Group items tagged

On page 216 of the Shift, Gratton mentions that the internet is increasingly being used to help entrepreneurs find funding for their projects. This made me think of something I had seen in passing a couple of times, called 'crowdfunding'. Crowdfunding refers to sites that allow you to raise money for a certain idea, company, start-up etc. These sites charge a fee (usually percentage of money raised) and provide certain services to customers (PR, coaching etc). Some sites allow only certain types of ventures (creative ventures, Bands only, T-shirts only, non-profit/charity only), while others are open to everyone. Sites typically offer a "Keep-Everything" policy (where you keep the money regardless of getting the goal), or an "All-or-nothing" policy (where you only get to keep the money if you reach the goal). This article provides some of the top platforms for crowdfunding, however in my preliminary research I was able to find sites that were not on this list such as "GoGetFunding" and "Patreon" and "GiveForwards". It seems that these sites are popping up all over the internet! Definitely something to keep an eye on!

Article from the Global Policy Journal, helping to visually conceptualize the location of the "centre" of the earth's economic activity over various time periods, giving reasoning for its predictions up to 2050. It also provides policy implications for this shift. Excellent article--I highly recommend the read.

This week I thought it might be interesting to look at the history of who has been admitted into Canada, and why. Immigration has a lot to do with our economy, and is one of the ways that the government can shape the workforce (and the general culture) of the nation. With our steadily dropping birthrate and aging population, it will continue to be an important part of Canada's workplace. I believe that immigration policy is one of the most explicit ways Canada makes its cultural and economic values know through cycles of liberal and conservative thought.

The website Globalization101 is a vast resource covering many topics regarding the globalization phenomenon. The article High-Stakes Testing in particular looks at different educational systems, and how US admissions are undergoing reform, while being compared to other educational system styles. The major link between this article and the first chapter of the World is Flat is the focus on skills, not job titles or location. The new standardized admissions tests will focus on skill development opposed to grades which may level the playing field for people to find internationally connected jobs. 

Every dog has its day, and the same applies to economic theory. Today's dog is neo-liberalism, a policy framework developed by economists Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman, which found political expression under Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

One of the main themes this week in the book "Economics For Everyone" is the term neoliberalism. Take a look at this article by the globe and mail. It talks extensively about how privatization, free trade and deregulation are changing society.

This article explains the difference between emerging new social class "plutocrats" - which refers to the trend of wealthy individuals to become involved with social and political policies. This article helps to highlight the potential consequences of this new class, as well as the possible opportunities it may bring. This article helps to explain this phenomenon, as well as provide insight into the impacts and challenges of an ever-globalizing world.

I came across a newspaper article this week about the living wage needed in my city, which was $14.95 per hour. This got me thinking about how the minimum wage is so much lower and as a result many people are considered 'working poor' as they are working full time, yet not able to make ends meet because they are being paid less than the living wage. I came across this website in researching more on this issue. Living Wage Canada is a site/portal to facilitate learning and information sharing among these communities to help build a national living wage movement. It includes details about the Canadian Living Wage Framework which provides a consistent living wage definition, calculation methodology, and strategy for recognizing corporate and community leadership who commit to pass a living wage policy.

An interesting current community and university partnership research project on precarious work and its impact on poverty in Ontario.