Creating the Canada/Quebec Pension Plans: An Historical and Political Analysis

Drawing on recent historical institutionalist scholarship, this paper explores the debates leading to the enactment of the Canada/Quebec Pension Plans (C/Q.P.P.) in 1965. More specifically, this analysis underlines the respective role of and the interaction between political institutions, business and labor power, and changing ideas about the role of public and private pensions in Canada. As argued, although the ideas that guided the enactment of C/Q.P.P. stressed the key role of private benefits, the enduring weight of Canadian-style federalism mitigated the impact of interest groups, especially business organizations, on the legislative process. Overall, the paper suggests that students of social policy should pay closer attention to the interaction between political institutions, interest group mobilization, and changing ideas about the relationship between public and private benefits.pensions, ideas, institutions, federalism, politics, social policy, business, labor, private benefits, Canada

Policy Change in the Canadian Welfare State: Comparing the Canada Pension Plan and Unemployment Insurance

Focusing on Canada, this paper explores the politics of social policy retrenchment and restructuring in two policy areas: old-age pensions, especially the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), and Employment Insurance (EI) [formerly Unemployment Insurance (UI)]. Drawing on historical institutionalism and the literature on ideas and policy change, the paper explains key differences between these two policy areas. The analysis shows that institutional factors like federalism explain some of the differences between the policy areas and programs at stake. Yet, to complement this analysis, the paper also highlights the political consequences of changing ideas and assumptions among policy-makers, which vary strongly from one program to another. In other words, ideational and institutional factors combined to produce distinct patterns of policy change. Overall, the paper suggests that scholars can draw a clear analytical line between ideational and institutional factors before combining them to explain specific episodes of policy change. From a methodological standpoint, the paper also demonstrates the added value of systematic comparisons between distinct policy areas located within the same country.Ideas, institutions, unemployment, pensions, Canada

The Politics of Social Policy Reform in the United States: The Clinton and the W. Bush Presidencies Reconsidered

The purpose of this paper is to examine what key reform attempts during the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush presidencies reveal about the wider possibilities for social policy change in the United States. Most particularly, why were Presidents Clinton and Bush able to achieve their goals in some policy realms but so badly defeated in others? As argued, institutional variation from one policy area to another helps answer this question. On the one hand, strong institutional obstacles in the fields of Social Security and health insurance largely explain the defeat of the most ambitious social policy proposal put forward by each president. On the other hand, successful reforms occurred in a comparatively favourable institutional context. Yet, the analysis also suggests that paying close attention to the strategic ideas of political actors as they interact with existing institutions and policy legacies is necessary to fully understand the politics of social policy reform.social policy, Medicare, Social Security, welfare, institutions, United States

Vieillissement, discours politique et réforme des retraites aux États-Unis

Explorant les rapports entre institutions, discours politique et changements démographiques, l’article replace le débat américain sur les retraites dans son contexte historique et idéologique. Il souligne le fait que, comme dans d’autres pays, l’idée d’un « choc démographique » inéluctable justifie la nécessité apparente de réformer les retraites, ce qui aux États-Unis est souvent synonyme de « privatisation partielle » du régime fédéral d’assurance-vieillesse. Une analyse de la campagne infructueuse en faveur de la « privatisation partielle » lancée par le président George W. Bush au lendemain de sa réélection en novembre 2004 illustre le poids des obstacles institutionnels à la réalisation de ce projet ainsi que l’omniprésence d’un discours démographique pessimiste au coeur la vie politique américaine contemporaine.Via an exploration of the relationships between institutions, political discourse and demographic change, this article puts the U.S. pension debate back into its historical and ideological context. It underscores the fact that, as in other countries, the prospect of an inescapable “demographic shock” is being advanced as justification for pension reform, which in the United States is often synonymous with “partial privatization” of the federal retirement pension system. An analysis of the unsuccessful campaign in favour of partial privatization launched by President George W. Bush soon after he was re-elected in November 2004 illustrates the weight of the institutional obstacles to this project as well as the omnipresence of a pessimistic demographic discourse in contemporary American political life

L'utilisation du synthétiseur dans la musique instrumentale

La version intégrale de ce mémoire est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la bibliothèque de musique de l'Université de Montréal (www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU)Ce mémoire présente les résultats de mes deux années d’études à la maîtrise en composition instrumentale à l’Université de Montréal. J’ai concentré mes recherches sur l’intégration du synthétiseur dans la musique de concert instrumentale, en plus de tenter de développer un langage personnel, en particulier en ce qui a trait à l’harmonie et au rythme. Ce texte présentera une analyse de ces différents éléments, à travers l’étude du corpus d’œuvres composées en vue de ce mémoire. En ce qui concerne la recherche sur l’intégration du synthétiseur, il sera question de la relation entre cet instrument électronique et les instruments acoustiques traditionnels, que ce soit par opposition, fusion ou dialogue musical. De plus, les problématiques propres à cet instrument seront abordées (programmation des sonorités, interprétation, notation, etc.).This masters thesis presents the results of my two-year study in musical composition at Université de Montréal. My research focused on developing an original and personal musical language, with an emphasis on harmony and rhythm. It focused also on the integration of the synthesizer in a traditional concert setting. This paper will analyze these elements by studying a body of pieces composed for this masters degree. Regarding the study of the synthesizer, this text will be about the relationship between this electronic instrument and the traditional acoustic instruments, whether it be opposition, blending to an ensemble or musical dialogue. Furthermore, some questions about this instrument will be addressed (patch programming, live interpretation, notation problems, and so on)

La diffusion des archives historiques par le biais des expositions virtuelles : survol des avantages

Travail de recherche réalisé à l’hiver 2009 dans le cadre du cours Arv1050 Introduction à l’archivistique sous la direction de la professeure Sabine MasUn survol des avantages qu’offrent les expositions virtuelles en matière de diffusion d’archives historiques est présenté dans ce texte. L’auteur y trace également les principales exigences des internautes dont tout concepteur de pages Web doit tenir compte afin de réussir son site Web. Il associe, entre autres, le marketing culturel à la vulgarisation scientifique, puis expose la stratégie du «buzz marketing» visant à promouvoir à la fois les documents d’archives et les centres ou services d’archives ayant à cœur le volet «diffusion». L’auteur propose finalement quelques exemples d’expositions virtuelles canadiennes dignes d’intérêt