Canadian Social Research Newsletter
January 16, 2005

Welcome to the weekly Canadian Social Research Newsletter, a listing of the new links added to the Canadian Social Research Links website in the past week.

The e-mail version of this week's issue of the newsletter is going out to 1327 subscribers.
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes and a disclaimer.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

How to donate: online - by phone - by mail - in person
Source:
Canadian Red Cross

Beyond Rhetoric: Canada’s Second Conference on Bullying
Ottawa Congress Centre
March 21-23, 2005
"The conference will bring together academic and community-based researchers, service providers youth, policy makers, and key stakeholders in order to better understand issues relating to bullying and victimization; and move towards finding effective solutions."

Conference at a Glance + daily rates, presentations, speakers, etc.

Source:
Bullying Awareness Network
NOTE: if you use Netscape v.7 or Firefox as your browser of choice, you won't see the following conference links on the the Bullying Awareness Network home page:
Program - Speakers - Registration - About Ottawa - Accommodation - Conference News - Travel - Plenary Sessions
(you'll need the Internet Explorer browser to access the missing links)

Related Link:
Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa

- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm
- Go to the Conferences and Events Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/confer.htm

Canadian Children's Rights Council
"The Canadian Children's Rights Council was formed in the early 1990's to monitor compliance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Canada. (...) We are a non-profit, non governmental educational and advocacy organization dedicated to supporting the rights and responsibilities of Canadian children. (...) We are a member of the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN), an international, world-wide organization which is comprised of over 2000 member children's rights organizations."
- covers many aspects of children's rights, including child poverty, child and youth justice, children's identity rights, child protection, parental alienation syndrome and much more...
- large section devoted to education about the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child + analysis of the Government of Canada's actions and reports to the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Children's Rights Council Links
- 200+ links in the following areas:
* United Nations * Human Rights Commissions in Canada * Human Rights Commissions in countries other than Canada * Child Genital Mutilation * Child Abuse * The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN ) * Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) * Youth Suicide * Children's Identity Rights / Children's Identity Fraud / Paternity Fraud * Child Poverty * ADHD - Ritlan * National Child Day * Canadian Family Law / Parent support Groups * Canadian University Human Rights Related Sites * International Children's Rights Links * Non-Canadian University / College Human Rights Related Sites * Canadian University Law Schools * Other Links of Interest

Table of Contents - large collection of online resources, mostly news articles

NOTE: the About Us page tells us that the Council "was formed in the early 1990's to monitor compliance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Canada."
Based on the Table of Contents page, though, the site appears to focus more on countering male-bashing and highlighting the plight of non-custodial single fathers than on Canadian compliance with the CRC. There's absolutely nothing wrong with advocating in defense of men and fathers, but the site's About Us page should be up front about it.
Highly recommended site - tons of content!

- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm
- Go to the Children's Rights Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnrights.htm

What's New from The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

January 13, 2005
Study: Role of productivity in the output gap between Canada and the United States, 1994 to 2002
Canada's economic output per person is lower than that in the United States but it is not primarily because Canadians are less productive, according to a new study.

Complete Report:

The output gap between Canada and the United States: the role of productivity 1994-2002 (PDF file - 126K, 14 pages)
January 2005
"The difference in the output gap (GDP per capita) between Canada and the United States is broken down into two components - differences in productivity (GDP per hour worked) and differences in effort (hours worked per capita) for the period 1994 to 2002. The paper shows that, on average, the majority of the output gap is accounted for by differences in hours worked rather than differences in productivity. Since 1994, the output gap has narrowed slightly, primarily because of an increase in hours worked in Canada relative to the United States."

Related Link:

Aggregate Labour Productivity Growth in Canada and the United States:
Definitions, Trends and Measurement Issues (PDF file - 685K, 110 pages)
September, 2004
Source:
The Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - Canada
"The Centre for the Study of Living Standards is a non-profit, national, independent organization that seeks to contribute to a better understanding of trends in and determinants of productivity, living standards and economic and
social well-being through research."

Also from the CSLS:

International Productivity Monitor - Number 9, Fall 2004
"The ninth issue of the International Productivity Monitor published by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards contains six articles. Topics covered are: the magnitude of the Canada-U.S. productivity gap at the industry level; productivity puzzles facing researchers; the link between technology use, human capital, productivity and wages; the effect of organization innovation and information and communications technologies on firm performance; the effect of adjustment costs on aggregate productivity in Canada; and the role of micro-institutions in fostering productivity growth and reducing poverty in developing countries."

Earlier Issues of the Monitor (9 issues , back to Fall 2000)

Index of Economic Well-being
Has economic well-being increased or decreased in recent years, and is it higher or lower in one country compared to others? Traditionally these questions have been answered by looking at trends in and comparisons of GDP per capita, but this is a poor measure of economic well-being. It measures consumption incompletely, ignoring the value of leisure and longer life spans, and it also ignores the value of accumulation for future generations. Furthermore, since it is an average, GDP per capita gives no indication of the likelihood that an individual will share in prosperity nor of the degree of anxiety with which individuals contemplate their futures."
- incl. links to : Introduction and Methodology - The Index for Canada -The Index for Canada and the United States - The Index for Canada and the Provinces - The Index for OECD Countries - An Index of Labour Market Well-being

- Go to the Canadiana Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/patriot.htm
- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Fisheries and Oceans to Veterans Affairs) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk2.htm

New from the Saskatchewan Community Resources:

Saskatchewan Early Childhood Development Progress Report 2003/2004 (PDF file - 889K, 28 pages)
Departments of Community Resources, Health and Learning
- incl. links to : Message from the Ministers - Executive Summary - Introduction - An Investment in Our Future - Impact on Society - Early Learning and Care - Prekindergarten - Early Childhood Intervention Program - Infant Mortality Risk Reduction Initiatives - KidsFirst Program Progress 2003-04 - The Path Forward - Early Childhood Development - Summary of Investments in 2003-04 - Investments in Early Learning and Care in 2003-04 - Appendix A: KidsFirst.

Multilateral Framework for Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities
Saskatchewan Baseline Report 2004-2005 (PDF file - 153K, 14 pages)
"The Saskatchewan Baseline Report 2004-05 is a forward-looking report that describes programs and services that help improve the employment situation of persons with disabilities in Saskatchewan. Four provincial departments (Community Resources, Health, Learning and Government Relations) deliver the programs and services described in the report, which are cost shared with the federal government."

Related Link:

Multilateral Framework for Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities

- Go to the Government Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd.htm
- Go to the Disability Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/disbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Saskatchewan Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/skbkmrk.htm

From the Dept. of Human Resources, Labour and Employment:

New Income and Employment Support Act and Regulations
News Release
December 7, 2004
"The new Income and Employment Support Act and the accompanying Income and Employment Support Regulations (...) replace the outdated Social Assistance Act and Regulations which have been in effect since 1977. The new act better reflects the Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment’s two major areas of responsibility: providing income support in a stable dignified manner to eligible individuals and families; and delivering programs and services that support individuals in achieving their employment and career goals.

Income and Employment Support Act, S.N.L. 2002, c. I-0.1
[proclaimed November 30, 2004]
Income and Employment Support Regulations
- not yet online (Jan. 12/05)
- try the Legislation page of the Dept. of Human Resources, Labour and Employment - the links to both the Statute and the Regulations will eventually be posted there.

Related Links:

Income and Employment Support Act introduced in House of Assembly
November 19, 2002
- incl. backgrounder : the consultation process, key changes, next steps

Legislative Review Links (2002) - incl. links to the legislative review consultation report and the discussion paper on new directions for social assistance legislation.

- Go to the Newfoundland and Labrador Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/nfbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm

Quality highest in non-profit child care: Economists
Press Release
January 10, 2005
"Non-profit child care centres outscore their commercial counterparts in all aspects of early learning and care, says a new Canada-wide study released today. The study, by two University of Toronto economists, is the first to statistically analyze ratings for observed quality in child care centres, finding that non-profit centres do better on every measure. Gordon Cleveland and Michael Krashinsky of U of T’s Division of Management authored The quality gap: A study of non-profit and commercial child care centres in Canada."

Complete report:

The quality gap: A study of non-profit and
commercial child care centres in Canada (PDF file - 353K, 20 pages)
By Gordon Cleveland and Michael Krashinsky

Related Link:

Non-profit child care centres rate better, study shows
Margaret Philp
January 10, 2005
Globe and Mail
"(...)In a report to be released Monday, two University of Toronto economists wade into the debate with a finding that it's more than just government funding that sets non-profit child care apart — even correcting for higher levels of government support, the not-for-profit sector provides better care. In their study of quality ratings from 325 daycare classrooms across Canada, economists Gordon Cleveland and Michael Krashinsky found that non-profit child care centres scored, overall, 10 per cent higher than their for-profit counterparts. While the bulk of child care centres falls into the mediocre range of the scale, most of the top-ranked centres were non-profits and a disproportionate number at the bottom were commercial."

Source:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit

- Go to the Non-Governmental Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd2.htm

Wellesley Central Health Corporation
As one of Canada's longest serving urban health organisations, Wellesley Central Health Corporation, continues its mission to promote the health of urban communities. We act on this mission though the implementation of our vision. That is, to be a leader and catalyst for enhancing the wellness and health of the people of Southeast Toronto and other urban communities.

- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm

POVERTY DISPATCH Weekly Digest (Institute for Research on Poverty - U. of Wisconsin)
January 13, 2005

This digest offers dozens of new links each week to full-text articles in the U.S. media (mostly daily newspapers) on poverty, poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, and much more...
The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a free e-mail service that consists of an e-mail message sent to subscribers each Monday and Thursday, containing a dozen or so links to articles dealing with the areas mentioned above.
The weekly Canadian Social Research Links Poverty Dispatch Digest is a compilation of dispatch e-mails, with the kind permission of IRP.

Here's a one-day sample of the subjects covered in the Poverty Dispatch Weekly Digest:

Subscribe to the daily Poverty Dispatch!
Send an e-mail message to John Wolf < jwolf@ssc.wisc.edu > to receive a plain text message twice a week with one to two dozen links to media articles with a focus on poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, health, Medicaid from across the U.S.
And it's free...

Source:
Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP)
[ University of Wisconsin-Madison ]

POVERTY DISPATCH description/archive - weekly issues back to July 2004 , avg. 100+ links per issue!
NOTE: this archive is part of the Canadian Social Research Links American Non-Governmental Social Research page.

For the current week's digest, click on the POVERTY DISPATCH link at the top of this box.

Recently-archived POVERTY DISPATCH weekly digests:
(You'll find 100+ links in each of the digests below)

- January 6, 2005
- December 27
- December 13-17
- December 6-10
- November 29 - December 3, 2004

- Go to the Links to American Government Social Research page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (A-J) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us2.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (M-Z) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us3.htm

Welfare Information Network - U.S.
Bi-Weekly Update
Every two weeks, the Welfare Information Network distributes a free electronic newsletter containing links to a number of recent reports and studies posted on the websites of social research organizations.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit: http://www.financeprojectinfo.org/email/

January 14, 2005

Supporting Retention and Advancement in the Labor Market (PDF file - 129K, 6 pages) - WIN Resource Note by Nanette Relave, December 2004

A Guide to Implementation Research, by Alan Werner, The Urban Institute, January 2005.

Federal Policy for Immigrant Children: Room for Common Ground (PDF file - 69K, 6 pages) - The Future of Children, Summer 2004.

Hunger, Crowding and Other Hardships are Widespread among People with Poverty, by Arloc Sherman, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, December 2004

State Policies to Help the Working Poor, By Liz McNichol and John Springer, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, December 2004

- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (M-Z) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us3.htm

Disinfopedia
"a collaborative project to produce a directory of public relations firms, think tanks, industry-funded organizations and industry-friendly experts that work to influence public opinion and public policy on behalf of corporations, governments and special interests. Sponsored by the Center for Media and Democracy (http://www.prwatch.org), the Disinfopedia was started in February 2003 and contributors are now working on 6211 articles.

Slashing Social Security: Bush Plan Cuts Benefits
January 11, 2005
"President Bush and certain members of Congress have made it clear that privatizing Social Security is at the top of their agenda for 2005. The administration is likely to advocate for Reform Plan 2 from the 2001 Report of the President's Commission; this plan makes severe cuts to Social Security benefits. Social Security is a successful insurance program that protects workers and their families against the income loss that occurs when a worker retires, becomes disabled, or dies. Privatization risks this program’s success and endangers the many individuals who rely on its funds for survival"
Source:
Moving Ideas

How has Britain’s privatization scheme worked out? Well, today, they’re looking enviably upon Social Security
February 2005 issue of American Prospect Online
"A conservative government sweeps to power for a second term. It views its victory as a mandate to slash the role of the state. In its first term, this policy objective was met by cutting taxes for the wealthy. Its top priority for its second term is tackling what it views as an enduring vestige of socialism: its system of social insurance for the elderly. Declaring the current program unaffordable in 50 years’ time, the administration proposes the privatization of a portion of old-age benefits. In exchange for giving up some future benefits, workers would get a tax rebate to put into an investment account to save for their own retirement. George W. Bush’s America in 2005? Think again. The year was 1984, the nation was Britain, the government was that of Margaret Thatcher -- and the results have been a disaster that America is about to emulate."
Source:
American Prospect Online

More American Prospect Social Security Coverage:

Bush's House of Cards: The Privatization Fraud
A Prospect Special Report
- links to over a dozen articles on the Bush administration's Social Security privatization proposals
To access this report, go to the American Prospect Online home page and click on the Special Report: Saving Social Security link in the left margin.

A Really Dumb Idea
November 2004
You can sum up Social Security privatization in four words.
By Robert Reich

U.S. Social Security privatization - from Disinfopedia
"U.S. Social Security privatization is top of the neo-conservative agenda, following the reelection of George W. Bush in the 2004 Presidential election. Central to the campaign is an effort to persuade US voters that the existing Social Security system is 'in crisis' [1] (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002146127_socsec09.html). Meanwhile, Bush's allies at Fox News have been attacking AARP, which just happens to oppose privatization of the system [2] (http://www.newshounds.us/2005/01/06/demonizing_aarp.php). AARP has been in the administration's sights since at least early 2004, when an organization with a misleadingly similar acronym, the Alliance for Retirement Prosperity or ARP, was launched by Republican stalwarts."

President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security (2001)

Social Security - Public Agenda Issue Guide
"Social Security, the federal retirement system, is one of the most popular government programs in U.S. history and nearly everyone supports keeping it solvent. But no consensus has emerged, either in Washington or among the public at large, on what approach the government should take. Despite the recent slowdown, the economic boom of the past few years has helped push off the Social Security problem, with the latest estimates showing the fund able to pay its bills through 2042."
Source:
Public Agenda
"For over a quarter of a century, Public Agenda has been providing unbiased and unparalleled research that bridges the gap between American leaders and what the public really thinks about issues ranging from education to foreign policy to immigration to religion and civility in American life."

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

Center for Economic and Policy Research

Economic Policy Institute

Google News search Results : "Social Security, reform, U.S."
Google Web Search Results : "Social Security, reform, U.S."
Source:
Google.ca

- Go to the Pension Reforms Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/pensions.htm

CRINMAIL 641: Special Edition on the 38th Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
11 January 2005
CRINMAIL is an electronic mailing list of the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)

Content of this issue of CRINMAIL:

Committee on the Rights of the Child Opens 38th Session (January 10-28, 2005)
States Parties Reports for the 38th Session - incl. reports from governments of Sweden, Albania, Luxembourg, Austria, Belize, the Bahamas, Iran, Togo, Bolivia and Nigeria "on their efforts to implement the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child."
NGO Reports to the 38th Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child
NGO Alternative Reports for All Sessions - incl. Canada (October 2003, June 1995)
"Reports submitted by NGOs to the Committee on the Rights of the Child are made available on the CRIN website, in partnership with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. These reports are known as NGO Alternative Reports."

Search reports by country, CRC session or by NGO

CRINMAIL is available in English, French and Spanish and provides regular news bulletins about child rights issues, publications and events
Subscribe to CRINMAIL - just place a checkmark in the box(es) next to the version you wish to receive and enter your e-mail address
CRINMAIL Archives - links to earlier issues of the CRINMAIL newsletter (HINT: click on the number below the name of each month in the "2004" row to read any of the issues for that month.)

Source:
Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)

- Go to the Children's Rights Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnrights.htm

International Reform Monitor - Issue 9 / 2004 (PDF file - 351K, 94 pages)
Social Policy, Labour Market Policy, Industrial Relations
June 2004
- incl. links to : Project Information - Activation without perspective? - Social Policy - Health Care - Pensions and Social Security - Nursing and Elder Care - State Welfare and Social Assistance - Family Issues - Labor Market Policy - Industrial Relations - Important General Developments - Reform Tracker
- covers 15 OECD countries, includes info about Canadian labour market and social policy trends and developments
Source :
International Reform Monitor - incl. links to all previous issues of the Reform Monitor going back to 1999, most of which include Canadian content.
Take the time to browse these articles for country profiles and comparative information...
[ Bertelsmann Stiftung ]
(formerly The Bertelsmann Foundation - Europe)
"In keeping with the longstanding social commitment of its founder, Reinhard Mohn, the Bertelsmann Stiftung is dedicated to serving the common good. The belief that competition and civic involvement form an essential basis for social progress is central to the Foundation’s work."
The Bertelsmann Foundation website gives a wide range of information on social policy (health care, pensions provision, family policy, state welfare), labour market policy and industrial relations in 15 OECD countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States of America. 
[Canadian contributions are from the Caledon Institute of Social Policy and the Centre for the Study of Living Standards ]

- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm

Disclaimer/Privacy Statement

Both Canadian Social Research Links (the site) and this Canadian Social Research Newsletter belong solely to me, Gilles Séguin.

I am solely accountable for the choice of links presented therein and for the occasional editorial comment - it's my time, my home computer, my experience, my biases, my Rogers Internet account and my web hosting service.

For over a year, I piggy-backed with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) website mailing list service to distribute the e-mail version of the weekly Canadian Social Research Newsletter and to maintain the mailing list. Now that I have a web hosting service that allows me to do this on my using my own resources, I've moved the newsletter to my own server. Thanks for your support for the past year, CUPE! (Jan.9/05)

If you wish to subscribe to the e-mail version of newsletter, go to the Canadian Social Research Newsletter Online Subscription page and submit your coordinates:
http://canadiansocialresearch.net/mailman/listinfo/csrl-news_canadiansocialresearch.net

You can unsubscribe by going to the same page or by sending me an e-mail message [ gilseg@rogers.com ]

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The e-mail version of this newsletter is available only in plain text (no graphics, no hyperlinks, no fancy bolding or italics, etc.) to avoid security problems with government departments, universities and other networks with firewalls. The text-only version is also friendlier for people using older or lower-end technology.

Privacy Policy:
The Canadian Social Research Newsletter mailing list is not used for any purpose except to distribute each weekly issue.
I promise not share any information on this list, nor to send you any junk mail.

Links presented in the Canadian Social Research Newsletter point to different views about social policy and social programs.
There are some that I don't agree with, so don't get on my case, eh...

To access earlier online HTML issues of the Canadian Social Research Newsletter, go to the Newsletter page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/news.htm

Please feel free to distribute this newsletter as widely as you wish, but please remember to include a link back to the home page of Canadian Social Research Links.

Gilles

E-MAIL:
gilseg@rogers.com

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Business Signs

- contributed by a newsletter subscriber

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Sign over a Gynecologist's Office:
"Dr. Jones, at your cervix."
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At a Proctologist's door
"To expedite your visit, please back in."
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On a Plumber's truck:
"We repair what your husband fixed."
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Pizza Shop Slogan:
"7 days without pizza makes one weak."
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At a Tire Shop in Milwaukee:
"Invite us to your next blowout."
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On a Plastic Surgeon's Office door:
"Hello. Can we pick your nose?"
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In a Veterinarian's waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"
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In a Nonsmoking Area:
"If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."
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On a Maternity Room door:
"Push. Push. Push."
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At an Optometrist's Office
"If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."
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