I see that New Brunswick is not sending a single athelete to the Vancouver Olympics. I think there are parallels here to my thinking on economic development strategies – small provinces need to focus. We can be mediocre at a wide…
Continue ReadingAnimal Spirits or Boosting Aggregate Demand? Rap Version
If you like economics – particularly economic theory – check out this new rap video. It is a very accurate rap version of the debate between Keynes and the Austrians. It’s fun.
Continue ReadingDid Bruce Springsteen set my career path?
I don’t know if I ever mentioned this before (likely as I have been writing this blog for going on six years now) but after graduating with an MBA I came back to New Brunswick and tried for months to…
Continue ReadingAn innovation agenda
A regular reader of this blog asked me to comment on the new Conference Board report assessing Canada’s innovation track record. The Board gives Canada a D and ranks us 14th out of 17 countries. The Conference Board used 12…
Continue ReadingLearning from Boulder, CO
I had an interesting conversation yesterday with the owner of a small but growing computer animation/games development firm located in the province. We were talking about his industry in New Brunswick and opportunities for growth. We talked about the example…
Continue ReadingRunning out of wind
I’ll be glad with the NB Power generation assets sale is behind us. It’s getting downright silly out there. David Coon and Elizabeth Weir are for the deal, Janice Harvey is bitterly against it. People are planning to boycott Ganong because…
Continue ReadingInstructive Example
I was reading the latest RBC Economics report on provincial economies earlier today and I came across some interesting narrative. For New Brunswick, RBC reports that a massive government infrastructure program and income tax reform “has offered a substantial offset…
Continue ReadingGuns, Germs & Steel – along with lessons for Atl. Canada
I just listened to an excellent podcast featuring Jared Diamond and his latest publication Natural Experiments of History. Diamond is the guy who wrote Guns, Germs & Steel and another book I read called Collapse -both highly entertaining and informative.…
Continue ReadingEqualization will wither
When I first went to the States in 1985 to university as a 17 year old freshman, I remember having long talks with political science majors in the dorm late into the night. I remember thinking some of the crazy…
Continue ReadingMusings on sustainability, values, etc.
One of the stranger aspects of the NB Power deal is watching committed environmentalists fighting hard against a proposal that will move the province from 63% of its electricity production from burning fossil fuels to zero within 10 years (it…
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