ACCESS: A Convention on the Canadian Economic and Social Systems

Abstract

The last decade has wrought dramatic changes upon the Canadian and global economies alike. While the forces ushering in these changes have in general been beyond the control of any one country, their impacts have been most pronounced in terms of “domestic” policy arenas and nowhere more so than in the area of the welfare state. For example, globalization has internationalized production with obvious implications for the conception and role of the traditional welfare state. Typically, welfare states have been geared to their “national production machines:”when production becomes international, the structure and incentives of welfare states need to be rethought. Likewise, the advent of the information revolution and the emergence of knowledge as a key component in international competitiveness are serving to alter the social structure of developed nations. Market incomes are polarizing and non-standard jobs are proliferating, again with serious problems for old-style welfare states. Indeed, key aspects of societal structure are also undergoing substantial change: domestic unions are proving no match for international capital and production.