Are Minimum Wages an Effective Anti-Poverty Tool?
AIMS Director of Research and Programmes Ben Eisen discusses whether minimum wages reduce poverty and argues that targeted tax credits are a more effective measure of helping low-income individuals and families.
Un Rapport Recommande de Fermer des Écoles et des Hôpitaux
Une voix de plus s’ajoute à la chorale qui demande au gouvernement provincial d’en faire plus pour équilibrer son budget. Cette fois, c’est au tour de l’Institut atlantique d’études de marché de s’impliquer dans le débat en proposant d’envisager la fermeture d’écoles et d’hôpitaux. L’Institut a publié mardi un rapport sur l’histoire des finances publiques néo-brunswickoises, écrit par l’un de ses analystes, Shaun Fantauzzo, et par le professeur d’économie à l’Université du Nouveau-Brunswick, David Murrell. Dans ce rapport, ils soulignent les efforts du gouvernement, mais affirment qu’ils sont insuffisants. Ils suggèrent notamment au gouvernement de réduire sa taille, comme il l’a fait en 2011 en abolissant le Conseil consultatif sur la condition de la femme.
The Harper Government’s Misguided Attempt at Foreign Policy
AIMS Senior Fellow in Security and Defence Robert Murray analyzes the Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird's comments about separating from Canada's history as a middle-power and argues that there is "safety and opportunity in the middle: logic tells us we should not stray too far from it."
Hospital Closures Cited in Debt Report as Ways to Save Money
More needs to be done to rein in public spending in New Brunswick, concludes a new report on the province's debt and deficit that raising the possibility of rural hospital closures and school consolidations as ways to save money. The policy paper by the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies states the provincial government "has not adjusted to the reality of declining revenues and spending now significantly exceeds revenue, resulting in large deficits and growing debt."
Ben Eisen on New Brunswick’s Debt Load
AIMS Director of Research and Programmes Ben Eisen discusses the Institute's new paper on New Brunswick's provincial debt on CTV Atlantic
Institute: Cut Hospitals, Merge Schools to Trim Debt
New Brunswick’s growing debt is primarily the result of declining federal transfer payments, according to a new report analyzing the province’s fiscal situation. The report also suggests the closure of some rural hospitals and the consolidation of schools to counteract the province’s financial woes. The research paper released on Tuesday by the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies finds that New Brunswick faces a“significant”public debt problem. It recommends that spending restraint is the “best available solution”–suggesting some controversial ways to turn things around. The report maintains the cause of the fiscal trouble is largely a loss of federal money. “Economic weakness in Quebec and Ontario has led to those provinces consuming a greater share of equalization payments and other federal transfers, resulting in revenue losses in New Brunswick and other small provinces," reads the paper entitled New Brunswick’s Debt and Deficit Problem: A Historical Look. “New Brunswick