Articles
Cars Against Humanity: The North American Car Dependency Epidemic
Cars promise freedom, but North America's dependence on them comes at a steep price. This piece traces how postwar policy made driving the default, compares it to Europe's more balanced approach, and lays out the costs, from strained household budgets and expensive sprawl to billions lost to congestion, before pointing toward more walkable, connected cities.
Transparency as a Market Force: How Disclosure Reduces Economic Agency Costs
Can simply requiring companies to share information make them behave better? Drawing on summer research into a Nasdaq board-diversity rule, this piece explores how corporate disclosure works as a low-cost check on managers who might otherwise put their own interests ahead of shareholders.
From Fields to Geopolitics: Why Fertilizer May Be the New Oil
Fertilizer may be the most powerful commodity most people never think about. When Europe's ammonia plants went dark in 2022, food prices spiked from Paris to Cairo, exposing how fragile the world's supply of nitrogen, potash, and phosphate really is. This piece traces the recent fertilizer shock and the new resource diplomacy playing out from Russia to Morocco, arguing that fertilizer is becoming the geopolitical force oil once was.
Price Discovery: A Brief Overview of the Role of Liquidity in Pricing
Liquidity shapes the valuation and pricing of nearly every asset - real estate, commodities, derivatives, credit to even public equities – liquidity is an important measure in calibrating an equilibrium price. Economics and Policy Editor, Rishab Chakraborty, explores an overview of the role of liquidity in each asset class, and explores many effective price discovery mechanisms and means of measurement. He delves into an overview of the conceptual regulatory, economic, and commercial barriers and promises of liquid markets.
Modern Slavery and Canada’s Workforce
In this editorial, QBR Economics & Policy Editor Tomas Serrano delves into the deep flaws within Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program, revealing how it has become a tool for exploitation under the guise of addressing labor shortages. Originally intended to fill gaps in the workforce, the program has been co-opted by firms seeking to cut costs, leaving foreign workers vulnerable to abuse and Canadian workers grappling with rising unemployment. Serrano examines the power imbalances, lack of protections, and systemic failures that have drawn comparisons to modern slavery. Despite recent reforms, the government’s efforts have fallen short of addressing the mistreatment of foreign workers and the broader economic implications. This article is a compelling call to action for meaningful change to uphold workers' rights and restore integrity to Canada’s labor market.
The Ozempic Economy: Revolutionizing Society One Injection at a Time
Drugs like Ozempic are revolutionizing society, with the potential to alleviate the $173 billion burden of obesity on the U.S. economy while reshaping workplace productivity and consumer spending. Senior Economics and Policy Editor Gefen Shpil examines the broader economic impacts of GLP-1 drugs, from their role in driving Denmark’s unprecedented growth through Novo Nordisk to the challenges of accessibility and corporate benefits policies. This article explores how this pharmaceutical breakthrough could redefine global health and economics, while cautioning against the risks of over-reliance on a single industry.
Open Banking: A Framework for Fintech Innovation
In this editorial, QBR Economics & Policy Editor Rishab Chakraborty discusses how information in the realm of financial services, markets, and intermediaries has traditionally been tightly regulated in a closed loop. This differs from traditional software, where consumer and behavioral data from non-financial institutions is typically unregulated in its use. However, with Open Banking reform coming to Canada’s regulatory data framework, we can see an uptick in innovation in the Canadian fintech space.
The Art of the SPAC
In this new article, QBR Sr. Advisor Joshua Cristofoli explores how SPACs are challenging the traditional IPO process, giving businesses a quicker route to the public markets and altering the financial landscape.
Eat the Rich or Stomp Out the Little Guy: A Roadmap to Capital Gains
In a detailed guide to the recent changes to Canada’s capital gains inclusion rate as part of the 2024 Federal Budget, Senior Economics and Policy Editor Gefen Shpil outlines the impact such changes would have on individual investors, Canadian industries, and the economy. This article seeks to uncover just how many Canadians will be impacted by the changes and, most importantly, whether the Liberals are truly targeting the “ultra-rich”.
The Race to a Perfect EV: Investigating Chinese Development and the Road Ahead
In this new article, QBR Editor Tomas Serrano investigates China's rapid advancement in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. The article explores how substantial government support and innovative manufacturing have positioned China as a leader in EV development, despite challenges in global market penetration due to high tariffs and ethical concerns. Serrano contrasts China's progress with the slower growth in Western markets, emphasizing the impact of political and infrastructural uncertainties. As the world shifts from gas-powered cars to EVs, this analysis provides insight into the future of sustainable transportation and the lessons the West can learn from China's approach.