Volume 25, Number 1 - February 1947

Volume 25, Number 1 – February 1947. 58 pages including covers and advertisements. Editorial Doherty, R.E. The Beast O\u27Brien, John J. On Coffee Eagle, George L. A Stranger in Strasbourg Shanley, Joseph V. Reflections Doherty, R.E. Thoughts on New York Gnys, Edward L. Chaos Morrison, Coleman On Floorwalkers Eagle, George L. Moment of Vision Deasy, John Living History Fortin, Andrew G. Effects of Studying the Essayists Critiqu

Volume 34, Number 1 - December 1954

Volume 34, Number 1 - December 1954. 33 pages including covers and advertisements. Editorials Reverend Chu-Công, Joseph, Communists and Christmas in Viet-nam McLarney, James J., Mr. Spindly Tousignant, Louis, The Beauty of Simplicity McLarney, James J., Redress and Grievance McLarney, James J., Ques

Volume 33, Number 2 - February 1954

Volume 33, Number 2 - February 1954. 53 pages including covers and advertisements. Editorial Walsh, Raymond, Marian Year McLerney, James, We\u27ve Got Rights Harte, William E., She Griffin, Philip, Harry A. Coates Iannuccilli, Albert, Experimentalism In Education Fortin, Rene, U.S.A. - Hawkers\u27 Paradise Griffin, Henry, Sonnet Griffin, Henry, Revenge Kelly, Edward T., Black Canyon

Has Quebec’s Standard of Living Been Catching Up?

Quebec’s relative growth performance with Ontario has always been an issue of concern for economic historians. In his paper Pierre Fortin discusses trends in Quebec’s real domestic income relative to that in Ontario over the last half-century. He finds that per capita real domestic income in Quebec, as a percentage of that in Ontario, fell from 78 per cent in 1926 to 74 per cent at the end of the 1950s, with a particularly steep decline during World War II. After WWII, it then started an upward climb, reaching 86 per cent in 1999, and exhibited a particularly strong performance in the 1975–85 period. Fortin sees the WWII slump related to the proportionally smaller number of men in Quebec enrolled in the armed forces, which reduced the share of overall military pay going to Quebec. He attributes what he calls the big bubble of the 1975–85 period to the strong cyclical expansion associated with a large number of major projects accompanied by a wage explosion. The key development Fortin seeks to explain is the 12 percentage point increase in Quebec’s per capita real domestic income from 74 per cent of that in Ontario in 1960 to 86 per cent in 1999. He decomposes this change into three sources: productivity, employment and the demographic structure, and finds that faster growth in output per worker in Quebec was the most important factor, accounting for 55 per cent of the decline in the gap. In 1999, output per worker in Quebec was 93 per cent of that in Ontario, up from 83 per cent in 1954. Faster growth in the working age population accounted for 35 per cent of the decline in the income gap, and more rapid rate of increase in the employment rate for 10 per cent. Fortin points out that the massive investment Quebec has made in education has greatly reduced that gap in average years of schooling between persons in Quebec and Ontario. Indeed, in 1991 the average 25-year-old man had received more years of schooling in Quebec than in Ontario. This development bodes well for future income growth. Equally, Quebec has also done well in investment in infrastructure and equipment and in research and development. Fortin explains the continued income gap with Ontario by the long gestation period required before the education revolution filters up to all age groups.Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Living Standards, Income, Real Income, Growth, Income Growth, Relative Income, Productivity, World War 2, World War II, WWII, Demographic Structure, Demography, Employment Rate

Is the decoherence of a system the result of its interaction with the environment?

According to a usual reading, decoherence is a process resulting from the interaction between a small system and its large environment where information and energy are dissipated. The particular models treated in the literature on the subject reinforce this idea since, in general, the behavior of a particle immersed in a large "bath" composed by many particles is studied. The aim of this letter is to warn against this usual simplified reading. By means of the analysis of a well-known model, we will show that decoherence may occur in a system interacting with an environment consisting of only one particle.Comment: 4 Pages, 5 Figure

Compte-rendu de The Kidney Sellers: A Journey of Discovery in Iran par Sigrid Fry-Revere – Response by the author

Lettre à l'éditeur / Letter to the EditorEn réponse au compte-rendu de Allard et Fortin, ce texte apporte quelques précisions au sujet de l’œuvre de l’auteure.In response to the review by Allard and Fortin, this paper offers a few clarifications regarding the author’s book

Staying the Course: Quebec's Fiscal Balance Challenge

In its upcoming budget, Quebec must stay on a tough road to fiscal balance.This study examines how Quebec’s fiscal balance has deteriorated. By 2009, after 10 years of balanced budgets, the province faced an unsustainable structural deficit which, if left unchecked, would reach a staggering $12 billion in 2013, increasing to$27 billion in 2019. This budgetary imbalance, says Fortin, surfaced even though Quebec’s economy performed relatively well for the last 20 years and amid the recent global crisis. To explain the budgetary slump, the author points to population aging, previous tax cuts, the multiplication of infrastructure investments, program spending growth, expected slowdown of federal transfers, and expected rising interest rates on the public debt. Professor Fortin believes Quebec’s government should stay the course on restoring budgetary balance by 2013/14, while launching healthcare reforms and promoting productivity growth by concentrating its interventions in education, access to foreign markets, competition, taxation, and public infrastructure.Fiscal and Tax Competitiveness, Quebec government, Quebec budget

Notes on Lessons from the Tin Agreement

SUMMARY The Tin Agreement is generally regarded as successful, but it has basic limitations as recent difficulties have shown. It has been fairly successful in smoothing out short?term fluctuations in the price curve, and in guaranteeing minimum revenues. The floor price has been readjusted upwards, though within conservative limits. The OPEC example, and dramatic increases in their import costs have recently increased the feeling among producers that unilateral action might have achieved both a stable and overall higher price, though the growth of this feeling has produced some concessions on the consumer side. The promise of the Agreement as a model for other commodities is limited if the aim is to effect a real transfer of surpluses from the industrialised to the developing world. RESUMEN Notas sobre las Lecciones del Convertio del Estaño El Convenio del Estaño se considera generalmente exitoso, pero tiene limitaciones básicas, como lo demuestran sus recientes dificultades. Su éxito ha residido en eliminar fluctuaciones de corto plazo en la curva de precios, y en garantizar retornos minimos. El precio minimo se ha reajustado hacia arriba, aunque dentro de limites conservadores. El ejemplo de la OPEP y los dramáticos incrementos en los costos de las importaciones han intensificado entre los productores el sentimiento de que una acción unilateral podria haber conseguido tanto un precio estable como un nivel más alto, y ello a su vez ha producido algunas concesiones de parte de los consumidores. Como modelo para otros productos primarios el Convenio parece limitado si lo que se persigue es una transferencia real de excedentes del mundo industrializado al mundo en desarrollo. RESUME Leçons tirées de l'accord sur l'étain Malgré son succès général, cet accord est déficient à certains égards. Il réussit assez bien à éliminer les fluctuations à court terme de la courbe des prix et à garantir les revenus minimaux. Le prix garanti s'est réglé vers le haut, mais sans dépasser les limites conservatrices. L'exemple OPEP et la majoration du coût des importations tendent à faire penser les producteurs (bien que ces sentiments aient conduit à de consessions du côté consommateurs) qu'une action unilatérale aurait assuré la stabilisation ainsi qu'une hausse générale des prix. La perspective prometteuse, permettant à cet accord de servir de modèle à de nouvels accords sur d'autres produits de base se diminue dès qu'il sagit du transfert des surplus reéls du monde industrialisé vers les pays en développement

THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE EMERGING SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE

SUMMARY The establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO), resulting from the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, is a major step towards the consolidation of a rule?based multilateral trading system, where agreed disciplines are backed by a strengthened dispute settlement mechanism. The WTO, however, is not a specialized agency of the United Nations, and the question has therefore been asked as to what is now the role of the UN in international trade. This article argues that the UN has a major part to play in the emerging system of governance in international trade. The role involves providing a universal forum to discuss international trade policy; contributing to the definition of the ‘frontiers’ of the WTO regime; preparing the ground for future trade negotiations; introducing a development perspective in international trade policy; and providing technical assistance to developing countries and economies in transition to better integrated in the international trading system

Compensating the Multinationals: Chile and the United States Copper Companies

Summary In 1971 President Allende's government nationalized the partly American?owned copper companies that made up the Large Copper Mining sector. This move gave rise to a sharp conflict between Chile and US companies which resulted in legal and commercial reprisals, and was an important factor in determining the policy of economic isolation of Allende pursued by the US government and by international organizations with strong US influence. That conflict is now ended following the completion of compensation agreements between the US companies and the present Chilean military regime under which the firms involved stand to receive far more than under the terms of the 1971 nationalization. This article analyses the agreements in the context pf previous instances in which the issue of payment for nationalized property was raised, and suggests factors that may account for the high repayment terms agreed. RESUME La compensation des multinationals: le Chili et les societes américaines d'exploitation du cuivre En 1971 le Gouvernement du Président Allende nationalisa les sociétés exploitant le cuivre, en partie américaines, qui constituaient le secteur des Grandes Mines de Cuivre. Cette action entraina un conflit aigu entre le Chili et les sociétés U.S., suivi de représailles aussi bien juridiques que commerciales, et fut un facteur important de la politique d'isolement économique poursuivie contre Allende par le Gouvernement des Etats Unis et par des organismes internationaux fortement influencés par ce dernier. Ce conflict est maintenant terminé, des accords sur la compensation ayant été conclus entre les sociétés américaines et I'actuel gouvernement militaire du Chili, aux termes desquels les compagnies concernées doivent recevoir bien davantage qu'il n'etait prévu par la loi de 1971 relatif à la nationalisation. Cet article analyse ces accords à la lumière de cas précédents de remboursement de biens nationalisés et suggère des facteurs explicant la compensation très élevée prévue par les accords. RESUMEN Indemnizandoa las multinacionales: Chile las compañías norteamericanas del cobre En 1971 el gobierno del Presidente Allende nacionalizó las compañíes que constituían la Gren Mineríe del Cobre que eran parcialmente de propiedad norteamericana. Esta acción dio origen a un agudo conflicto entre Chile las compantilde;íes, que trajo como consecuencie represalias legales comerciales fue un factor importante en determiner le polltipa de aislemiento económico de Allende adoptada por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos por organizeciones internacionales con fuerte influencia norteemericana. Dicho conflicto estí ehore terminedo como resultado de los convenios de indemnizaci ón entre las compañíes el ectuel régimen militar chileno, según los cuales aquéllas van a recibir mucho más de lo que les correspondia de acuerdo con los términos de la nacionalización de 1971. Este articulo analiza los convenios en el contexto de casos previos en que se planteó la cuestión del pago por bienes nacionalizados, sugiere fectores que permiten explicar el que se haye acordado una indemnización tan alte