Many activists and politicians promise to improve economic performance through government spending on “green jobs.” Economic theory and empirical evidence from Europe both suggest that such efforts are unlikely to strengthen the economy.
Ben Eisen
The Right to an Ipod
Among other things, Congressman Jackson suggests that the United States should try to solve its long-term employment problems by giving every child in the United States an Ipod.
Depressing Quote of the Day
The problem, the researchers say, is that the medical system just isn’t that good at keeping people from dying.
Inappropriate Editorializing by the AP on WI Public Sector Wages
Just read an AP story, reprinted in The Globe and Mail about the standoff in Wisconsin between Governor Walker and the state's public employee unions. The story correctly asserts that this is the first of many battles that will be fought in the coming months and years...
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Cities Have to Expand for House Prices to Fall
The cost of actually building a house does not vary that much across Canada The Ford government’s plan to expand the land supply available for housing has evoked the usual dog whistles about “urban sprawl” by interests apparently unaware of the strong...
How We Teach Reading Really Does Matter
Reading is the most important skill taught in school. If students don’t learn how to read, not much else that happens there is going to matter. That’s because being able to read is important in virtually every job. Without the ability to read, life itself will be a...
The Real Have-Nots In Confederation: British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario
British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario—the traditional “have” provinces—have fewer services than recipient “have-not” provinces.
Canada v. Europe on Patient Rights: Canada Lags: In Europe, healthcare is more responsive to consumer needs than in Canada
European consumers generally have superior access to information about their health care options and their own condition than Canadian patients. FC055
Back to Nature—and Rousseau: The Environmental Attack on Market Liberalism
Many climate change activists ignore evidence that runs contrary to their catastrophic narrative because they hope to persuade others of the need to fundamentally reshape liberal society.
Opportunism and Exploitation: Climate Change Activism and Hostility to Liberal Civilization: An analysis of selected green rhetoric
Ben Eisen analyzes the intellectual roots of climate change alarmism, and concludes that radical environmentalism is best viewed as part of a broader, centuries old critique of liberal civilization.
Canada v. Europe on Health Care: Europe Wins: Canada suffers from low healthcare system performance, despite high levels of spending
With a combination of high spending and mediocre performance, Canadians get less “bang for the buck” in healthcare than citizens of most European countries. FC054
Universal Childcare is No Panacea: Promised productivity gains are unlikely to materialize
The notion that universal daycare is a prudent long-term investment is a canard.
Myths about Childcare Subsidies: The facts on daycare
Is day care an unalloyed good? Policy Analyst Ben Eisen looks at the research literature and finds the benefits of daycare to be ambiguous, and that a universal childcare system is likely an overly expensive and inefficient policy option.
Canada Health Consumer Index 2009
How good is your provincial health care? Frontier’s annual Canada Health Consumer Index evaluates healthcare-system performance in the ten provinces from the perspective of the consumer. For the second straight year, Ontario and British Columbia finish with the top scores in the CHCI’s overall rankings.
The Opportunity Cost of Copenhagen: Money for malnourished kids or for another Kyoto
A new climate change treaty at Copenhagen would likely cost trillions of dollars. The opportunity costs associated with such a course are thus enormous.