News

Media contributions from, and references to, the department's experts (most recent first).

• August 24, 2021  An op-ed from Professor Michael Smart on the Conservative Party’s promise of a GST tax holiday during this coming December
  • Financial Post – "Opinion: O'Toole's GST holiday is the Christmas present our economy needs"

• August 19, 2021  This article about fiscal policy in Canada's upcoming election includes comment from Professor Michael Smart
  • CBC.ca – "Delta variant threat to the global economy means fiscal prudence may take an election back seat"

• August 1, 2021  This article mentions Professor Diego Restuccia's work on the effect of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in the Philippines
  • BusinessWorld Online – "Small is not beautiful"

• July 25, 2021  Professor Michael Smart explains why governments should abandon efforts to achieve a balanced budget in the current economic climate
  • CBC News – "The balanced budget era is over. Now what?"

• July 22, 2021  Professor emeritus Morley Gunderson comments on possible changes to labour laws as a result of pandemic-related remote work increase
  • Toronto Sun – "Do labour laws still make sense for remote work force?"

• July 5, 2021  This piece on tech worker credentials includes comment from Professor Philip Oreopoulos
  • Financial Post – "Tech companies want workers faster so they're designing their own microcredentials at colleges, universities"

• June 28, 2021  Comments from Professor Michael Smart in this article on Canada's pandemic wage subsidy program
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "Statscan’s view on CEWS: Emergency wage program touched every corner of Canada’s economy"

• June 11, 2021  Reflection from Professor Daniel Trefler on Canada's economic lessons from the pandemic
  • Rotman Research and New Thinking – "What we should take away from this pandemic, why Canada needs to find its niche and more"

• June 4, 2021  An article devoted to a discussion of Professor Peter Cziraki's co-authored Review of Finance paper, "The Dollar Profits to Insider Trading"
  • The Academic Times (paywall) – "Insider trading surprisingly unprofitable"

• May 22, 2021  Professor Michael Smart is quoted in this article, arguing for future program overhauls rather than retroactive clawbacks
  • CityNews.ca/The Canadian Press – "NDP demands federal wage-subsidy clawbacks, but critics question feasibility"

• May 14, 2021  Input from Professor Michael Smart in this piece on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "The $33-billion question: How can Ottawa make the most of the rest of CEWS?"

• May 11, 2021  Professor Peter Cziraki's work on the processes involved in CEO hiring is examined in this piece
  • U of T News – "Thinking inside the box? U of T researchers find most CEOs are internal hires"

• May 8, 2021  Professor Michael Smart co-authors an op-ed on concerns around government debt, and comments elsewhere on federal government emergency wage subsidy programs
  • Toronto Star (paywall) – "The Saturday Debate: Should we be worried about government debt?"
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "Wage subsidies were meant to preserve jobs. In many cases, the $110.6-billion response padded bottom lines"

• April 27, 2021  Research by Professor Michael Smart is cited in a Globe and Mail piece speculating on the likelihood that the Canadian government will raise taxes on capital gains
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "As the U.S. moves to raise capital gains taxes, will Canada soon follow?"

• April 19, 2021  An op-ed from Professor Marlène Koffi on reducing internet access inequities
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "Canada is lagging behind on tackling our internet-connection crisis"

• March 29, 2021  Tweets from Professor Michael Smart set off a fierce debate about whether annual property taxes represent a wealth tax on primary residences
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "Canada Revenue Agency ramps up security in wake of hacks"

• March 23, 2021  Co-authored by Professor Gustavo Bobonis, this Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) piece reflects on work with the Puerto Rico Department of Education to improve academic achievement and reduce inequality
  • J-PAL – "Pursuing evidence-based policymaking during crisis"

• February 21, 2021  In this Australian Broadcasting Corporation report on China's economic rise, Professor Loren Brandt is a featured guest
  • Rear Vision, ABC Radio – "China—the economic miracle"

• February 8, 2021  Professor Michael Smart comments on payments distributed to Canada’s largest telecom companies through the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy benefit program
  • toronto.com – "Rogers, Bell and Telus collected more than $240 million from Canada’s wage-subsidy program — and Bell and Telus raised shareholder payouts"

• February 8, 2021  This op-ed on US stimulus payments is co-authored by Professor Michael Stepner
  • The New York Times – "Who Spent Their Last Stimulus Checks?"

• January 29, 2021  Professor Michael Smart comments in this piece on the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy
  • The Globe and Mail – "Wishing doesn’t make it so’: The gap between the reality of Canada’s wage subsidy program and Ottawa’s portrayal" (paywall)

• January 27, 2021  Contributions from expert panel member Professor Dwayne Benjamin in this discussion of the Council of Canadian Academies report on the challenges facing PhD grads entering the labour market
  • University Affairs – "The mismatch continues between PhD holders and their career prospects"

• January 19, 2021  To boost fairness, productivity and government revenue, argues Professor Michael Smart, tax capital gains
  • Maclean's – "How to tax the wealthy without a 'wealth tax'"

• January 8, 2021  Comment from Professor Michael Smart appears in this piece about the distribution of benefits under the Canada Emergency Wage subsidy program to already profitable companies
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "Wage subsidies flow to companies with deep pockets, analysis shows"

• October 26, 2020  An opinion piece from Professor Marlène Koffi on why social scientists, especially economists, should understand the ways in which artificial intelligence can make the world less confusing
  • The Hill Times (paywall, free access within U of T network; or read in PD format here) – "Three ways AI can substantially improve economic analyses"

• October 16, 2020  This piece on the Canada Recovery Benefit designed to support self-employed workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic includes comments from Professor Michael Smart
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "The hidden cost of Ottawa’s new benefit for the self-employed"

• October 6, 2020  Co-authored by Professor Philip Oreopoulos, this piece considers the promise tutoring holds in addressing the current learning crisis
  • Brown Center Chalkboard @ Brookings.edu – "Tutoring: A time-tested solution to an unprecedented pandemic"

• September 9, 2020  Opinion piece from Professor Michael Smart
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "What if we never repay the national debt?"

• September 4, 2020  This piece on the future of interest rates in Canada features Professor Angelo Melino
  • WealthProfessional.ca – "Interest rates to remain low for several years say Canadian experts"

• September 1, 2020  Professor Jonathan Hall's work on the impact of digital road signs, which suggest they caused USD1.9bn as a cost to society, and caused 80 deaths a year
  • The Telegraph (UK) – "Digital road signs cause more crashes than they stop, warn economists"

• June 30, 2020  Professor Michael Smart comments on the Alberta premier's new economic recovery plan
  • Maclean's – "Jason Kenney reaches for economic heights with a race to the bottom"

• June 21, 2020  Incoming professor Michael Stepner speaks to Global News about the racial breakdown of Covid-19 cases and deaths
  • Global News – "Racialized groups in Canada will 'lose' in the post-pandemic economy. Experts aren't surprised"

• June 6, 2020  This article quotes Professor Angelo Melino's suggestion that the rate should decrease
  • Canada.com – "BoC holds rate; mortgage rates should go down"

• May 29, 2020  Professor Angelo Melino is among the top economists weighing in on this question
  • WealthProfessional.ca – "Is Canada heading into a depression? Here's what the experts think"

• May 2020  Professor Adonis Yatchew and coauthor Brian Rivard are examining data on electricity consumption to shed light on the gradual path to economic recovery following COVID-19
  • May 20 – Ivey Energy Policy and Management Centre – "Electricity Demand and Unemployment"
  • May 1 – Ivey Energy Policy and Management Centre – "COVID-19 economics: Electricity as a compass to recovery"

• May 17, 2020  Professor Philip Oreopoulos's work features in this piece on graduates' job market
  • The Globe and Mail (paywall) – "New university graduates face poor prospects in tough job market"

• May 10, 2020  Professor Shari Eli features in this video article that parallels pandemic consumer behaviour with that of the Great Depression
  • CBC Toronto – "How consumer behaviour is changing because of the pandemic"

• May 8, 2020  Professor Philip Oreopoulos is quoted in this piece about students graduating into a recession
  • The Province – "COVID-19: Graduating into a recession will alter careers, lives forever"

• April 25, 2020  Remarks from Professor Angelo Melino on Bank of Canada interest rate strategy
  • The Chronicle Herald – "Economists disagree on effectiveness of negative overnight rate"

• April 20, 2020  Not all ed-tech interventions are equal writes Professor Philip Oreopoulos
  • Education Week – "Stumped by How to Best Serve Students With At-Home Learning? Follow the Evidence"

• April 16, 2020  Input from Professor Philip Oreopoulos on the effect of recession unemployment on mortality
  • Vancouver Sun – "Weighing deaths from COVID-19 against 'deaths from despair'"

• April 6, 2020  Article includes Professor Philip Oreopoulos's comments on the pandemic's effect on employment for the 18-34 age group
  • Vice.com – "Almost a Third of Young People Have Lost Their Jobs So Far"

• April 2, 2020  Comments from Professor emeritus Jack Carr on post-pandemic economic recovery
  • Toronto Star – "Canada is in for a massive economic shock — but top economists say the recovery will be surprisingly fast"

• February 24, 2020  Professor Peter Cziraki comments in this piece on growing investor opposition to portfolio climate risk
  • S & P Global Market Intelligence – "IBarclays shareholder resolution signals investor impatience on climate risk"

• December 31, 2019  Professor Loren Brandt is quoted in this discussion of US-China trade
  • The Washington Post – "Initial U.S.-China trade deal has major hole: Beijing’s massive business subsidies"

• November 15, 2019  Professor Michael Smart comments on Alberta oil and the federal equalization program
  • National Post – "Andrew Scheer blasts Bloc leader Blanchet for 'hypocrisy' in comments about western Canada"

• September 25, 2019  With the upcoming Canadian election in mind, Professor Michael Smart breaks down the tax-cut pledges from the Liberals and the Conservatives and charges both with being irresponsible
  • Financial Post – "Breaking down the parties' tax-cut pledges in an election that’s evolved into a bidding war for votes"

• September 6, 2019  This piece on the toll of rideshare apps on taxi drivers includes remarks from Professor Jonathan Hall
  • Financial Post – "The last cabbie: The story of the taxi driver who refused to go extinct"

• September 6, 2019  Professor Eduardo Souza-Rodrigues comments appear in this piece on deforestation in the Amazon
  • BuzzFeed News – "Corned Beef And Handbags: How US Consumers Are Unwittingly Contributing To Deforestation In The Amazon"

• August 27, 2019  Professor Michael Smart comments on a financial report from the Fraser Institute
  • The Globe and Mail – "Low, middle-income Canadians face high effective tax rates: Fraser Institute report"

• August 27, 2019  Comments on the fires in the Amazon rainforest from Professor Eduardo Souza-Rodrigues
  • Toronto Star – "Amazon fires: What you need to know about the rainforest blazes"

• August 20, 2019  Professor Philip Oreopoulos comments extensively in this discussion of text and email communications with students
  • InsideHigherEd.com – "Nudging Doesn't Scale Nationally"

• July 30, 2019  The Washington Post's Real Time Economics Newsletter is reading Professor Philip Oreopoulos's co-authored NBER working paper
  • The Washington Post – "College students don't respond well to nudges"

• July 9, 2019  Professor Gustavo Bobonis co-authors this piece on the complex education challenges in Puerto Rico
  • J-PAL (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab) – "Policymakers and researchers collaborate to improve education quality in Puerto Rico"

• June 18, 2019  Professor Eduardo Souza-Rodrigues is a participant in this podcast
  • Food for Thought: The Devil's Advocate's Perspective – "Capitalism and Climate Change"

• June 17, 2019  Cross-appointed faculty member Professor Daniel Trefler is co-author of this Globe and Mail opinion piece
  • The Globe and Mail – "Canada’s fear of foreign competition is leaving a high cost for consumers"

• June 11, 2019  Professor Eduardo Souza-Rodrigues is quoted in this piece on environmental issues and economics
  • openDemocracy – "Our economic system must evolve in the face of environmental devastation"

• April 23, 2019  Comments on planning for population growth by Professor Jonathan Hall are featured in this examination of megacities in Africa
  • HowWeMadeItInAfrica.com – "Africa’s megacities a magnet for investors"

• January 30, 2019  Professor Emeritus David Foot's co-authored paper is cited in this editorial on baby boomers in the economy
  • The Globe and Mail – "Don’t go, baby boomers. The economy still needs you"

• November 22, 2018  Professor Michael Smart co-authors an opinion piece that grades Finance Minister Bill Morneau's recent package of corporate tax changes
  • The Globe and Mail – "Canada still has more work to do to restore tax competitiveness"

• November 3, 2018  The Economist spoke to Professor Jonathan Hall about the effects of ride-hailing
  • The Economist – "The social costs of ride-hailing may be larger than previously thought"

• October 19, 2018  Professor Jonathan Hall and his work on Uber
  • CityLab.com – "Is Uber the Enemy or Ally of Public Transit?"

• October 9, 2018  Professor Joshua Gans comments on the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics
  • bdnews.com – "Economics of climate change and innovation"

• October 5, 2018  Input from Professors Shari Eli and Aloysius Siow in an examination of the application of economic concepts to the family unit
  • University Affairs – "Putting the family in economics"

• October 3, 2018  Professor Philip Oreopoulos's recent work on students' studying practices
  • Inside Higher Ed – "Can ‘Nudges’ Make Students Study More? Maybe Someday"

• October 3, 2018  Professor Emeritus Mel Watkins authors an opinion piece on resource exploitation
  • rabble.ca – "The new language of resource exploitation"

• September 7, 2018  Professor Angelo Melino on August job losses in Ontario
  • The Times Colonist (Canadian Press) – "Ontario Tories blame previous Liberal government for job losses in August"

• September 4, 2018  Professor Daniel Trefler comments on Donald Trump's NAFTA maneuvering
  • The Washington Times – "Officials have to move past Trump bluster on new NAFTA deal, say economists"

• July 8, 2018  Professor Jonathan Hall's 'Technological Change and Obsolete Skills: Evidence from Men’s Professional Tennis' (with Ian Fillmore) is a central source in this article
  • inews.co.uk – "Tennis greats have longer careers now, and the teenage giantkiller days are over"

• July 1, 2018  Professor Jonathan Hall's co-authored paper, 'Is Uber a substitute or complement for public transit?', forms the basis of this piece
  • Bloomberg.com – "Innovation Can’t Fix Urban Transportation’s Woes"

• May 22, 2018  Professor Philip Oreopoulos on the long-term financial effects of graduating from college in a recession
  • Marketplace.org – "Expectations run into reality after graduating during the recession"
  • Keranews.org – "The best advice for college students unlucky enough to graduate into a recession: be flexible"

• May 17, 2018  Professors Daniel Trefler and Avi Goldfarb emphasize the importance of studying the impact of AI on international trade
  • The Globe and Mail – "China poised to take lead in artificial intelligence race"

• April 8, 2018  Professor Ismael Mourifié is profiled and his work on women in STEM explored
  • Toronto Star editorial – "The man who's fighting girls' 'mathematophobia'"

• March 23, 2018  Professor Philip Oreopoulos's study on skilled immigrants in the labour market cited in
  • The Globe and Mail editorial – "The problem with Ottawa’s plan to consult the public on racism? Ottawa itself"

• March 8, 2018  Professor Robert Gazzale comments on accent and perception of competency
  • The Varsity – "Do accents change the way we judge others?"

• March 7, 2018  The work of Professor Jonathan Hall provided a written submission to the the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia's Select Standing Committee on Crown Corporations that was charged with examining, inquiring into and making recommendations on ridesharing in the province. His submission was cited several times in the committee's report
  • Legislative Assembly of British Columbia – "Transportation Network Companies in British Columbia"

• March 2, 2018  The work of Professor Daniel Trefler is cited in this article on trade and Trump
  • Bloomberg.com – "What Trump’s Trade Guru Doesn’t Get About Economics"

• February 27, 2018  Professor Daniel Trefler comments on the Canada-U.S. trade relationship
  • Politifact.com – "Donald Trump's dubious attack on U.S.-Canada trade"

• February 19, 2018  Professor Daniel Trefler comments on the Canada-U.S. trade relationship
  • Politifact.com – "Donald Trump's dubious attack on U.S.-Canada trade"

• February 19, 2018  Professor Aloysius Siow comments on family economics and domestic harmony
  • CBC News – "The burgeoning field of 'family economics' reveals hidden household strife"

• January 26, 2018  Professor Philip Oreopoulos offers insight into evaluating the efficacy of new education technologies
  • MIT News – "J-PAL North America launches education technology innovation competition"

• January 22, 2018  Professor Gustavo Indart
  • GlobalNews.ca – "Billionaire boom: The 1% get richer, but experts are split whether that’s good or bad"

• January 17, 2018  Professor Philip Oreopoulos
  • HiBusiness.ca – "Asian Job Seekers Have Fewer Interview Requests"

• January 3, 2018  Professor Gustavo Indart
  • CityNews TV – "Minimum wage hike beneficial to economy: U of T economist"

• November 29, 2017  Professor Loren Brandt
  • The Globe and Mail – "Canadians skeptical of China trade deal as Ottawa set to launch talks"

• November 17, 2017  Professor Michael Smart
  • CBC News – "Liberals' 'tax the rich' plan showing poor results"

• November 15, 2017  Professor Ismael Mourifié
  • The Globe and Mail, on Mourifié's Polanyi Prize-winning research – "Why don’t women go into engineering? Because they think they can't, researcher finds"

• October 16, 2017  Professor Philip Oreopoulos
  • The National Post – "Stephen Gordon: Behavioural economics' contribution: people are irrational in predictable ways"

• September 28, 2017  Professor Michael Trebilcock, author of the C.D. Howe Institute report, Ontario’s Green Energy Experience: Sobering Lessons for Sustainable Climate Change Policies
  • JWN Energy – "Sobering lessons learned in Ontario"

• September 14, 2017  Professor Michelle Alexopoulos was a panelist in the Bank of Canada workshop Monetary Policy Framework Issues: Toward the 2021 Inflation-Target Renewal, with her remarks being reported in a number of outlets
  • The Globe and Mail – "BoC eager to be more transparent but won't signal every rate move"
  • The Canadian Press – "Bank of Canada governor's communication approach under scrutiny at conference". Article widely published, including CTV News, Toronto Star, Metro News, Financial Post, Nainaimo News Now

• August 21, 2017  Professor Gustavo Indart
  • Financial Post – "The Phillips Curve is broken — here's why that is keeping economists up at night"

• August 18, 2017  Professor Michael Trebilcock
  • EcoLog – "Spike in Ontario electricity prices 'didn't have to happen', says U of T professor"

• August 14, 2017  Professor Daniel Trefler
  • CBC – "Irving invite to U.S. commerce secretary 'great for Canada,' says economist"

• August 13, 2017  Professor Philip Oreopoulos (author)
  • The74Million – "No Diploma Without a Plan for the Future? Why Chicago’s New Graduation Requirement Might Work"

• August 12, 2017  Professor Philip Oreopoulos
  • The National – "The economics of succeeding at university"
Last updated on November 25, 2011