Working Papers

Under Review

More Publications

. Fiscal Integration with Internal Trade: Quantifying the Effects of Equalizing Transfers. Canadian Journal of Economics, revised and resubmitted, 2018.

PDF

Featured Publications

Federal transfers are a central but ever-changing feature of Canada’s federation. Despite early hopes that transfer arrangements were ‘a final and unalterable settlement’ of provincial demands, complex economic and political pressures forced successive governments to negotiate. To explore this history and Canada’s various transfer programs, I compile uniquely detailed data from Confederation to today. Explicit transfers to provincial governments are large, but more equally distributed today than throughout most of Canada’s history. I also propose a uniform methodology to quantify and analyze both explicit and implicit fiscal transfers. Overall, federal tax and spending activities redistribute just under 2 per cent of Canada’s GDP across provinces; but this too is less than any point in the past six decades. This data, analysis and brief historical review reveal why today’s transfer programs are designed as they are, what pressures they must withstand, and what future reforms might consider.
Canadian Tax Journal, 2019
PDF Journal Website

We study how goods- and labor-market frictions affect aggregate labor productivity in China. Combining unique data with a general equilibrium model of internal and international trade, and migration across regions and sectors, we quantify the magnitude and consequences of trade and migration costs. The costs were high in 2000, but declined afterward. The decline accounts for 36% of the aggregate labor productivity growth between 2000 and 2005. Reductions in internal trade and migration costs are more important than reductions in external trade costs. Despite the decline, migration costs are still high and potential gains from further reform are large.
American Economic Review, May 2019, 2019
PDF Online Appendix Ungated VoxChina

Does trade within a country affect welfare and productivity? What are the magnitude and consequences of costs to such trade? To answer these questions, we exploit unique Canadian data to measure internal trade costs in a variety of waysthey are large and vary across sectors and provinces. To quantify their consequences for welfare and productivity, we use a recent multi-sector trade model featuring rich inputoutput relationships. We find interprovincial trade is an important contributor to Canada’s GDP and welfare, though there are significant costs to such trade. Reducing interprovincial trade costs by 10% yields aggregate gains of 0.9%; eliminating our preferred estimates of costs, gains average between 3% and 7% – equivalent to real GDP gains between $50 billion and $130 billion. Finally, as policy reforms are often sector specific, we liberalize sectors one at a time and find gains are largest in highly interconnected industries.
Canadian Journal of Economics, 2016
PDF Ungated Explore UCalgary

Recent Publications

Academic Journals

More Publications

. Final and Unalterable - But Up for Negotiation: Federal-Provincial Transfers in Canada. Canadian Tax Journal, 2019.

PDF Journal Website

. Trade, Migration and Productivity: A Quantitative Analysis of China. American Economic Review, May 2019, 2019.

PDF Online Appendix Ungated VoxChina

. Internal Trade, Productivity, and Interconnected Industries: A Quantitative Analysis. Canadian Journal of Economics, 2016.

PDF Ungated Explore UCalgary

. Environmental Policy and Misallocation: The Productivity Effect of Intensity Standards. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2015.

PDF Ungated

. The Missing Food Problem: Trade, Agriculture, and International Productivity Differences. American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 2015.

PDF Online Appendix

. Quality Disclosure Programs and Internal Organizational Practices: Evidence from Airline Flight Delays. American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 2015.

PDF AEA Research Highlight

. Factor Market Distortions Across Time, Space, and Sectors in China. Review of Economic Dynamics, 2015.

PDF Code

. Management matters. Journal of Monetary Economics, 2012.

PDF

Policy Publications

Peer Reviewed

More Publications

Alberta's Long-Term Fiscal Future

PDF Project

Opening Canada's North: A Study of Trade Costs in the Territories

PDF

Climate Policy Transition Briefing: An Evidence-Based Climate Policy for Ontario

PDF Website

Yukon Financial Advisory Panel Final Report

PDF Yukon Public Engagements

If it Matters, Measure it: Unpacking Diversification in Canada

PDF

Recent & Upcoming Talks

More Talks

How Alberta's Evolving Landscape May Impact Your Business
May 13, 2019 4:30 PM
Panel
Max Bell School of Public Policy
Apr 10, 2019 5:00 PM
Panel
SACPA Talk on Equalization
Mar 28, 2019 11:30 AM
Talk
Alberta's Fork in the Road - The Impact of Potential Outcomes of the Provincial Election
Mar 21, 2019 11:30 AM
Panel
Global Energy Challenge: Carbon tax unpopularity from France to Washington State
Mar 20, 2019 4:00 PM
Panel
Alberta Views Live: Election Deep Dive
Feb 21, 2019 7:00 PM
Alberta Views Live: Election Deep Dive Panel

Projects

*
All Alberta Economy Other

Alberta Labour Market Indicators

Summarizing the latest labour market data for Alberta.

Alberta's Fiscal Future

The Alberta’s Fiscal Future (AFF) project is a two-year research/public engagement initiative providing the public and policy makers with in-depth analyses of Alberta’s fiscal situation and policy options to address it.

Teaching

Winter 2019 Semester:

  • ECON 359: Intermediate Macroeconomics (Undergrad)
  • ECON 621: Graduate International trade (MA/PhD)
  • PPOL 615: Public Finance (MPP)

A full list of courses is available here

Contact