Publications
Research Paper proposing a global and non-coercive approach to fighting obesity
In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of groups that, in the name of public health, seek greater government supervision over our daily lives. This can take the form of taxes or regulations, as the case may be. When it comes to the phenomenon of obesity, the Research Paper by Dr.
Economic Note describing energy production and consumption in Quebec
Questions about energy are currently in the news on an almost daily basis in the province of Quebec. In addition, the Quebec government intends to adopt a new law on hydrocarbons in the near future, and next year, a new energy policy. In order to be able to discuss these topics seriously, it is useful to have a global picture of Quebec's energy reality. This Economic Note therefore provides a general overview of Quebec's energy consumption and production. It also highlights some of the energy challenges that the province will face in the years to come.
Economic Note showing the absence of correlation between the governing party's ideology and the evolution of public spending as a share of GDP
Public policy debates are often coloured by ideological preconceptions. For example, we expect political parties on "the left" to have a tendency to increase public spending when they are in power, and parties on "the right" to have a tendency to reduce it. This perception clearly stems from official statements that emphasize different goals. But what is the reality?
Publication estimating at 1.3 billion dollars the additional debt service costs incurred by the Quebec government in the case of a 2% increase in interest rates.
Quebec benefits from unusually low interest rates in financing its debt, making this heavy burden manageable, at least for the time being. But what will happen when borrowing costs rise? Lenka Martinek, chief strategist of Daily Insights at BCA Research estimates that a 2% increase in interest rates would require $1.3 billion in additional spending on debt service in 2018. And this scenario does not take account of a potential recession.
Economic Note that estimates the decline in sales of books following the introduction of a fixed price
Will we succeed in stopping the decline of small bookstores by limiting the discounts offered to Quebec readers by big stores? What consequences would such a policy entail? We can glean some answers to these questions from both the history of the book and the economic literature. Examples of fixed book price laws elsewhere in the world also allow us to draw precious lessons in order to avoid repeating the errors of the past.
Economic Note analyzing the economic and social catch up in Quebec during the "Great Darkness"
In Quebec history books, the period from 1945 to 1960 has been labelled the "Great Darkness" on account of the province's alleged backwardness compared with its North American neighbours. Quebec society at the time is commonly thought to have been less economically dynamic and prosperous, less culturally and socially enlightened, influenced by an obscurantist Church, dominated by anglophone capital, and governed by corrupt, authoritarian political elites. Many of these claims do not hold up under a closer examination of the statistics of the era, however.
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As a part of its research program on the various health care systems around the world, Jasmin Guénette, vice president of the MEI, visited Switzerland to see how health care is delivered there.
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En 2011, chaque heure travaillée par les Québécois a ajouté 51,94 $ au produit intérieur brut (PIB). Le...
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