Canada and the United States: Differences that Count

443 Pages·2014·5.421 MB·English

by  David M. Thomas, David N. Biette

Canada and the United States Differences That Count
Canada and the United States Differences That
Count
FOURTH EDITION
EDITED BY DAVID M. THOMAS AND DAVID N. BIETTE
Copyright © University of Toronto Press Incorporated 2014
Higher Education Division
www.utppublishing.com
All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system, without prior written consent of the publisher—or in the case of
photocopying, a licence from Access Copyright (Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency), One Yonge Street, Suite 1900, Toronto, Ontario
M5E 1E5—is an infringement of the copyright law.
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Canada and the United States : differences that count / edited by David Thomas and David Biette.—Fourth edition.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-4426-0909-9 (bound).—ISBN 978-1-4426-0908-2 (pbk.).—ISBN 978-1-4426-0910-5 (pdf).—ISBN 978-1-4426-0911-2 (epub)
1. National characteristics, Canadian. 2. National characteristics, American. 3. Canada—Social policy. 4. United States—Social
policy. 5. Law—Canada. 6. Law—United States. 7. Federal government—Canada. 8. Federal government—United States. 9. Canada—
Economic conditions—21st century. 10. United States—Economic conditions—21st century. I. Thomas, David M. (David Martin), 1943–,
editor of compilation II. Biette, David, editor of compilation
FC97.C23 2014 303.48’271073 C2013-908640-4 C2013-908641-2
We welcome comments and suggestions regarding any aspect of our publications—please feel free to contact us at
[email protected] or visit our Internet site at www.utppublishing.com.
North America
5201 Dufferin Street
North York, Ontario, Canada, M3H 5T8
2250 Military Road
Tonawanda, New York, USA, 14150
ORDERS PHONE: [phone]
ORDERS FAX: [phone]
ORDERS E-MAIL: [email protected]
UK, Ireland, and continental Europe
NBN International
Estover Road, Plymouth, PL6 7PY, UK
ORDERS PHONE: [phone]
ORDERS FAX: [phone]
ORDERS E-MAIL: [email protected]
Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders; in the event of an error or omission, please notify the publisher.
This book is printed on paper containing 100% post-consumer fibre.
The University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support for its publishing activities of the Government of Canada through the
Canada Book Fund.
Printed in Canada
Dedicated to all those who have worked in US–Canada studies past and present.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Plus ça change? David M. Thomas (with David N. Biette)
Data Gold Mines and Minefields Barbara Boyle Torrey
Part One: Populations, Impressions, Values, and Cultures
1 Population Tectonics: Life and Death in North America
BARBARA BOYLE TORREY
2 Imagining Each Other
STEPHEN BROOKS
3 America Pivots Toward Progressive Canada: Recent Trajectories of Social Change in North America
MICHAEL ADAMS
4 Football, Frats, and Fiscal Peril vs. Commuters, Carping, and Rising Costs: The New Financial, Social,
and Psychological Context of Higher Education in Canada and the United States
HENRY SREBRNIK (WITH DAVID M. THOMAS)
Data Sources for Future Research
Part Two: Governance and Governing Mechanisms
5 Past Futures: Federalism under Stress
DAVID M. THOMAS
6 Prime Ministers and Presidents: Institutional Differences and Political Convergence
THOMAS M.J. BATEMAN
7 Turning Out or Tuning Out? Electoral Participation in Canada and the United States
MICHAEL D. MARTINEZ
8 Legislatures and Parties: Heightened Divisions Since the 1990s
MELISSA HAUSSMAN AND LORI TURNBULL
9 Two Nations Under Law
HON. ROGER P. KERANS
Data Sources for Future Research
Part Three: Economic Systems, Taxation, and Safety Nets
10 Banks, Banking, Regulatory Mechanisms, and the Public Interest: What’s So Different?
KATHRYN C. LAVELLE AND TONY PORTER
11 Getting Things Straight: The Complex World of Budgetary Policy
MUNIR A. SHEIKH
12 Health Care in Canada and the United States
ANTONIA MAIONI
13 Choose Your Parents Wisely: Economic Inequality and Mobility in Canada and the United States
JOHN HARLES
Data Sources for Future Research
Part Four: Policy Differences, Policy Challenges, and Policy Change
14 So Near and Yet So Far: Washington and British Columbia in the New Century
JONATHAN W. LAMPMAN AND DAVID M. THOMAS
15 Environmental Policy in Canada and the United States: Climate Change and Increasing
Distinctiveness
DEBORA L. VANNIJNATTEN
16 First Nations: Turning Promises into Action?
KATHY BROCK
17 Reflections on Foreign Policies, Defense Budgets, Borders, and the Current State of the Partnership
DAVID N. BIETTE AND ALEXANDRA KUSCHNER
Conclusion: Plus c’est la même chose?
Contributors
Index
Illustrations
Figures
1.1 United States Population By Race and Ethnicity 2010 (by percentage)
1.2 Canadian Population By Mother Tongue 2011 (by percentage)
1.3 Total Fertility Rate (number of children per woman)
1.4 Life Expectancy at Birth (in years)
1.5 Net Migration Rate (the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants per 1,000
population)
1.6 Minority Population (as a percentage of the total population)
1.7 Population 65 and Older (as a percentage of total population)
1.8 Aged Dependency Ratio (persons 65+ as a percentage of 100 persons 15–64)
1.9 Population Growth Rates (annual growth in percentage)
7.1 Turnout in Canadian National Elections and US Presidential Elections, 1970–2006 (percentage)
7.2 Turnout by Education (percentage)
7.3 Turnout by Income (percentage)
7.4 Turnout by Age (percentage)
7.5 Turnout by Gender (percentage)
7.6 Turnout by Religious Tradition (percentage)
7.7 Vote for McCain by Education and Income (2008) (percentage)
7.8 NDP Vote by Age (2011) (percentage)
11.1 Canada–US Growth Performance 2008–10 (percentage change in GDP)
11.2 Canada–US Revenues and Expenditures 2008–10 (percentage point change in shares of GDP)
11.3 Canada–US Comparison of Budget Deficits 2007–10 (percentage of GDP)
11.4 Canada–US Comparison of the Structural Budget Balance, 2007–10 (percentage of GDP)
11.5 Canada–US Comparison of Primary Budget Balances 2007–10 (percentage of GDP)
11.6 General Government Expenditure, Canada, the United States, and the OECD, 1994–2011
(percentage of GDP)
11.7 Canada–US Comparison of Functional Distribution of Spending, 2008 (percentage of total
spending)
11.8 Changes in the Functional Distribution of Spending 2000–08, Canada–US Comparison
(changes in percentage points of GDP)
11.9 Canada–US Comparison of Division of Responsibilities Across Levels of Government, 2009
(percentage of total government spending)
11.10 Changes in Canada–US Division of Responsibilities Across Levels of Government, 2000–2009
(percentage point change)
11.11 Canada, US, and OECD Comparison of Government Revenue, 1994–2011 (percentage of
GDP)
11.12 Canada–US Sources of Taxation, 2010 (percentage of total taxes)
11.13 Tax Wedges in Canada and the United States, 2011 (percentage of different proportions of
wages)
11.14 Canada–US Comparison of the Impact of the Tax Transfer System, 2011 (per cent tax rates)
11.15 Canada–US Comparison of Corporate Tax Rates, 2011
11.16 Canada–US Comparison of Budget Balances, 1994–2011 (percentage of GDP)
11.17 Canada–US Comparison of Underlying Primary Balances, 1994–2011 (percentage of GDP)
11.18 Canada–US-OECD Comparison of Gross Debt to GDP Ratio, 1994–2011 (percentage of
GDP)
11.19 Canada–US-OECD Comparison of Net Debt to GDP Ratio, 1994–2011 (percentage of GDP)
11.20 Canada–US Comparison of Net Replacement Rates in Retirement through the Public Sector
at Various Proportions of Working Income Levels, 2011 (retirement income as percentage of
work income)
12.1 Total Health Expenditure as Share of GDP (percentage), 2009–11
12.2 Current Health Expenditure by Healthcare Financing, 2011
13.1 Rising Income Inequality – GINI Coefficients in OECD Countries, 1985–2008
13.2 GINI Coefficients of Inequality of Market and Disposable Incomes (after taxes and transfers),
late 2000s
13.3 Canada and the US, Income Shares of Top 10% of Earners, 1920–2011
13.4 Growth in Household Market Income
13.5 Relative Intra-generational Income Mobility
13.6 Intergenerational Income Mobility for OECD Countries
13.7 The Relationship between Income Elasticity and Inequality
Tables
7.1 Voter Participation in the United States and Canada
9.1 Comparison of the Canadian and American Judicial Systems
11.1 Canada–US Comparison of Tax Structures, 2012
12.1 Healthcare Coverage in the United States, 2009
12.2 Main Provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
12.3 Canada’s 10-Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care, 2004–14