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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $149.99

Format:
Paperback
392 pp.
35 tables, 5 figures, 9" x 6"

ISBN-13:
9780195413489

Copyright Year:
1999

Imprint: OUP Canada


Political Economy of Canada

An Introduction, Second Edition

Michael Howlett, Alex Netherton and M. Ramesh

Debates on the role of the state and the viability of Canadian economic development are especially intense during periods of change, such as the contemporary era of globalization. In this completely revised, updated, and enlarged second edition of The Political Economy of Canada Professors Howlett, Netherton, and Ramesh outline the principal structural elements of the Canadian political economy and describe the importance of such factors as resources, social class, and international trade. The authors stress the significance of political institutions at the national, international, and subnational levels that substantially affect the production and distribution of wealth.

Three chapters consider the strengths and weaknesses of major approaches to Canada's political economy, the liberal and socialist theories as well as the staples approach pioneered by Harold Innis. Subsequent chapters explore the structure and organization of, and the interrelationships between, the state, labour, and capital in Canada, and show how their fragmented and decentralized nature limits the capacity of governments to 'manage' a globalized economy. The book outlines the history of the domestic political economy and examines how Canada is linked to the international political economy through the World Trade Organization and NAFTA. Particular attention is devoted to the constraints imposed on the Canadian state by a market-oriented, resource-exporting economy and by growing reliance on US trade.

The final chapters examine monetary and fiscal management and industrial policy, demonstrating how these policy arenas are shaped by ideology, new globalizing and regionalizing constraints, and the (dis)organization of the major policy actors.

List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
Political-Economic Method: The Study of States and Markets
The Subject of Political Economy: Capitalism and Democracy
Political-Economic Theory: Old and New Debates
Canadian Studies in Political Economy
Plan of the Book
2. Liberal Political Economy
Fundamental Tenets
The Market: From Classical to Post-Keynesian Theory
The State in Liberal Theory
Liberal Political Economy in Canada
3. Socialist Political Economy
Fundamental Tenets
Historical Foundations
Contemporary Debates
The State in Socialist Theory
Socialist Political Economy in Canada
4. Staples Political Economy
Fundamental Tenets
Historical Foundations
Contemporary Debates
The State in Staples Political Economy
5. The Structure and Organization of the Economy
The Canadian Economy in Comparative Perspective
Income Distribution
Sectoral Structure of the Economy
Significant Aspects of the Resource-Based Economy
Political Implications of the Economic Structure
6. Canada and the International Political Economy
The International Economic Order and Canada
From the GATT to the World Trade Organization
Canada's International Economic Relations
Political Implications of National-International Integration
7. The Structure and Organization of the State
Canada's Path of Development: From Colony to Modern State
Redefining Canada: Globalization and Community
Governance: The Organization and Operation of State Institutions
The Political-Economic Significance of Canadian State Structures
8. The Structure and Organization of Canadian Labour
Introduction
Colonial Canada: Staples, Immigration, and Paternalism
Modern Canada: Fordism and Industrial Legality
Globalization
Conclusions
9. The Structure and Organization of Canadian Capital
Introduction
The Role of Capital in a Capitalist Economy
The Development of Capital
Globalization
The Growth of Business Associations
Conclusions: Cohesion, Fragmentation, and Competitiveness
10. The Macro-Political Economy: Monetary and Fiscal Management
The Instruments and Ends
The History of Fiscal and Monetary Management
Constraints on Macroeconomic Management
11. The Micro-Political Economy: Industrial Development
The Instruments and Ends
The History of State Intervention in Industrial Development
Canadian Industrial Policies After 1960
Canadian Industrial strategies After 1960
Constraints on Formulation of Industrial Strategies
12. Conclusion: The Political Economy of Canadian Capitalism
Bibliography
Index

There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.

Michael Howlett specializes in public policy analysis, Canadian political economy, and Canadian resource and enviornmental policy. He is the author of numerous books and his articles have been published in professional journals in Canada, the US, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Prof. Ramesh completed his MA in Political Science at the University of Saskatchewan and his PhD at the University of British Columbia. He has taught public policy and political economy for several years in Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia. He is currently working on the political economy of social policies in Eastern Asia.

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Special Features

  • Students provided with clear, comprehensive overviews of the major theoretical approaches to the study of Canadian Political Economy
  • Chapters detail the historical development of business, labour and the state in Canada, and situate those actors in the national and international context
  • Theoretical and institutional materials linked to two illustrative case studies of important areas of political economic activity: namely, government activity related to the macro (fiscal and monetary policy) and micro (industrial policy) political economy.