders and policymakers to make superior policy decisions. Using an inclusive growth index of living standards developed by the OECD, we decompose growth in living standards (as defined by the OECD) due to increased life expectancy in Canada between 2000 and 2011 by cause of death and estimate the equivalent value of these reductions in mortality in terms of billions of dollars of income. We discuss factors underlying these reductions in mortality and suggest how they have been linked to policy. This exercise illustrates one way in which the inclusive growth framework can be used to evaluate the impacts of health policy. Creation-Date: 2016-03 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-03 Classification-JEL: I18, I12, I38, I31, N32, N42 Keywords: Living Standards, Life Expectancy, Health Policy, Inequality, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1603 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: David Lewis Author-Email: dlewis1@bell.net Author-Name: Ian Currie Author-Email: iancurrie@gozoom.ca Title: A New Role for Cost-Benefit Analysis in Canadian Transportation Infrastructure Investment Abstract: Encouraging greater reliance on Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) as the organizing framework for facilitating discursive democratic procedures is an area in which the Canadian federal government can reinvigorate its role in the development of transportation infrastructure and physical infrastructure in general.The authors examine the microeconomic foundations of traditional CBA models. They find them too narrow to support the promise of CBA as a materially useful tool to help arrive at evidentiary consensus on major transportation infrastructure projects. To achieve its full promise, CBA requires an integration of advances in welfare economics, probability, discourse theory, and capability analysis.A framework for a reformulated CBA is presented along with an application of the approach in the case of gaining community evidentiary consensus on expansion of the Vancouver International Airport in the early 1990s. Potential implications for the federal government infrastructure policies today are explored and recommendations are made. Creation-Date: 2016-03 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-02 Classification-JEL: R42, R53, D61, H54, N42, N72, N92 Keywords: Transportation, Investment, Infrastructure, Canada, Cost-Benefit Analysis Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1602 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: Explaining Industry Differences in IT Investment Per Worker Between Canada and the United States, 2002-2013 Abstract: In the past, attention has been focused on the aggregate ICT investment per worker gap, but 49.8 per cent of lower business sector IT investment per worker in Canada relative to the United States in 2013 was explained by two industries: information and cultural industries and professional, scientific and technical services. The main objective of this report is to shed light on the possible reasons for the gap in these sectors, including data measurement and comparability issues stemming from methodological differences between statistical agencies in Canada and the United States, and differences in potential explanatory variables of IT investment, such as human capital, taxation, profits, firm creation rates, industrial structure, and regulation, among others. Creation-Date: 2016-03 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2016-01.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2016-01 Classification-JEL: E22, O16, D24, L60, L70, L80, L90, N72, N32, N12 Keywords: Investment, Information and Communication Technology, Information Technology, ICT, IT, Productivity, Industries, Professional Services, Cultural Industries Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1601 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Matthew Calver Author-Email: matthew.calver@csls.ca Author-Name: Roland Tusz Author-Name: Erika Rodrigues Title: Interprovincial Migration in Canada: Implications for Output and Productivity Growth, 1987-2014 Abstract: There were slightly more than 300,000 interprovincial migrants in Canadain 2014, representing 0.85 per cent of the population. Interprovincial migrationprovidessignificant economic benefits by reallocating labour from low-productivity regions with high unemployment to high productivity regions with low unemployment.A previous report released by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards estimated the impact of net interprovincial migration on aggregate output and productivity between 1987 and 2006.This study uses the same basicmethodology to provide updated estimates, which is extendedto estimatethe long-term effects.We estimatethat interprovincial migration raised GDP by $1.23 billion (chained 2007 dollars) in 2014, or 0.071 per cent of GDP. This may seem like a small amount, but migration flows are often persistent. We estimate that cumulative net migration flows over the 1987-2014 period increased GDP by $15.8 billion dollars(0.9 per cent of GDP) in 2014and generatedcumulative benefits of $146 billionover the 1987-2014 period.Mostof these gains can be attributed tomigration toAlbertaand British Columbia, which areby far the largest destinationsof net interprovincial migration. Creation-Date: 2015-11 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-19.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-19 Classification-JEL: O15, R23, D24, J24, N32 Keywords: Migration, Interprovincial Migration, Canada, Output, Productivity, Output Growth, Productivity Growth Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1519 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Author-Email: csls@csls.ca Title: The Evolution of Manufacturing Employment in Canada: The Role of Outsourcing Abstract: The objective of this report is to examine the impact of outsourcing on manufacturing’s employment share in Canada. The report shows that outsourcing accounts for a small but significant part of the decline in the manufacturing employment share over the 1976-2008 period. Two approaches are used to determine the contribution of outsourcing to the evolution in manufacturing’s employment share in the report. The first approach uses input-output (I-O) analysis to estimate the impact of changes in the I-O structure of the economy on employment shares by industry. The second approach uses aggregate industry-by-occupation employment data to decompose changes in employment shares by industry in various ways. Creation-Date: 2015-10 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-18.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-18 Classification-JEL: M55, E24, L60, N32, N22, N62 Keywords: Manufacturing, Outsouring, Employment, Canada, Input-Output Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1518 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Author-Email: csls@csls.ca Title: Explanations of the Decline in Manufacturing Employment in Canada Abstract: The objective of this report is to examine the reasons for the decline in manufacturing’s employment share in Canada, with particular attention paid to the roles of labour productivity growth, demand-side factors, and outsourcing. The results of the report suggest that above average labour productivity growth explains most of the decline in the manufacturing employment share before 2000, while below-average real output growth explains most of the decline after 2000. The slowdown in real output growth after 2000 reflects the sector’s poor export performance which is related to many factors, including: a loss in cost competitiveness linked to an appreciation of the Canadian dollar; increased competition in the U.S. import market; and a slowdown in domestic demand growth in the United States. However, the story becomes more complicated when manufacturing employment is broken down into its various components. In particular, the evolution of manufacturing employment was, in different periods, largely driven by the fortunes of specific industries. Creation-Date: 2015-10 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-17.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-17 Classification-JEL: M55, E24, L60, N32, N22, N62 Keywords: Manufacturing, Employment, Productivity, Canada, Demand Growth, Competition Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1517 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: Review of Best Practices in Labour Market Forecasting with an Application to the Canadian Aboriginal Population Abstract: The Friendship Centres in Canada play a pivotal role in community and economic development by providing training and employment opportunities, facilitating social development, and building human and resource capacity for Aboriginal Canadians. The availability of occupational projections may facilitate the work of the Friendship Centres by providing valuable information concerning future labour market outcomes, allowing their programs to more appropriately prepare Aboriginal Canadians with the required skills, training and education to meet expected labour demand. By surveying the best practices in labour market demand and supply modeling used by national, sub-national and sectoral organizations, this report will help provide a stronger understanding of the potential power of labour market forecasting, while acknowledging the difficulties and obstacles inherent in any projection process. Furthermore, this report will discuss methodologies that could be implemented by the Friendship Centres to estimate the prospective occupational labour supply and demand facing Aboriginal Canadians. Creation-Date: 2015-10 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-16.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-16 Classification-JEL: J49, J41, J40 Keywords: Aboriginal, Labour Market, LMI, Labour Market Information, Canada, Labour Market Forecasting, Labour Supply, Labour Demand, Retirement, Expansion Demand, Replacement Demand Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1516 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Fanny McKellips Author-Email: fanny.mckellips@csls.ca Title: Aboriginal Labour Market Information in Canada: An Overview Abstract: This report, prepared for the Friendship Centres of Canada, provides a detailed overview and assessment of available sources of labour market information (LMI) on Aboriginal Canadians. The Friendship Centres play a pivotal role in community and economic development by providing training and employment opportunities, facilitating social development, and building human and resource capacity for Aboriginal Canadians. Better labour market information, and better use of existing LMI, can facilitate their work. The three most important sources of LMI for Aboriginal Canadians are the Labour Force Survey, National Household Survey, and Aboriginal Peoples Survey. The report identifies the exclusion of the Aboriginal population living on reserve in all Statistics Canada surveys except the National Household Survey and the Census as the most important lacuna in Canadian Aboriginal labour market information. The report concludes that despite the many gaps, there is a wealth of Aboriginal LMI available in Canada, at the national, regional and local levels, that can be used by Friendship Centres to better develop and target programs and services to the urban Aboriginal population. Creation-Date: 2015-10 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-15.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-15 Classification-JEL: J49, J41, J40 Keywords: Canada, Aboriginal Canadians, Aboriginals, Labour Market Information, Labour Markets, Labour Market, LMI Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1515 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Michael Wolfson Author-Name: Kar-Fai Gee Title: Preliminary Estimates of Good Life Time (GLT) in Canada Using the General Social Survey Abstract: There has been a recent resurgence of interest in measures of social progress and well-being that go beyond the conventional System of National Accounts measures, especially GDP and GDP per capita. In this context, Wolfson and Rowe (2010) have proposed Good Life Time (GLT) as an alternative / complement to traditional economic measures. GLT is based on a generalization of life expectancy and a person is said to be in GLT if they have adequate amounts of health, money, and the time to enjoy them. In this study, we develop a simple approach using public microdata from the 1992, 1998, 2005, and 2010 General Social Surveys. We conclude that issues related to high item non-response rates and lack of time series consistency in many of the key questionnaire items, especially in the money and health domains, likely overwhelm any time series trends obtained in this manner. Microsimulation or synthetic matching are therefore the recommended methods to obtain time series trends of GLT. Creation-Date: 2015-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-14.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-14 Classification-JEL: I00, I10, I30, I19, I39, I31 Keywords: Well-Being, Health, Leisure Time, Income, Life Expectancy, Disabilities, Elderly Population Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1514 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Brendon Andrews Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: Estimation of EU-Comparable Poverty-Related Variables in Australia, 2001-2013 Abstract: This report seeks to compare poverty rates and poverty gaps for the overall population, the elderly population and single-parent headed households in Australia and selected European Union (EU) countries. In order to make sure that our estimates for Australia, which are based on the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne, are directly comparable with EU estimates from Eurostat, we undertook a detailed study of the methodology underpinning Eurostat’s poverty estimates, which are derived from the Survey of Income and Labour Conditions (EU-SILC). The outcomes of this paper are estimates of six poverty-related variables including overall and elderly poverty gaps and poverty rates, as well as single parent headed household poverty gaps and the Gini coefficient. The results suggest that overall poverty, elderly poverty and single-parent headed household poverty is higher in Australia than in many other European countries for the majority of the six poverty-related variables. Creation-Date: 2015-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-13.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-13 Classification-JEL: I32, N34, N37 Keywords: Poverty Rate, Poverty Gap, Gini Coefficient, Australia, European Union, Elderly Poverty, Household Income Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1513 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Nico Palesch Author-Name: Brendon Andrews Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: Estimation of EU-Comparable Poverty-Related Variables in the United States, 1995-2014 Abstract: This report seeks to compare poverty rates and poverty gaps for the overall population, the elderly population and single-parent headed households in the United States and selected European Union (EU) countries. In order to make sure that our estimates for the United States, which are based on the United States’ Current Population Survey (CPS) March Supplement, are directly comparable with EU estimates from Eurostat, we undertook a detailed study of the methodology underpinning Eurostat’s poverty estimates, which are derived from the Survey of Income and Labour Conditions (EU-SILC). The outcomes of this paper are estimates six poverty-related variables including overall and elderly poverty gaps and poverty rates, as well as single parent headed household poverty gaps and the Gini coefficient. The results suggest that overall poverty, elderly poverty and single-parent headed household poverty is higher in the United States than in the average European country. Creation-Date: 2015-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-12.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-12 Classification-JEL: I32, N34, N32 Keywords: Poverty Rate, Poverty Gap, Gini Coefficient, United States, European Union, Elderly Poverty, Household Income Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1512 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Don Drummond Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Author-Name: Matthew Calver Author-Email: matthew.calver@csls.ca Title: The Key Challenge for Canadian Public Policy: Generating Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Abstract: Recent economic and fiscal projections produced by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards suggest that revenue growth over the next 23 years in most provinces and territories will be insufficient to maintain recent i ncreases in health expenditures while holding other spending constant on a real per capita basis. Motivated by these fiscal challenge s , we present a series of policy recommendations for Canada’s governments at all levels to foster greater economic growth. Higher GDP not only offers a means to raise government revenues, it also directly raises the well - being of Canadians. We consider options to boost economic growth in two broad ways. First, by boosting Canada’s productivity performance through policies pro moting private and public investment, education, technological innovation and diffusion, and trade. Second, by tapping into Canada’s underutilized labour supply, particularly by assisting women, older workers, persons with disabilities , Aboriginal people, and immigrants in successfully participating in the workforce. The recommendations in this report are guided by the Organization of Economic Co - operation and Development’ s green growth and inclusive growth frameworks and by the idea that government should take a more active role in supporting the economic activities of individuals and businesses. Creation-Date: 2015-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-11.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-11 Classification-JEL: E62, H68, O40, J20 Keywords: Inclusive Growth, Green Growth, Fiscal Projections, Public Policy, Productivity Growth, Canada, Labour Supply, Provinces, Territories, Research and Development, Investment, Human Capital, Education, Internal Trade, International Trade, Immigration, Emigration, Old Age, Ageing, Aboriginal Peoples, Disabilities, Labour Force Participation, Inequality Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1511 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Brendon Andrews Title: Sensitivity of the Index of Economic Well-Being to Different Measures of Poverty: LICO vs LIM Abstract: This report uses an exercise similar to comparative statics to show that the growth rate of the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) for 1981-2011 was much greater when poverty was measured using Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut-Offs (LICOs) than it was when poverty was measured using Statistics Canada’s Low Income Measures (LIMs). The LICO, an absolute definition of poverty, also exhibited greater cyclical variation than the LIM, a relative definition of poverty. The IEWB appears to reflect these trends. Real income growth was determined to be a key factor in explaining these trends because absolute poverty lines remain fixed while relative poverty lines shift in response to changes in real income. The report concludes that there is a significant difference in the growth rate of the IEWB between measures, although not as large as it would be in the absence of linear scaling methodology. Consequently, the use of the LIM instead of the LICO results in a downward bias on economic well-being growth in Canada. The choice of the ‘appropriate poverty measure’ therefore has significant consequences for the discussion of trends in economic well-being. Creation-Date: 2015-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-10.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-10 Classification-JEL: I30, I32, I31, I39, N32 Keywords: Poverty, Poverty Gap, LICO, LIM, Poverty Ratio, Well-Being, Economic Security, Equality, Index, Canada, Provinces Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1510 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Kar-Fai Gee Author-Email: karfai.gee@gmail.com Title: Development of Estimates for Household Production of Non-Market Services in OECD Countries for the Index of Economic Well-Being Abstract: With one notable exception, the production of non-market services produced and consumed by households is currently not included in the System of National Accounts. The activity, however, represents an important aspect of a country’s material well-being. This research note contains a literature review on the different methods of valuing household production of non - market services. The research note also incorporates estimates of household production of non-market services for various OECD countries into the 2008 Index of Economic Well-Being (IEWB) to examine how it affects the countries' ranking in the Index. We find that including estimates of household production of non - market services into the consumption flow portion of the 2008 IEWB for OECD countries reduces the gap in total consumption flows per capita between the United States and the other OECD countries. The relative ranking of countries according to consumption flows per capita in the 2008 IEWB for OECD countries changes slightly after the inclusion of household production of non-market services. Creation-Date: 2015-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-09.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-09 Classification-JEL: D13 Keywords: Household Production, OECD Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1509 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Don Drummond Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Author-Email: evan.capeluck@csls.ca Title: Long-term Fiscal and Economic Projections for Canada and the Provinces and Territories, 2014-2038 Abstract: This report presents long-term fiscal and economic projections for Canada, the provinces and the territories for the 2014-2038 period, and discusses their implications for budgetary balance at the provincial/territorial level. In particular, it examines whether economic growth and hence revenue growth (assuming no major changes in tax policy) will be sufficient to fund likely spending pressures. Economic growth is generally projected to be slower over the next 24 years than since 2000. As a result, all, or almost all, provinces and territories, depending upon the economic assumptions, will not be able to meet the test of balancing revenue growth with growth in public spending. Hence, without tax rate increases or action to curtail spending growth, there will be pressure for progressively larger deficits. Creation-Date: 2015-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-08.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-08 Classification-JEL: E17, E27, E37, E47, E60, E62, E66, H20, H50, H51, H60, H61, H62, H68, H70, H71, H72, J10, O40, Keywords: Projection, Ageing, Fiscal Sustainability, Demographics, Canada, Budget, Provinces, Revenue Growth, Taxes, Economic Growth Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1508 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: Benchmarking Metis Economic and Social Development Abstract: This is a report on the socio-economic development of the Metis in Canada. The report identifies appropriate indicators to benchmark Metis socio-economic development against non-Aboriginal socio-economic development, while establishing a benchmark against which future progress can be gauged. Quite briefly, there have been strong gains in Metis socio-economic development, especially concerning income and education. In particular, Metis median income reached 86.7 per cent of non-Aboriginal median income in 2010, up from 72.9 per cent in 2000. In terms of education, the share of the Metis with a college, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma as their highest degree actually surpassed the share of the non-Aboriginal population in similar areas by 2011. However, there are still a number of gaps that remain. For example, the Metis continue to have poorer indicators of health, especially concerning smoking. Furthermore, the Metis still have lower levels of suitable housing than the non-Aboriginal population. One of the most interesting findings of the report is the large gaps that exist <i>within</i> the Metis Nation between provinces. The report concludes that concerted efforts, determined cooperation, and substantial participation from Metis leaders and Metis organizations at both the provincial and national level will be required to close the remaining gaps between provinces within the Metis Nation and between the aggregate Metis and non-Aboriginal populations. Creation-Date: 2015-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-07.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-07 Classification-JEL: D30, H10, H79, J19, J29, J49, J69, R59, Z13 Keywords: Metis, Socio-Economic Development, Social Development, Canada, Provinces, Economic Development, Aboriginal Canadians, Education, Health, Poverty, Entrepreneurship, Governance, Land and Resources, Benchmarking Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1507 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Author-Email: evan.capeluck@csls.ca Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: A Detailed Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Ontario, 2000-2013: Sunset Industry or Industry in Transition? Abstract: Ontario’s forest products sector was hit by a near perfect storm in the first decade of the twenty-first century, when a multitude of structural and cyclical factors came together to devastate the sector. Despite this, the Ontario forest products sector has had an above-average productivity performance, driven in particular by the wood product manufacturing subsector. This report provides a detailed analysis of output, input and productivity trends in the Ontario forest products sector. It also looks at the key drivers of productivity in the sector, investigating potential barriers to productivity growth and discussing policies that could enable faster growth. Given the increasing role of countries with low-labour costs in several forest product markets, maintaining robust productivity growth is an imperative for Ontario’s forest products sector if it wants to remain competitive internationally. In this vein, the report recommends a renewed focus on human and physical capital investment, as well as on R&D spending and the introduction of new innovative products. Creation-Date: 2015-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-06.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-06 Classification-JEL: O13, O30, O51, J00, E23, Q20, D24, J08 Keywords: Productivity, Growth, Forestry, Canada, Research and Development, Capital Intensity, Human Capital, Physical Capital, Wood Product Manufacturing, Paper Manufacturing, Forest Products Sector, Ontario Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1506 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: A Detailed Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Quebec, 2000-2013: Adversity Drives Productivity Abstract: The Quebec forest products sector has had an above-average productivity performance in the 2000-2013 period, driven in particular by the forestry and logging subsector. While the wood product manufacturing subsector has also benefited from strong productivity gains, the productivity performance of the paper manufacturing subsector has been far from impressive. This report provides a detailed analysis of output, input and productivity trends in the Canadian forest products sector. It also looks at the key drivers of productivity in the sector, investigating potential barriers to productivity growth and discussing policies that could enable faster growth. Given the increasing role of countries with low-labour costs in several forest product markets, maintaining robust productivity growth is an imperative for the Quebec forest products sector if it wants to remain competitive internationally. In this vein, the report recommends a renewed focus on human and physical capital investment, as well as on R&D spending and the introduction of new innovative products. Creation-Date: 2015-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-05.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-05 Classification-JEL: O13, O30, O51, J00, E23, Q20, D24, J08 Keywords: Productivity, Growth, Forestry, Canada, Research and Development, Capital Intensity, Human Capital, Physical Capital, Wood Product Manufacturing, Paper Manufacturing, Forest Products Sector, Quebec Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1505 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Ontario's Productivity Performance, 2000-2012: A Detailed Analysis Abstract: It is widely recognized that productivity growth is the key driver of long-run increases in living standards. Therefore, a slowdown in productivity growth is a major cause for concern. This has in fact been the situation in Ontario since 2000. After advancing at a 1.9 per cent average annual rate between 1987 and 2000, business sector productivity growth has fallen to 0.5 per cent per year between 2000 and 2012, the second lowest growth rate among the provinces. Indeed, given the relative size of Ontario’s economy, the province’s weak productivity growth has largely been responsible for Canada’s overall poor productivity performance. The objective of this report is to explain the slowdown in productivity growth in Ontario since 2000. The report provides an overview of the productivity performance of the Ontario economy, with a focus on the 2000-2012 period. The report also examines both the supply-side and demand-side factors that influenced Ontario’s productivity performance. The main cause of Ontario’s lackluster productivity growth is found to be the deterioration of external demand conditions. The drop in international exports, due to weak demand growth in the United States, loss of cost competitiveness linked to the appreciation of Canadian dollar and increasing international competition, played a direct role in the slowdown in Ontario’s productivity growth. Creation-Date: 2015-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-04.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-04 Classification-JEL: D24, J24, O47, N12, N32, N52, N62, N72, N92 Keywords: Ontario, Canada, Productivity, Cost Competitiveness, International Trade Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1504 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Matthew Calver Author-Email: matthew.calver@csls.ca Title: Closing the Aboriginal Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits Abstract: This report has two major goals. The first goal is to assess progress on the gaps in educational attainment and labour market outcomes between 2001 and 2011 and the consequences of any progress (or lack thereof) for the Canadian economy. The second goal is to produce updated estimates of the benefits of eliminating the educational attainment gap. Utilizing projections of the Aboriginal population in 2031 and data from the 2011 National Household survey, we estimate the effects of closing the educational attainment gap on Aboriginal labour market outcomes and national economic performance. We provide breakdowns of the benefits by province, sex, age, Aboriginal identity, registered Indian status, and residence on- and off-reserve. We project that the direct cumulative economic benefits to Canada of closing the educational attainment gap between 2011 and 2031 could be as large as $261 billion. Creation-Date: 2015-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-03 Classification-JEL: I21, I20, N32, H52, H75, N92 Keywords: Aboriginal Education, Aboriginal, Education, Education Gap, Metis, Inuit, First Nations, Educational Attainment, Labour Force Participation, Labour Market Outcomes, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1503 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Shannon Kindornay Author-Email: Shannon.Kindornay@carleton.ca Author-Name: Centre for the Study of Living Standards Author-Email: csls@csls.ca Title: Canada 2030: An Agenda for Sustainable Development Abstract: As the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reach their end date in 2015, negotiations are ramping up at the United Nations for the establishment of a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs, to be announced in September this year, will replace the MDGs and serve as a universal framework for achieving sustainable development outcomes in all countries by 2030, including Canada. This report takes an in-depth look at what the SDGs could mean for Canada, providing a concise overview of the report in the eight areas it covers: poverty, education, employment and inequality, energy, the environment, infrastructure, governance and international cooperation in Canada. Key themes discussed include global and national sustainable development priorities, challenges and opportunities for implementation of the SDGs, and data availability for measuring progress. Creation-Date: 2015-02 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-02 Classification-JEL: I32, N32, I10, I20, D63, N72, O13, P48, Q56, H54, Q01, Q28, Q38, Q48 Keywords: MDG, Millenium Development Goals, Poverty, Education, Employment, Inequality, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure, Governance, Sustainable Development Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1502 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Jasmin Thomas Author-Email: jasmin.thomas@csls.ca Title: An Analysis of the Canada-U.S. ICT Investment Gap: An Update to 2013 Abstract: Canada’s productivity performance reflects in large part our innovation record, both in terms of business sector R&D and information and communications technology (ICT) investment. The objective of this report is to examine the country’s ICT investment performance since 2000. The key finding is that, since the 2008 peak, business sector ICT investment in Canada has performed poorly, both relative to the Canadian non-business sector and to the business sector in the United States. By 2013, four years after the 2009 recession, nominal ICT investment in the business sector in Canada had failed to regain the 2008 level, falling on average 1.0 per cent per year over the 2008-2013 period. In contrast, despite government belttightening, nominal investment in the non-business sector in Canada advanced at a 2.0 per cent average annual rate. Equally, the United States, which experienced a more severe downturn than Canada, saw business sector nominal ICT investment grow at a 1.5 per cent average annual rate between 2008 and 2013. The fall in nominal ICT investment in Canada, combined with the increase in the United States, resulted in an 8.5 percentage point fall in the ICT investment per worker in Canada from 59.6 per cent of that of the US business sector in 2008 to 51.1 per cent in 2013. More research is needed to understand the reasons for the weak post-2008 ICT investment performance of Canada’s business sector. Creation-Date: 2015-01 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2015-01.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2015-01 Classification-JEL: L86, N92, E22, J24, O47, D24 Keywords: Canada, United States, Software, Investment, Gap, Productivity, Business Sector, ICT, Computers, Communications, Labour Productivity, Growth, Productivity Growth Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1501 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Bert Waslander Title: The Impact of the Oil Boom on Canada's Labour Productivity Performance Abstract: The objective of this report is to evaluate the impact of the oil and gas industry on labour productivity growth in Canada since 2000 through an exploration of the various channels, both direct and indirect, by which the oil and gas sector affects aggregate productivity. The report sheds light on the paradoxical lack of a direct negative contribution of the oil and gas sector to aggregate labour productivity growth despite the very large fall in productivity experienced by the sector. It highlights the divergent productivity growth paths for the oil and gas sectors in Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, which drove the aggregate productivity performance of these two provinces. The report also discusses how developments in the oil and gas industry, notably the increase in the price and production of petroleum, have affected productivity growth in other parts of the economy. It finds that the oil boom has had a substantial negative effect on the cost competitiveness of manufacturing by putting upward pressure on the value of the Canadian dollar – the so-called Dutch Disease. Counteracting this are positive effects associated with demand and incomes generated by the oil boom, as well as increases in spending on R&D and education by the major oil-producing provinces. Creation-Date: 2014-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2014-05.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2014-05 Classification-JEL: J24, O47, O51, N72 Keywords: Canada, Oil Boom, Oil, Natural Gas, Energy Sector, Labour Productivity, Dutch Disease, Alberta, Newfoundland, Labrador, Oil and Gas Industry, Productivity Growth, Productivity Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1405 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: What Explains the Canada-U.S. Software Investment Intensity Gap? Abstract: In 2012, business sector software investment per worker in Canada was 40.7 per cent of that in the United States. The objective of this report is to deepen our understanding of the reasons for which Canadian businesses invest substantially less in software than their U.S. counterparts. The report reviews the state of the software investment landscape in Canada, discusses the views of industry experts obtained through key informant interviews, and assesses possible explanations for the software gap. About one-third of the gap can be assigned to differences in labour productivity, industry structure, and measurement methodologies between the two countries. The remaining two-thirds are more difficult to explain. Creation-Date: 2014-10 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2014-04.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2014-04 Classification-JEL: L86, N92, E22, J24, O47, D24 Keywords: Canada, United States, Software, Investment, Gap, Productivity, Business Sector Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1404 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Author-Email: evan.capeluck@csls.ca Title: Convergence Across Provincial Economies in Canada: Trends, Drivers, and Implications Abstract: Canada has long been characterized by significant regional disparities. Such inequalities can create and exacerbate regional tensions and lead to demands for further redistribution of wealth. The objective of this study is to report on the current state of provincial differences in twenty-five economic variables related to income, productivity, the labour market, well-being and fiscal capacity, and to analyze trends toward or away from convergence for these economic variables. This report also examines the factors influencing these trends and discusses the implications for the federation. Creation-Date: 2014-05 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2014-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2014-03 Classification-JEL: N92, O47, J20, J10, J30, J40 Keywords: Regional Disparities, Inequality, Regional, Redistribution, Income, Productivity, Labour Markets, Well-Being, Fiscal Capacity, Convergence, Federation Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1403 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Anke Kessler Author-Name: Martin Thunert Title: Sustainable Governance Indicators Abstract: A strong case can be made that the quality of governance provided by the government of Canada deteriorated somewhat from May 2011 to May 2013. While the government has constructed high-quality governance structures and implemented effective policies in many areas over many decades, the actions of the Conservative government since winning a majority of the seats in the House of Commons in May 2011 have jeopardized this situation. This report highlights a number of developments that lead to this conclusion. Creation-Date: 2014-05 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2014-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2014-02 Classification-JEL: E42, P16, P48, N42, O51, N92 Keywords: Sustainability, Government, Governance, Indicators, Governance Structures, Policies, Conservative government, House of Commons Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1402 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Ricardo de Avillez Author-Email: csls@csls.ca Title: A Detailed Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Canadian Forest Products Sector Abstract: The Canadian forest products sector has had an above-average productivity performance in the 2000-2012 period, driven in particular by the wood product manufacturing subsector. While the forestry and logging subsector has also benefited from strong productivity gains, the productivity performance of the paper manufacturing subsector has been far from impressive, especially in the post-2008 period. This report provides a detailed analysis of output, input and productivity trends in the Canadian forest products sector. It also looks at the key drivers of productivity in the sector, investigating potential barriers to productivity growth and discussing policies that could enable faster growth. Given the increasing role of countries with low-labour costs in several forest product markets, maintaining robust productivity growth is an imperative for the Canadian forest products sector if it wants to remain competitive internationally. In this sense, the report recommends renewed focus on human and physical capital investment, as well as on R&D spending. Creation-Date: 2014-05 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2014-01.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2014-01 Classification-JEL: O13, O30, O51, J00, E23, Q20, D24, J08 Keywords: Productivity, Growth, Forestry, Canada, Research and Development, Capital Intensity, Human Capital, Physical Capital, Wood Product Manufacturing, Paper Manufacuturing, Forest Products Sector Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1401 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Vikram Rai Author-Email: vikram.rai@csls.ca Title: Labour Market Information for Employers and Economic Immigrants in Canada: A Country Study Abstract: This report draws lessons from the Canadian immigration experience that can contribute to improving the labour market outcomes of immigrants and alleviate barriers related to labour market information issues. Foreign-born workers often lack the necessary information to learn about opportunities in the Canadian labour market, which can prevent highly-skilled workers from finding employment in their field, to the detriment of the Canadian economy. We examine the services provided to immigrants in Canada by federal and provincial governments, and the large role played by the non-profit sector in facilitating the delivery of information and services to immigrants in order to lessen the informational barriers to immigrant employment. We further identify best practices from Canada, which include establishing national standards for the recognition of foreign qualification; simplifying the delivery of services by using one-stop shops or single-points-of-contact; involving local stakeholders in the development of policy and delivery of service; and maintaining a flexible immigration policy. Identifying and addressing the specific needs of newcomers to Canada has had a strong positive impact on their labour market outcomes. Creation-Date: 2013-05 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2013-01.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2013-01 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1305 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Author-Email: evan.capeluck@csls.ca Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Title: Labour Market Prospects for the Métis in the Canadian Mining Industry Abstract: The objective of this report is to review the prospects for Métis employment in the mining industry brought upon by a looming wave of retirements; to determine potential barriers to Métis employment in the mining industry; and to identify actions and strategies that the Métis National Council (MNC) and Métis Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ASETS) agreement holders should adopt to take advantage of and overcome obstacles to employment opportunities in the mining industry. The Canadian mining industry accounted for somewhere between two and five per cent of nominal GDP in Canada – depending on which definition of the mining industry is used – in 2008. This industry, concentrated in rural and remote locations, represents an important potentialsource of employment for the comparatively large youthful and rural Métis population entering the labour market in the coming decades. The mining industry has unique locational dynamics and hiring practices, a highly productive and experienced but aging work force, and growth prospects that are heavily reliant on global demand. Skilled workers are needed to replace the mining industry’s soon-to-be-retired baby boomers and to replace other workers leaving the industry. The Métis have unique demographic characteristics, which could create competitive advantages for employment in the mining industry; however, they are at risk of being unable to take advantage of the upcoming job openings if they cannot meet the educational requirements for employment in that industry. Creation-Date: 2013-05 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2013-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2013-02 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1304 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Vikram Rai Title: Can the Canada-U.S. ICT Gap be a Measurement Issue? Abstract: In 2011, business sector investment per worker in information and communications technology (ICT) in Canada was only 57.8 per cent of the U.S. level, indicating an ICT investment per worker gap of 42.2 percentage points. Numerous explanations have been advanced to explain this gap, one of which is that the ICT investment data from Statistics Canada and the Bureau of Economic Analysis are not strictly comparable. The primary focus of this report is to analyze that hypothesis. We compare the methodology used to measure ICT investment in Canada and the United States and find that issues related to measurement account for approximately 4 percentage points (10 per cent) of the gap. Although software investment has been responsible for 90 per cent of the gap in recent years, seven out of 17 industries in Canada actually had greater investment per worker levels than the United States in both total ICT and software. A small number of ICT-intensive industries has been responsible for a substantial part of the gap. In particular, information and cultural industries accounted for 39.1 per cent of the total gap. This supports the conclusion that the Canada-U.S. ICT investment per worker gap is largely the result of industry-specific factors which affect software investment. Creation-Date: 2013-05 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2013-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2013-03 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1303 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Centre for the Study of Living Standards Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: The Contribution of Broadband to the Economic Development of First Nations in Canada Abstract: The faster access to information made possible by broadband Internet connectivity has had an important impact on the economy, transforming existing production processes and making new ones possible. The economic literature has shown that, in general, broadband has a statistically significant, positive effect on economic development. This report represents a first attempt at estimating the impact of broadband on economic development and job creation in First Nations reserves in Canada using econometric techniques. The report offers an up-to-date overview on the state of broadband availability in First Nations reserves, providing both national and provincial breakdowns of the data. It also details the main findings of the literature on the effect of broadband on economic development. Using a sample of 241 First Nations reserves and data from the 2001 and 2006 Aboriginal Population Profiles, we estimate the impact of broadband on average earnings and employment growth. Our econometric analysis failed to show a statistically significant impact of broadband on economic development. This finding, however, should be interpreted with caution, as severe data limitations might have affected the accuracy of the results. It is suggested that future econometric studies on the topic would benefit from more and better broadband data. Creation-Date: 2013-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2013-04.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2013-04 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1302 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Etienne Grand'Maison Title: A Detailed Analysis of Newfoundland and Labrador's Productivity Performance, 1997-2010: The Impact of the Oil Boom Abstract: Propelled by the mining and oil and gas sector, Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy experienced impressive growth in the past decade. During the 1997-2010 period, real GDP in the province's business sector increased at nearly twice the rate of Canada's, while the province's labour productivity growth was more than three times greater than Canada's. This report provides a detailed analysis of Newfoundland and Labrador's labour, capital and multifactor productivity performance and the factors behind this performance. It identifies the province’s shift to high-productivity oil extraction activities as the main factor responsible for this remarkable productivity growth while also discussing the positive spill-over effects that this shift has had on Newfoundland and Labrador's economy as a whole. Creation-Date: 2013-07 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2013-05.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2013-05 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1301 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Brendon Andrews Title: An Assessment of Weighting Methodologies for Composite Indicators: The case of the Index of Economic Well-being Abstract: The Index of Economic Well-Being (IEWB) – a composite indicator consisting of consumption, wealth, equality, and economic security – underwent several changes in the weighting of its components. For example, the final aggregation of the IEWB was changed to equal weighting after the IEWB was criticized for having a bias against sustainability; however, all weighting schemes have both advantages and shortcomings. To isolate the preferred ordinal ranking for the results, strong and weak dominance rules were established for countries across several observed weighting schemes, and each of these rules were ranked in all possible ways. An 'iterative dominance equilibrium' was computed for comparison to observed weighting schemes. Constrained data envelopment analysis (CDEA) performed best, yet CDEA is not ideal for comparisons across countries. Among explicit weights, the original weights of the IEWB were best. Although the original weights are supported, they were controversial – a shift to equal weights mitigated this controversial – it appears equal weights remain least objectionable. Creation-Date: 2012-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-10.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-10 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1210 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Ricardo de Avillez Author-Email: ricardo.avillez@csls.ca Title: Sectoral Contributions to Labour Productivity Growth: Does the Choice of Decomposition Formula Matter? Abstract:Using three decomposition formulas (TRAD, CSLS, and GEAD), this article estimates sectoral contributions to business sector labour productivity growth in Canada during the 2000-2010 period. Although at the aggregate economy level there was substantial agreement among the three formulas - with most of business sector labour productivity growth being explained by within-sector productivity improvements -, contribution estimates varied widely at the sectoral level. In particular, there were signi cant differences in the estimated contributions of construction, manufacturing, and mining and oil and gas extraction. Ultimately, these differences refl ect the fact that traditional decomposition formulas (TRAD and CSLS) and the GEAD formula measure distinct economic phenomena. Instead of seeing estimates constructed by the GEAD and traditional formulas as "competing" narratives, the article concludes it is more useful to see them as providing complementing stories about the role of di erent sectors in driving aggregate labour productivity growth. Creation-Date: 2012-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-09.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-09 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1209 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Evan Capeluck Title: The Impact of Redistribution on Income Inequality in Canada and the Provinces, 1981-2010 Abstract:The objective of this report is to provide an overview of trends in income inequality, defined as the Gini coefficient, in Canada and the provinces over the 1981-2010 period and to investigate the impact of redistributive policies – namely, taxes and transfers – on these trends.Income inequality is measured in terms of market income, total income, and after-tax income, with the latter considered the most important from a well-being perspective. Creation-Date: 2012-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-08.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-08 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1208 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Centre for the Study of Living Standards Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: The Impact of Information and Communication Technology on the Productivity of the Canadian Transportation System: A Macroeconomic Approach for the Air and Rail Sectors Abstract:Productivity and ICT use in Canadian air and rail transportation have both increased significantly during the 1997-2010 period. Few efforts have been made, however, to quantify the link between these two variables. This report seeks to address this knowledge gap. It provides a detailed analysis of ICT investment, ICT capital, and productivity trends in Canadian air and rail transportation, comparing these trends to those seen in U.S. air and rail transportation. It thenevaluates the role of ICT as a productivity driver in these two sectors. Using industry-level data, we find that the standard neoclassical growth accounting framework does not appear to adequately capture the importance of ICT on air and rail productivity. Econometric approaches using the same data also failed to yield meaningful results, mainly due to the small number of observations, but also possibly due to the level of data aggregation. It is suggested that future work on the topic should focus on econometric approaches using firm-level data or case studies. Creation-Date: 2012-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-07.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-07 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1207 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Blair Long Title: Innovation in Canadian Natural Resource Industries: A Systems-Based Analysis of Performance, Policy and Emerging Challenges Abstract:Innovation is an important driver of productivity growth, which in turn is a major source of improvement in living standards. Given the growing importance of the natural resources sector in the Canadian economy, innovation in this sector is particularly relevant. This report, using a systems-of-innovation approach, analyzes the innovation performance of the Canadian natural resources sector by comparing it to that of the Canadian business sector as a whole. Among the many indicators discussed, the report looks at R&D expenditures, workers’ education and skills, machinery and equipment investment, and the use of information and communication technologies. The key conclusion of the report is that the overall innovation performance of the Canadian natural resources sector is strong and has improved in recent years. However, there is still room for improvement, especially in terms of R&D intensity and labour force skills. Creation-Date: 2012-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-06.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-06 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1206 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Ricardo de Avillez Author-Email: ricardo.avillez@csls.ca Title: A Detailed Analysis of Nova Soctia;s Productivty Performance, 1997-2010 Abstract:Despite labour productivity growth somewhat above the national average over the 1997-2000 period, Nova Scotia’s level of business sector output per hour in 2010 was only 75.7 per cent that of Canada. This report provides a detailed analysis of Nova Scotia’s labour and capital productivity performance and the factors behind this performance. It identifies weak machinery and equipment investment and low levels of business R&D as the two factors most responsible for the province’s productivity gap. Creation-Date: 2012-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-05.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-05 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1205 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Kar-Fai Gee Author-Email:kar-fai.gee@csls.ca Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Aboriginal Labour Market Performance in Canada: 2007-2011 Abstract:The objective of this report is to examine Aboriginal labour market performance in Canada from 2007 to 2011 using data from the Labour Force Survey, which excludes people living on-reserve or in the territories. This is performed by first providing an overview of how the recession affected the Canadian labour market, followed by a Canada-wide portrait of the Aboriginal labour market in 2011. The Aboriginal labour market performance from 2007 to 2011 is then compared to the rest of the labour force on a national level, before being broken down by province and main heritage group. Using this information, the report then discusses the implications of future labour market developments for Aboriginal Canadians and for the labour market policies and programs that support their labour market performance. Creation-Date: 2012-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-04.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-04 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1204 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Lars Osberg Author-Email:lars.osberg@dal.ca Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Measuring Economic Insecurity in Rich and Poor Nations Abstract:In both rich and poor nations, worrying about future economic dangers subtracts from the present well-being of individuals, which is why affluent societies have complex systems of private insurance and public social protection to reduce the costs of economic hazards. However, the citizens of poor nations (i.e. most of humanity) typically find both private insurance and public social protection to be largely unavailable – their lives are both poorer and riskier. How can one measure economic insecurity in these very different contexts? Because rich nations have better, more easily available data, Section 2 illustrates the measurement of economic insecurity and its importance to trends in relative economic wellbeing in four affluent OECD countries between 1980 and 2009. Section 3 then uses available data to estimate the level of economic security in approximately 2008 in a comparable way in a broader sample of countries. To reflect better the reality of developing countries, it: (1) includes the volatility of food production in the risk of loss of livelihood; (2) adjusts the risks of health care costs to consider the proportion of household spending on food (which is non-discretionary, and large in poor countries) and (3) adds adult male mortality to the risk of divorce in calculation of the risk of single parent poverty. Section 4 discusses some implications and concludes. Creation-Date: 2012-05 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-03 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1203 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Elspeth Hazell Author-Name:Kar-Fai Gee Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: The Human Development Index in Canada: Estimates for the Canadian Provincesand Territories, 2000-2011 Abstract: This report develops internationally comparable estimates of the Human Development Index (HDI) for the Canadian provinces and territories over the 2000-2011 period. The HDI is a composite index composed of three dimensions (life expectancy, education and income) measured by four indicators (life expectancy at birth, average years of education, expected years of schooling and GNI per capita). This report first tries to replicate the Canadian data found in the 2011 Human Development Report (HDR). Then, estimates for the provinces and territories are developed by following the same methodology and using the same Canadian data sources. These estimates are made internationally comparable by taking the proportion that each province or territory’s estimate represents of the comparable estimate for Canada and applying this ratio to the official estimate given for Canada in the 2011 HDR. This allows the provinces and territories to be ranked in the 2011 HDR international rankings for all four component variables as well as the overall HDI. The highest HDI score in 2011 among the provinces and territories belongs to Alberta, which would be third in the international rankings, while the lowest ranking region is Nunavut, which would be in 38th place. Thus, this report highlights the diverse human development experiences that are concealed by Canada’s overall HDI. Creation-Date: 2012-05 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-02 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1202 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Edward N. Wolff Author-Name:Ajit Zacharias Author-Name:Thomas Masterson Author-Name:Selçuk Eren Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name:Elspeth Hazell Title: A Comparison of Inequality and Living Standards in Canada and the United States Using an Expanded Measure of Economic Well-Being Abstract: We use the Levy Institute Measure of Economic Well-being (LIMEW), the most comprehensive income measure available to date, to compare economic well-being in Canada and the United States in the first decade of the 21st century. This study represents the first international comparison based on LIMEW, which differs from the standard measure of gross money income (MI) in that it includes noncash government transfers, public consumption, income from wealth, and household production, and nets out all personal taxes. We find that, relative to the United States, median equivalent LIMEW was 11 percent lower in Canada in 2000. By 2005, this gap had narrowed to 7 percent, while the difference in median equivalent MI was only 3 percent. Inequality was notably lower in Canada, with a Gini coefficient of 0.285 for equivalent LIMEW in 2005, compared to a US coefficient of 0.376—a gap that primarily reflects the greater importance of income from wealth in the States. However, the difference in Gini coefficients declined between 2000 and 2005. We also find that the elderly were better off relative to the nonelderly in the United States, but that high school graduates did better relative to college graduates in Canada. Creation-Date: 2012-01 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2012-01.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2012-01 Classification-JEL: D31, D63, P17 Keywords: Well-Being; Living Standards; Inequality; Income; International Comparisons Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1201 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Ricardo de Avillez Author-Email:ricardo.avillez@csls.ca Title: Measuring the Contribution of Modern Biotechnology to the Canadian Economy Abstract: The role of modern biotechnology in agriculture, medicine, and industry has increased dramatically since the 1970s. Despite its growing importance, few efforts have been made so far to estimate the economic contribution of modern biotechnology to the Canadian economy. This report provides an overview of biotechnology activities in Canada, and, using an income-based approach, estimates that biotechnology activities accounted for approximately $15 billion in 2005, equivalent to 1.19 per cent of Canada’s GDP in that year. The report also forecasts that the role of biotechnology in the economy will increase substantially in the next twenty years, representing between 2.6 per cent and 6.0 per cent of Canada’s GDP in 2030. Creation-Date: 2011-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-18.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-18 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1118 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Christopher Ross Title: Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Abstract: This paper, which represents the living standards domain of the new Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW), provides a comprehensive overview of trends, in a number of indicators of living standards, over the 1981-2010 period in Canada. Part one examines trends in average and median income and wealth indicators in Canada. Part two looks at the distribution of the income and wealth of Canadians over time, including trends in poverty. Part three discusses trends in income fluctuations or volatility. Part four analyzes trends in the economic security of Canadians, including labour market security, food security, housing security, and the security provided by the social safety net. The report also presents a synthesis of overall trends in living standards, discusses living standard measurement issues, and puts forward a set of headline indicators to capture the essentials of what has been happening to the living standards of Canadians. Finally, the report comments on the sustainability of current levels of living standards. The report provides a comprehensive examination of a large number of indicators of living standards in Canada over the last quarter century and has identified a number of these indicators as headline indicators for the new Canadian Index of Wellbeing. The bottom line is that Canada has become a much richer country, but the top quintile has received the lion’s share of rising income and wealth. Looking at the nine headline indicators for which time series are available, one can immediately see that living standards of Canadians have not unambiguously improved between 1981 and 2010. Indeed, Canadians experienced a widening of income and wealth inequalities. There have been poverty reductions, but the reductions were not nearly as large as the increase in wealth inequality. The recent recession pushed both the unemployment rate and the incidence of long-term unemployment above the 1981 level, though the 2008 levels were below the 1981 levels. Economic security measured by the CSLS index has also fallen dramatically, spurred by a significant decrease in economic security caused by the financial risk associated with illness. Since 1981, many dimensions of living standards in Canada have not improved, and that in spite of a 49.0 per cent surge in gross domestic product per capita. Benefits of growth have been shared very unevenly, and the recent recession has eroded many of the gains that had been made in the last 30 years. Looking forward, the challenges for Canada’s policymakers are significant, but need to be tackled if Canada is to become a fairer, healthier and richer country. Creation-Date: 2011-11 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-17.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-17 Classification-JEL: Keywords: Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1117 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Lars Osberg Author-Email:lars.osberg@dal.ca Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Moving from a GDP-Based to a Well-Being Based Metric of Economic Performance and Social Progress: Results from the Index of Economic Well-Being for OECD Countries, 1980-2009 Abstract: This report presents new estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality, and economic security) for 14 OECD countries for the 1980-2009 period. It finds that in 2009 Norway had the highest level of economic well-being and Spain the lowest. Canada ranked ninth among the fourteen countries. Over the 1980-2009 period Denmark enjoyed the most rapid increase in economic well-being, and the Netherlands the slowest. In all 14 countries rate of advance of the IEWB was less than that of GDP per capita. Economic well-being, therefore, has not advanced as rapidly as GDP per capita. Creation-Date: 2011-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-12.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-12 Classification-JEL: E01, I31, E21, E24 Keywords: well-being, economic measurement, IEWB, consumption, wealth, equality, economic security Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1112 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Lars Osberg Author-Email:lars.osberg@dal.ca Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Beyond GDP: Measuring Economic Well-Being in Canada and the Provinces, 1981-2010 Abstract: This report presents new estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality and economic security) for Canada and the provinces for the 1981-2010 period. It finds that the IEWB advanced at a 0.78 per cent average annual growth rate over the period, below the 1.32 per cent growth for GDP per capita. Both the consumption and wealth domains experienced solid advances over the period, but these developments were offset by declines in the equality and economic security domains. The recent recession caused a decline in the IEWB for Canada, driven by declines in wealth and economic security. Creation-Date: 2011-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-11.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-11 Classification-JEL: E01, I31, E21, E24 Keywords: well-being, economic measurement, IEWB, consumption, wealth, equality, economic security Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1111 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email:info@csls.ca Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email:andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Human Capital and Productivity in British Columbia Abstract: This report provides an assessment of human capital development in British Columbia. The province's performance is above average according to the majority of the indicators we analyze, relative to both the rest of Canada and other OECD countries. However, this does not mean that there is no room for improvement. We identify four areas in which improvements would be likely to contribute to productivity growth in British Columbia: the underutilization of the skills of recent immigrants; the poor educational outcomes of Aboriginal people; the below-average production of advanced human capital through graduate training; and the problem of high school non-completion. We provide policy recommendations pertaining to each of these four challenges. Creation-Date: 2011-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-10.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-10 Classification-JEL: I24, D24, J24 Keywords: productivity, human capital, immigration, education, aboriginal education gap Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1110 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email: info@csls.ca Author-Name: Benjamin Evans Author-Email: info@csls.ca Author-Name: Elspeth Hazell Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: The Levy Institute Measure of Economic Well-Being: Estimates for Canada, 1999 and 2005 Abstract: This report presents estimates of the Levy Institute Measure of Economic Well-Being (LIMEW) for a representative sample of Canadian households in 1999 and 2005. The results indicate that there was only modest growth in the average Canadian household’s total command over economic resources in the six years between 1999 and 2005. Although inequality in economic well-being increased slightly over the 1999-2005 period, the LIMEW was more equally distributed across Canadian households than more common income measures (such as after-tax income) in both 1999 and 2005. The median household’s economic well-being was lower in Canada than in the United States in both years. Creation-Date: 2011-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-09.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-09 Classification-JEL: D13, D31, D63 Keywords: LIMEW, well-being, income, earnings, wealth, public consumption, government expenditure, household production, inequality Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1109 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Evguenia Tsiroulnitchenko Author-Email: info@csls.ca Author-Name: Elspeth Hazell Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: Economic Activity of the On-Reserve Aboriginal Identity Population in Canada: Gross Domestic Product Estimates for Indian Reserves, 2000 and 2005 Abstract: This report develops estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for reserves in Canada by estimating total earnings for reserves and multiplying these results by the national share of total earnings in income-based GDP. Two estimation approaches are used in the analysis. The first, which is the focus of this report, is a “top-down approach” based on provincial/territorial full year, full-time and part-year/part-time employment and average earnings data for the on-reserve Aboriginal population from the 2001 and 2006 Census. Estimates are also developed using a second, “bottom-up” approach that employs community-level average earnings and employment data from the 2006 Aboriginal Population Profiles. This second approach results in the development of reserve-specific GDP estimates for those reserves which had the required data available. The most notable finding of this report is that the on-reserve Aboriginal population in Canada, despite accounting for 0.99 per cent of the general Canadian population in 2006, accounted for just 0.30 per cent of national GDP in 2005. Creation-Date: 2011-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-08.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-08 Classification-JEL: E01, O11, J15 Keywords: gross domestic product (GDP), total earnings, Aboriginal, on-reserve Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1108 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Chris Ross Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: A Detailed Analysis of the Productivity Performance of the Canadian Food Manufacturing Subsector Abstract: This report analyzes labour productivity, multifactor productivity and input trends in Canadian food manufacturing since 1961, with a focus on the entire time period and developments since 2000. It is found that the subsector experienced labour productivity growth stronger than the business sector over both the long and short term, but has outperformed manufacturing only in the more recent period. Labour productivity growth is decomposed into capital intensity and multifactor productivity growth, which are found to have contributed to growth almost equally, and labour composition growth accounted for less than 15 per cent over the 1961-2007 period. Underlying drivers of growth are identified and trends in technology, capacity utilization, human capital, economies of scale, machinery and equipment, international trade, and regulation are explored. Policy implications for fostering labour productivity growth based on the drivers are outlined. Finally, a conclusion summarizes the key findings of the paper. Creation-Date: 2011-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-07.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-07 Classification-JEL: O47, D24, J24, L66, Q18 Keywords: labour productivity, multifactor productivity, input trends, food manufacturing, capital intensity, multifactor productivity growth, labour composition Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1107 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Ricardo de Avillez Author-Email: ricardo@csls.ca Title: A Detailed Analysis of the Productivity Performance of the Canadian Primary Agriculture Sector Abstract: In contrast to the significant slowdown in aggregate productivity growth in Canada since 2000, the labour productivity performance of the primary agriculture sector has been strong. The objective of this study is to shed light on the factors behind the sector's success. This report provides an overview of the productivity performance of the Canadian agriculture sector over the 1961-2007 period, discussing both long-term trends and recent developments. Labour productivity and MFP estimates for the period are analyzed, as well as land and intermediate input productivity. The main drivers of productivity growth in the sector are identified and examined. Finally, policy suggestions are discussed. Creation-Date: 2011-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-06.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-06 Classification-JEL: O47, D24, J24, L79, L66, Q18 Keywords: primary agriculture, labour productivity, multi-factor productivity, land productivity, intermediate input productivity Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1106 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Simon Lapointe Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: The Labour Market and Economic Performance of Canada’s First Nations Reserves: The Effect of Educational Attainment and Remoteness Abstract: The goal of this report is to investigate the relationship between educational attainment, remoteness, and labour market and economic performance at the reserve level for Aboriginal Canadians. The report uses reserve-level data on average earnings, GDP per capita, labour market indicators and distance to a service centre for 312 reserves. Using descriptive statistics, simple correlation and multiple regression analysis, the report draws conclusion on four important questions. First, the report finds that a higher level of educational attainment, on average, has a positive effect on the labour market performance of a reserve. Then, a positive link is found between educational attainment and economic performance (average earnings and GDP per capita). Also, the report finds evidence that remoteness of a reserve plays a role in its labour market and economic performance. Specifically, reserves situated near urban centres fare better than the ones in rural/remote areas and those not connected by road to a service centre all year long (special access). However, when controlling for characteristics of reserves, the very remote reserves seem to fare better than expected in comparison to urban reserves. Yet, when an instrumental variable is used to account for the possibility that educational attainment is endogenous in the model, the remoteness of a reserve appears to play no role in determining reserve labour market or economic performance. Finally, the report also analyses the role of governance on labour market and economic performance. It finds that better governance is correlated to better labour market performance, higher average earnings and higher GDP per capita. Creation-Date: 2011-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-05.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-05 Classification-JEL: I21, J15, O10 Keywords: Aboriginal Canadians, reserves, educational attainment, remoteness, governance, labour market, economic performance Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1105 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: State of the Evidence on Health as a Determinant of Productivity Abstract:Canada's labour productivity performance has been abysmal since 2000, both relative to our historical experience and to that in the United States. In theory, a deterioration of the health status of Canadian workers could explain slower productivity growth. However, the evidence does not support this hypothesis. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that illness and disability impose a massive indirect economic burden on the Canadian economy because many persons of working age are unable to work. Canada's potential level of "social productivity" is lower because of this situation. This is an output shortfall issue, not a conventional productivity issue, and it is important not to confuse the two. Creation-Date: 2011-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-04.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-04 Classification-JEL: I12, J24 Keywords: labour productivity, health status, absenteeism, presenteeism, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1104 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Ricardo de Avillez Author-Email: ricardo.avillez@csls.ca Author-Name: Chris Ross Author-Email: christopher.ross@csls.ca Title: A Synthesis of the CSLS Provincial Productivity Reports, 1997-2007 Abstract: This report, based on the CSLS Provincial Productivity Database, provides a portrait of the productivity performance of the ten Canadian provinces over the 1997-2007 period. Level and growth rate estimates of labour and multifactor productivity are presented and discussed, with an emphasis on the provinces’ market sector. Two-digit NAICS industry level estimates are also presented. Capitalintensity and labour quality figures are also provided, and a standard growth accounting framework is used to determine the sources of labour productivity growth, as well as the sources of labour productivity level gaps between Canada and the provinces. Creation-Date: 2011-04 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-03 Classification-JEL: D24, J24, O47 Keywords: labour productivity, multifactor productivity, capital intensity, labour quality, Canadian provinces, growth accounting Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1103 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Ian Currie Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: Government Policies to Encourage University-Business Research Collaboration in Canada: Lessons from the US, the UK and Australia Abstract: This report reviews findings from the research literature on motivations for, barriers to, and determinants of university-business (U-B) research collaboration. It examines how U-B research collaboration is measured and Canada‘s international ranking. It describes public policy measures for encouraging U-B research collaboration in Canada and three reference countries – the US, the UK and Australia. Drawing on the results of this work, the report provides recommendations on how Canadian governments can strengthen their role and effectiveness as advocates, enablers, funders and rule-makers for U-B research collaboration. Creation-Date: 2011-02 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2011-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-02 Classification-JEL: I23, O32, O34, O38 Keywords: research and development, university-business collaboration, public policy Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1102 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: The State of Private Sector Electronic Labour Exchange Services in Canada Abstract: This report has two aims. The first is to provide a descriptive overview of the services offered by private sector electronic labour exchanges (ELEs) in Canada. The second is to assess those services in terms of their likely effects on labour market matching, their accessibility, and the degree to which they satisfy the needs of all Canadian jobseekers and employers. The report finds that there is a robust private sector in ELE services in Canada. The private sector provides a broader range of services than the main public sector alternative, Job Bank. However, there are key areas in which the private sector does not deliver adequate services. The public sector, through Job bank, can take the lead in providing specialized job-search services tailored toward groups with unique labour market needs. Creation-Date: 2011-02 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/Csls2011-01.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2011-01 Classification-JEL: J20, J64 Keywords: labour market matching, electronic labour exchange services, private sector, public sector Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1101 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Souleima El Achkar Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: A Companion Guide to Analyzing and Projecting Occupational Trends Abstract: This report is intended to complement Future Labour Supply and Demand 101: A Guide to Analysing and Predicting Occupational Trends, a technical document commissioned by the Forum of Labour Market Ministers (FLMM) Labour Market Information Working Group (LMIWG) with the aim of achieving greater consistency and coordination in labour supply and demand modeling in Canada. In conjunction with the technical document, this companion guide will assist stakeholders in making informed decisions regarding the occupational modeling needs of their organizations. Creation-Date: 2010-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2010-07.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2010-07 Classification-JEL: J01, J21, J23, J24 Keywords: labour supply, labour demand, modeling, occupation Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1007 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Eric Thomson Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: New Estimates of Labour, Capital and Multifactor Productivity Growth and Levels for Canadian Provinces at the Three-digit NAICS Level, 1997-2007 Abstract: This report presents new estimates of the levels and growth rates of labour, capital and multifactor productivity for the Canadian provinces by industry for the 1997-2007 period at the market sector, two-digit, and three-digit NAICS industry levels. Also, estimates of the sources of labour productivity growth (capital intensity, labour quality, and multifactor productivity) are presented. Furthermore, this report examines the labour productivity gap between the provinces and the Canadian average. The report closes with a provincial and industry-level perspective on Alberta‘s relative productivity performance. Creation-Date: 2010-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2010-06.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2010-06 Classification-JEL: J01, J24, D24 Keywords: productivity, labour productivity, multifactor productivity, capital productivity, labour productivity growth, capital intensity, labour quality, Canada, Alberta, industry Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1006 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: The State of Knowledge on the Role and Impact of Labour Market Information: A Survey of the International Evidence Abstract: This report provides a critical examination of the international literature on the role and impact of labour market information (LMI). The purpose of this exercise is to assess the current state of knowledge on the role and impact of LMI and to identify gaps in our knowledge. The report finds that we know very little about the impact of LMI per se on labour market outcomes. What knowledge we do possess must be inferred from evaluations of labour market programs or technologies that are related to LMI, such as job-search assistance programs, career counseling, and internet-based LMI. The literature on each of these topics reveals some beneficial impacts on labour market outcomes, but the precise role of LMI in driving these relationships is never specified. Creation-Date: 2010-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2010-05.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2010-05 Classification-JEL: J01, J20, J60 Keywords: labour market, international, labour market information, decision-making, labour market outcomes Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1005 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Alexander Murray Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: The State of Knowledge on the Role and Impact of Labour Market Information: A Survey of the Canadian Evidence Abstract: This report provides a critical assessment of recent Canadian efforts to measure and evaluate the impacts of labour market information (LMI). The purpose of this exercise is to provide a summary of the current state of knowledge on the role and impact of LMI in Canada, to assess the contribution of recent research to that knowledge, and to outline areas in which further research is required. The report finds that we know very little about the impact of LMI per se on labour market outcomes. The Canadian LMI literature does demonstrate that employers and individuals consider LMI to be useful in decision-making, and that LMI and LMI-related programs can have a positive impact on individuals' labour market knowledge and career decision-making. Creation-Date: 2010-06 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2010-04.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2010-04 Classification-JEL: J01, J20, J60 Keywords: labour market, Canada, labour market information, decision-making, labour market outcomes Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1004 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name:Jean-François Arsenault Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: Investing in Aboriginal Education in Canada: An Economic Perspective Abstract: The objective of this paper is to summarize the research done by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) on the economic impacts of improving levels of Aboriginal education. Improving the social and economic well-being of the Aboriginal population is not only a moral imperative; it is a sound investment that will pay substantial dividends in the coming decades. In particular, Canada’s Aboriginal population could play a key role in mitigating the looming long-term labour shortage caused by Canada’s aging population and low birth rate. We estimate that complete closure of both the education and the labour market outcomes gaps by 2026 would lead to cumulative benefits of $400.5 billion (2006 dollars) in additional output and $115 billion in avoided government expenditures over the 2001-2026 period. Creation-Date: 2010-02 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2010-03.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2010-03 Classification-JEL: J10, J11, I29, I28, E27, O11, O15, O47 Keywords: Aboriginal, Education, Canada, Forecast of economic growth, Equity and efficiency, well-being, labour market, unemployment Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1003 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Unbundling Canada's Weak Productivity Performance Abstract: This report aims to accomplish three objectives: provide an assessment of Canada’s productivity performance; provide a synthesis of the productivity studies conducted by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) and the McKinsey Global Institute; and develop a framework for unbundling slow productivity growth in Canada and the widening productivity gap with the United States. Creation-Date: 2010-02 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2010-02.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2010-02 Classification-JEL: O13, O30, O51, J00, E23, D24, J08 Keywords: productivity, labour productivity, output per hour, capital intensity, total factor productivity, Canada, United States, employment, innovation Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1002 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: The Paradox of Market-Oriented Public Policy and Poor Productivity Growth in Canada Abstract: In recent decades, governments in Canada have pursued market-oriented policies at both the macro and micro levels. Economists believe that such policies should foster productivity growth. Since 2000, however, productivity growth in Canada has been dismal, much below that in the United States and below Canada’s historical trend. The objective of this report is to attempt to explain the paradox of productivity-enhancing public policies and the continuation of poor productivity performance. The report finds that the high degree of market orientation of public policy that already exists in Canada suggests that the productivity-enhancing effects of further liberalization may be quite small. Creation-Date: 2010-02 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2010-01.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2010-01 Classification-JEL: O13, O30, O51, J00, E23, D24, J08 Keywords: productivity, labour productivity, output per hour, capital intensity, total factor productivity, Canada, employment Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:1001 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name: Lars Osberg Author-Email: lars.osberg@dal.ca Title: Measuring Economic Security in Insecure Times: New Perspectives, New Events, and the Index of Economic Well-being Abstract: This report has two main objectives. The first is to outline the development of the methodology for the measurement of economic security in the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) and to provide updated estimates of the Index of Economic Security over the 1980-2007 period for seven developed countries: Canada, Australia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The four components of the economic security domain of the IEWB – security from unemployment, illness, single-parent poverty, and old-age poverty – are discussed. The second objective is to consider the adequacy of our framework for the discussion and measurement of economic security during times as tumultuous as the present. Since 2008, the global economy has fallen into recession and anxiety about the economic future has dramatically increased. In this context, how should one measure trends in economic security? Projections of the Index to 2010, computed on the basis of OECD unemployment forecasts, indicate that the global recession will lead to a substantial decrease in economic security as the recession continues. Creation-Date: 2009-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2009-12.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2009-12 Classification-JEL: D63, D60, D30, H50, J30, R20 Keywords: Living standards, quality of life, income, housing affordability, wealth, inequality, poverty, employment quality, net worth, income, disposable income, low income, labour market, economic security, employment, unemployment Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:0912 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Lars Osberg Author-Email: lars.osberg@dal.ca Title: New Estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being for Selected OECD Countries, 1981 - 2007 Abstract: This report presents new estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality, and economic security) for 14 OECD countries for the 1980-2007 period. It finds that in 2007 Norway had the highest level of economic well-being and Spain the lowest. Canada ranked ninth among the fourteen countries. Over the 1980-2007 period Denmark enjoyed the most rapid increase in economic well-being, and the Netherlands the slowest. In all 14 countries rate of advance of the IEWB was less than that of GDP per capita. The IEWB addresses most of the recommendations of the recently released report from the Commission for the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress (the Stiglitz report) on what aspects of economic reality an index of economic well-being should capture. Creation-Date: 2009-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2009-11.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2009-11 Classification-JEL: D63, D60, D30, H50, J30, R20 Keywords: Living standards, quality of life, income, housing affordability, wealth, inequality, poverty, productivity, employment quality, net worth, income, disposable income, low income, labour market, economic security, employment, unemployment, OECD Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:0911 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Lars Osberg Author-Email: lars.osberg@dal.ca Title: New Estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being for Canada and the Provinces, 1981 - 2008 Abstract: This report presents new estimates of the Index of Economic Well-being (IEWB) and its four domains (consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality and economic security) for Canada and the provinces for the 1981-2008 period. It finds that the IEWB advanced at a 1.20 per cent average annual growth rate over the period, below the 1.58 per cent growth for GDP per capita. Both the consumption and wealth domains experienced solid advances over the period, but these developments were offset by declines in the equality and economic security domains. The IEWB addresses most of the recommendations of the recently released Commission for the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress (the Stiglitz report) on what aspects of economic reality an index of economic well-being should capture. Creation-Date: 2009-12 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2009-10.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2009-10 Classification-JEL: D63, D60, D30, H50, J30, R20 Keywords: Living standards, quality of life, income, housing affordability, wealth, inequality, poverty, productivity, employment quality, net worth, income, disposable income, low income, labour market, economic security, employment, unemployment, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:0910 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Peter Harrison Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: A Detailed Analysis of the Productivity Performance of the Canadian Forest Products Sector Since 2000 Abstract: The forest products sector in Canada has faced hard times since 2000. In terms of productivity growth, the sector as a whole has performed poorly relative to the total-economy average. Labour productivity in the sector grew by 0.38 per cent per year between 2000 and 2007, below the economy-wide average of 0.98 per cent per year over the same period. This sub-par performance is entirely attributable to the paper manufacturing subsector, where labour productivity has collapsed since 2000. The other two subsectors within the forest products sector – forestry and logging and wood product manufacturing – experienced above average productivity growth over the 2000-2007 period, but much of this improvement has come from cuts in inputs (labour and capital) that have exceeded cuts in real output. This is an unsustainable source of productivity growth in the long run. Creation-Date: 2009-10 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2009-9.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2009-09 Classification-JEL: O13, O30, O51, J00, E23, Q20, D24, J08 Keywords: productivity, forestry, labour productivity, output per hour, capital intensity, total factor productivity, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:0909 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Celeste Bradley Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: A Detailed Analysis of the Productivity Performance of Oil and Gas Extraction in Canada Abstract: In recent years, the productivity performance of oil and gas extraction in Canada has been dismal. Based on official real GDP and labour input estimates from Statistics Canada, labour productivity in oil and gas extraction fell 8.23 per cent per year between the 2000 cyclical peak and 2007, with capital productivity down 5.97 per cent per year over the same period and total factor productivity (TFP) off 6.67 per cent per year between 2000 and 2006. Among the various hypotheses put forward to explain these trends, the most robust seems to be that higher output prices have suppressed productivity growth through two effects: increased exploitation of low-productivity marginal deposits, and business decisions based on profitability rather than productivity. Despite the rapid decline in productivity in oil and gas extraction, it is not necessarily true that Canadians are worse off. In fact, increased output prices and employment shares in the industry, as well as the high productivity level, have resulted in positive contributions to Canada‟s aggregate labour productivity growth from 2000 to 2006. Creation-Date: 2009-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2009-8.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2009-08 Classification-JEL: O13, O30, O51, J00, E23, Q30, D24, J08 Keywords: productivity, mining, oil and gas, resource extraction, labour productivity, output per hour, capital intensity, total factor productivity, Canada Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:0908 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name: Celeste Bradley Author-Email: info@csls.ca Title: A Detailed Analysis of the Productivity Performance of Mining in Canada Abstract: In recent years, the productivity performance of mining in Canada has been very poor. Based on official real GDP and labour input estimates from Statistics Canada, labour productivity in mining fell by 2.21 per cent per year between the 2000 cyclical peak and 2007, with capital productivity down 0.28 per cent per year and total factor productivity (TFP) off 1.07 per cent per year between 2000 and 2006. Among the various hypotheses put forward to explain these trends, the most robust seems to be that higher output prices have suppressed productivity growth through two effects: increased exploitation of low-productivity marginal resource deposits, and business decisions based on profitability rather than productivity. Despite the decline in productivity in mining, it is not necessarily true that Canadians are worse off. In fact, increased relative output prices for mining products as well as a high productivity level in the mining sub-sector, have resulted in positive contributions to Canada‟s aggregate labour productivity growth from 2000 to 2006 and an offsetting effect on the post-2000 aggregate labour productivity slowdown. Creation-Date: 2009-09 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2009-7.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2009-07 Classification-JEL: O13, O30, O51, J00, E23, Q30, D24, J08 Keywords: productivity, mining, labour productivity, output per hour, capital intensity, total factor productivity, Canada, resource extraction Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:0907 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Author-Name:Jean-François Arsenault Author-Email: jf.arsenault@csls.ca Title: The Economic Crises Through the Lens of Economic Well-being Abstract: This report looks at how the economic crisis has unfolded in Canada and what will be the impacts on economic wellbeing. The shortfall is estimated to be approximately $12,000 ($2007) per capita. In other words, given no economic crisis, GDP per capita in Canada would have likely been $1,736 higher on average each year over the 2008-2014 period. Between October 2008 – the month at which employment peaked in Canada – and May 2009, net employment fell by 362,500 persons. The negative effects of unemployment go well beyond loss of income. Roughly 60 per cent of the newly unemployed, compared to about 40 per cent in recent years, receive regular EI benefits, reflecting the concentration of employment losses among long term full-time employees (e.g. auto workers). Based on the experience of the recession of the early 1990s, we should expect an increase of about 4 percentage points in the after-tax poverty rate, which would reach 13.2 per cent in 2010. Creation-Date: 2009-08 File-URL: http://www.csls.ca/reports/csls2009-6.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf Number: 2009-06 Classification-JEL: D63, D60, D30, H50, J30, R20 Keywords: Living standards, quality of life, income, housing affordability, wealth, inequality, poverty, productivity, employment quality, net worth, income, disposable income, low income, labour market, economic security, employment, unemployment Handle: RePEc:sls:resrep:0906 Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0 Author-Name:Andrew Sharpe Author-Email: andrew.sharpe@csls.ca Title: Best Practices In Labour Market Information: Reccomendations for Canada's LMI System Abstract: The objective of this report for the LMI High-Level Advisory Panel is to provide advice on best practices in LMI and policy suggestions to improve the Canadian LMI system. Based on a thorough analysis, it presents 20 recommendations