Search results for ""Author Heather Whiteside""
Fernwood Publishing Co Ltd About Canada: Public-Private Partnerships
In a public-private partnership, or P3, a private, for-profit corporation assumes control over the design, construction, financing and operation of public infrastructure and services. P3s have been used in Canada since the early 1990s, but they are now so common that they have become the standard way in which multimillion-dollar projects and services are delivered across the country. There are now more than two hundred P3 projects in this country, with contract lengths from twenty to ninety-nine years.The problem? P3s fundamentally transform public infrastructure, public services, labour relations, public sectors and the everyday lives of Canadians. While contracting out services is supposed to save money, P3s often cost more in the long run and are host to poor working conditions and confidentiality and accountability issues. And in the end, it is us, the public, who foots the bill for these increasing costs, essentially subsidizing corporate investments for services that our governments used to provide.
£15.95
Fernwood Publishing Co Ltd Private Affluence, Public Austerity: Economic Crisis and Democratic Malaise in Canada
"The book is both timely and sorely needed. There is simply nothing like it. A brilliant and surprisingly clear analysis of the theory and practice of Canadian politics in the current conjuncture of capitalist development, the authors provide an exceptionally clear and most useful exposition of the forces at play, arising out of the propensity of capitalism towards crisis." Examining Canadian political and economic developments of the twenty-first century, Private Affluence, Public Austerity provides a systematic analysis of the dynamics of Canadian politics in the era of neoliberal globalization. Stephen McBride and Heather Whiteside conclude that, although the last three decades of neoliberal rule are characterized by recurrent crises, the system has proven to be resilient - even in the face of a severe recession. Canada's "business as usual" approach to the recent financial crisis, an approach that fails to challenge the policies that are fundamental to the system and culpable for the crisis, is striking. Through policies aimed at the dismantling of the welfare state, privatization and the reduction of the state's economic role - as well as an enthusiastic embrace of globalization and liberalized trade and investment regimes - the legacy of the Canadian political system is one of private affluence, public austerity and democratic decline.Private Affluence, Public Austerity asks us to consider the relationship between neoliberalism and crisis, and their role in democratic decline. What is the legacy of neoliberalism? It also asks the difficult questions: What is the future of neoliberalism? And what role will Canada play in charting the course of that future? This book offers an engaging and enlightening exploration of the theories of contemporary capitalism and reminds us that overcoming democratic malaise is a necessary first step on the path to change.
£22.00