• Macroeconomics,  Public Sector Work,  Research

    Recovery from Pandemic Will Need an Ambitious Rebuilding Plan

    The unprecedented shutdown of much of the economy to limit spread of the coronavirus is not like an “ordinary” recession – and recovering from it will require powerful leadership from government. Director Jim Stanford compares it to recovering from a war, and argues for an equivalent to the Marshall Plan that helped western Europe rebuild after World War II. This article was originally published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. A Marshall Plan to Rebuild after Coronavirus Economic policy-makers have been understandably focused on addressing the immediate economic shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic: developing new income supports for the millions who will need them, stabilizing the credit system…

  • Macroeconomics,  Research

    Policy Response to Pandemic: Go Big, Go Fast

    The health emergency created by the COVID-19 pandemic is of course the primary concern of Canadians, and the first priority for government to address. But it is increasingly clear that the economic fallout from the pandemic is also going to constitute an emergency. And it requires government to respond as urgently and powerfully in the economic sphere, as they are attempting for public health. Director Jim Stanford took stock of the breadth and scale of the economic fallout from the pandemic, in this analysis (originally published by the Progressive Economics Forum). Responding to an Unprecedented Downturn Here are some quick thoughts on what we can expect in coming months, the…