Overview

Abstract (English)

Chapter summary: In the energy-rich region of Western Canada, inequality rose over the past two decades, while poverty declined, begging the question of whether the recent energy boom was a contributing factor. This study uses measures of inequality and poverty across local labor markets that vary in energy extraction intensity to identify these distributional impacts. The evidence shows that, overall, the boom increased inequality and decreased poverty. There are, however, a few notable cases where these relationships are reversed. The significance and relative magnitude of growth across and between distributional segments were consistent with these findings. Book summary: The Institute for Research on Public Policy, in collaboration with the Canadian Labour Market and Skills Researcher Network, has gathered some of the country’s leading experts to provide new evidence on the causes and effects of growing income inequality in Canada and the role of policy. Their research and analysis is collected in this volume, the fifth in the IRPP’s The Art of the State series.

Abstract (French)

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