Labour Market Polarization and Social Policy Reform explores the dimensions of polarization and the challenges it poses for social policy reform, presenting the most recent evidence on polarization, poverty, and inequality in Canada and other nations.

This second volume in the Bell Canada Papers on Economic and Public Policy focuses on stabilization issues, growth and innovation, and labour markets. The essays explore linkages among macro-stabilization policy, economic growth, innovation activity, and distribution.

Continuing the focus of earlier volumes on ways in which economic growth, globalization, and nationalism are being forged and reshaped by growth in the knowledge-based economy, this fourth volume of the Bell Canada Papers on Economic and Public Policy explores policy frameworks for a knowledge economy from a variety of perspectives.

Considers obstacles and opportunities associated with active labour market policies in Canada.

In this collection of essays leading Canadian policy analysts focus on a range of issues and implications arising from the 1997 federal budget. Essays include a comparative assessment of the Paul Martin and Michael Wilson budgets, an assessment of the emerging fiscal dividend and an evaluation of alternative ways in which it can be spent, a comprehensive overview of the proposed child benefits package, an in-depth examination of new proposals for both the Canada Pension Plan/Quebec Pension Plan and employment insurance, and an empirical review of the fiscal stance as it relates to employment...

When will the fiscal dividend appear and what is its likely magnitude? Should deficit targets be replaced by debt targets or debt/GDP targets? Should the fiscal dividend focus on tax cuts and increases in program expenditures? Should the Canadian government shift away from an annual deficit target to budget balance over the cycle to allow automatic stabilizers to play their important buffering role? And if so, what level of contingency reserve is necessary to ensure that cyclical budget balance can be met? Addressing these and other important questions, Fiscal Targets and Economic Growth...

The normative dilemmas facing citizens in their various roles as parents, children, neighbours, and members of small groups is explored.

The cases explored here include internet regulation and privacy legislation, conservation efforts and biodiversity, the savings behaviour of NPOs, the breast cancer policy community, and voluntary sector-government compacts. Contributors include Kathy Brock, Philippe Barla (Universite Laval), Malcolm Grieve (Acadia), Femida Handy (York University), Alison Li (York University), Agnes Meinhard and Mary Foster (Ryerson University), and Susan Phillips (Carleton University)."

Since 9/11 there have been many changes to the external environment of Canadian immigration, a number of criticisms of current immigration policy in Canada, and several proposals for dealing with current labour market needs and settlement patterns of immigrants to Canada. In Canadian Immigration Policy for the 21st Century the authors examine the issues raised by these concerns. the role of immigration in meeting Canada's demographic and labour market needs, decentralization of immigration policy with special focus on the Quebec perspective and the recent Manitoba experience, policy responses...