Spending more and buying less, what is wrong with competition in health care?
In Canada (and elsewhere) health spending continually increases while queues get longer, doctors more scarce, and deaths from preventable mistakes get no better. In almost every other field or industry, technology and competition drive a constant revolution in value. This column discusses not the absence of competition, but the absence of the right kind of competion - and what we need to do to make things better.
Special Atlantica Edition – AIMS Online
Is there a natural economic region straddling the border between Canada and the US and including Atlantic Canada, northern New England, upstate New York and parts of southern and eastern Quebec, a region increasingly known as “Atlantica: the International Northeast Economic Region (AINER)”? AIMS thinks so and, as this AOL shows, so do a lot of other people, and the number grows larger every day.
This Won’t Hurt a Bit
The US flu shot crisis didn’t occur because of too little government involvement in the industry, but rather too much. "This Won’t Hurt a Bit: Why the vaccine crisis shows we shouldn’t believe what health “planners” tell us about how to reform drug policy" explains that, contrary to some recently published media reports, over-zealous governments have made the production of flu vaccines in that country very unattractive and helped to make less therapeutically valuable drugs the focus of industry attention.
China’s growth drives cargo to Halifax as West Coast ports hit capacity
The Port of Vancouver has become so congested with freight from China that importers -- including major retailers -- are bypassing the West Coast and docking in Halifax. The journey from Asia takes at least twice as long but shippers and their customers are trying to avoid the traffic snarls on Vancouver's docks and rail lines that can tie up goods for up to two weeks. Read this piece from the National Post to consider the reasons behind and implications of this latest development in global transportation and commerce.
Atlantica in Atlantic Business
“Billions of Dollars a day. That’s what changes hands in a 24-hour period along the Canada-U.S. border, making it the largest trading block in the world. But instead of getting smoother as time goes on, the last three years have seen the Americans take a step back. Not only is it now more difficult for people to get across the border, but stricter security measures slow the flow of goods and services as well.” Read this piece from Atlantic Business Magazine as the debate heats up on whether Atlantica, the International Northeast, is the means to promote the needed inclusiveness and cooperation.
Buffalo, New York sees its future in Atlantica
Buffalo, New York is the second largest Port of Entry to the United States, second only to Detroit and ahead of New York. This commanding position in international trade flows is due to Buffalo's proximity to Canada's industrial heartland. And where does Buffalo see its future growth coming from? Atlantica -- the International Northeast Economic Region. In their video promoting Buffalo as a major gateway to the American heartland, the city's connections to international trade routes via the Port of Halifax are highlighted. This video has received wide play, including by the New York State Transportation Commissioner, Joe Boardman. View this video, and see how the western and eastern ends of Atlantica are tied together by economic logic and powerful trade relations.
Grano Series – The American Empire
Michael Ignatieff spoke in Toronto as the second of four speakers in the Grano lecture series on the potential and limits of American power:
When fighting poverty, a hand up is needed more than a hand out
Atlantic Canada may fall victim to the very campaign designed to help its citizens improve their economic fortunes. Instead of giving a hand out, as suggested by Campaign 2000 (an anti poverty group), AIMS Research Fellow, Peter Fenwick is challenging policy makers and community leaders to take advantage of our region’s competitive advantages. Create more jobs and you will create prosperity says Fenwick, and, contrary to the questionable numbers cited by Campaign 2000, Fenwick concludes this is exactly what Canadians have been doing – with demonstrable positive results.
a l’invitation de Radio-Canada et La Presse, AIMS répond à la question, “A-t-on les moyens du modèle québécois?”
Quel modèle pour le Québec? Voilà la question posée par Radio-Canada et La Presse lors de leur conférence conjoint à Montréal tenue mercredi le 1er décembre 2004. Invité par les organisateurs à participer à un panel intitlué "A-t-on les moyens du modèle québécois?", le président de AIMS, Brian Lee Crowley a répondu, "Oui. Mais la question plus fondamentale, c'est est-ce que les Québécois en ont pour leur argent?"
Radio-Canada and La Presse ask AIMS ‘Can Québec afford “the Québec model”‘?
What model for economic and social development should Québec follow ("Quel modèle pour le Québec?")? That was the question asked by Radio-Canada et La Presse at their joint conference in Montréal on Wednesday, Decemeber 1st, 2004. At the invitation of the organisers, AIMS President Brian Lee Crowley participated in a panel that was asked to opine on whether Quebeckers can afford the Québec model ("A-t-on les moyens du modèle québécois?"). Dr. Crowley said the answer was an unambiguous "Yes", but that the far more interesting question was "Are Quebeckers getting good value for money from the Québec model?"