Vol.
28 No. 2 June 2002
Articles:
The Effect
of Childcare and Early Education Arrangements on Developmental Outcomes
of Young Children
Pierre Merrigan and Philip Lefebvre
This study
investigates the relationship between childcare arrangements and developmental
outcomes of young children using data from Cycle 1 of the Canadian
National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Models of the
determinants of Motor and Social Development (MSD) scores for children
aged 047 months, and of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test assessment
scores (PPVT) for children aged 45 years are estimated controlling
for a variety of non-parental childcare and early education characteristics.
The results
suggest that infant-toddler non-parental care arrangements have insignificant
or negligible impacts on developmental outcomes (MSD). For preschoolers,
modes of care and early education do not, on aver- age, influence
cognitive development (PPVT). The results of fixed effect estimates
for a sample of siblings aged 047 months confirm the preceding
conclusion. The analysis is repeated to identify the determinants
of the probability that the child's MSD (PPVT) score is in the bottom
part of the distribution of MSD (PPVT) scores and the conclusions
are similar.
The Interaction
Between Monetary and Fiscal Policies
David Dodge
One can view
the period since 1970 as one in which the authorities struggled to
establish appropriate medium- term anchors for both monetary and fiscal
policies. During this time, they learned about the appropriate interaction
between those two policies in the context of economic stabilization
and growth under a flexible exchange rate regime. This lecture deals
with four interrelated topics: the appropriate goals for fiscal and
monetary policy, building policy credibility, the appropriate stabilization
role for the two policies, and policy cooperation. The transparent
medium-term frameworks that have been established by the authorities
will be extremely helpful in meeting the challenges that the future
is sure to bring. These frameworks mean that the required adjustments
in the economy will take place against a relatively stable background.
The Education
Premium in Canada and the United States
J.B. Burbidge, L. Magee, and A.L. Robb
In the United
States the education premium - the ratio of the earnings of university
graduates to the earnings of high school graduates - has risen sharply
in the last 20 years. Some economists and policymakers presume the
same fact holds in Canada. Since so much of modern growth theory and
micro- and macroeconomic policy turns on the education premium, it
is important for social scientists and policymakers to know what has
actually happened to the education premium. This paper argues that
based on available evidence over the last 20 years the premium has
been constant or has fallen in Canada.
Profiles
of Tax Non-compliance Among the Self-Employed in Canada: 1969 to 1992
Herb J. Schuetze
This paper
utilizes an expenditure-based approach to provide estimates of the
degree of income-tax non- compliance by Canadian self-employed households
using a series of Canadian Family Expenditure Surveys from 1969 to
1992. These estimates are disaggregated across years, demographic
characteristics, and occupation to shed some light on the determinants
of such activities and to provide guidance to tax enforcement policymakers.
The findings suggest that the degree of non-compliance by the self-employed
varies significantly by occupation, age, and the number of household
members self-employed.
British
Columbia after the Delgamuukw Decision: Land Claims and other Processes
Gurston Dacks
Contrary to
initial expectations, the Supreme Court's 1997 Delgamuukw decision
has not produced land claims settlements in British Columbia. Instead,
the decision hardened the positions of the two governments and the
First Nations engaged in the British Columbia treaty process. The
resulting impasse has frustrated the First Nations. To contain these
feelings and to integrate First Nations more fully into the life of
the province, the governments have implemented interim economic measures,
and the province now actively consults First Nations concerning development
activities on lands on which they may hold Aboriginal rights. The
paper considers the impact of these policies and the frustrations
of First Nations.
Minorities,
Cognitive Skills and Incomes of Canadians
Ross Finnie
This paper
uses the Statistics Canada Survey of Literacy Skills in Daily Use
(LSUDA) to investigate minority- white income differences and the
role cognitive skills play in those patterns. Some minority groups
have substantially lower (tested) levels of literacy and numeracy
skills than whites and other more economically successful minorities,
and in the case of certain male groups these differences play a significant
role in explaining the observed income patterns. The ethnic-white
income gaps are, however, much smaller for women, and the literacy
and numeracy variables do not have much of a role to play in explaining
those differences. Various policy implications are discussed.
Acquisition
of Employability Skills by High School Students
Harvey Krahn, Graham S. Lowe, and Wolfgang Lehmann
Much of the
debate about enhancing the employability skills of Canadian youth
is premised on untested assumptions. This paper examines Alberta high
school students' self-reports of the employability skills they have
acquired in high school courses, formal work-experience programs,
paid part-time employment, and volunteer work. Certain types of employability
skills are considerably more likely to be acquired in some settings
than in others. Most students do not see the labour market relevance
of analytic skills or of a basic high school education. In addition,
the skills that employers typically indicate they are seeking are
not the same as the skills that students believe employers want. Such
findings suggest that the different stakeholders may not be communicating
effectively with each other. In particular, educators and employers
must demonstrate more clearly to students the link between core secondary
school curriculum and employment outcomes.
Welfare
Reform in Ontario: Tough Times in Mothers' Lives
Julie Ann McMullin, Lorraine Davies,
and Gale Cassidy
This paper
investigates the relationship between income security policies and
mothers' poverty. We evaluate qualitatively how changes to Ontario's
social welfare system brought about by the 1997 Social Assistance
Reform Act have affected mothers' financial security. We find that
cuts to social assistance benefits and eligibility restrictions can
undermine their ability to care adequately for their children and
argue that these cuts can also make it more difficult for them to
find employment. Moreover, social welfare programs do not take the
specific needs and circumstances of mothers, particularly single mothers,
into account. We conclude by suggesting social policy changes that
would promote the economic security of women.
Bert Waslander:
The Market Worth of Immigrants' Educational Credentials:
A Comment
Peter S.
Li: Immigrants' Educational Worth and Years in Canada:
A Reply
