Study
| EST. READ TIME 1 MIN.Higher inflation and higher unemployment make Canada 6th most “miserable” country among 35 advanced economies
The Misery Index Returns
Summary
- The Misery Index, a combination of inflation and unemployment rates created by economist Arthur Okun, is resurfacing as a measure of interest across developed countries as inflation rates increase and unemployment remains relatively high.
- Canada suffered from inflation rates that were routinely above 4 percent up until 1992 when the Bank of Canada was finally able to bring inflation under control. Canadians have enjoyed low inflation rates, ranging from near zero to under 3 percent from 1992 to 2020.
- In 2021, inflation rates increased markedly and are expected to remain at their current level throughout 2022. While many argue the current inflation rates are transitory, meaning that they are short-term in nature, there are genuine reasons to worry that higher inflation could be longer lasting.
- Indeed, Canadians are now rightly concerned with inflation, our Misery Index, and our comparative performance with other industrialized countries.
- The International Monetary Fund forecasts Canada to have the 4th highest inflation rate among 35 industrialized countries in 2021 and the 8th highest unemployment rate.
- This results in Canada having the 6th worst Misery Index score (combined rates of inflation and unemployment) in 2021 out of 35 industrialized countries.
- Such results should prompt much greater interest in both inflation and unemployment—and policies that can respond to both—by governments, particularly the federal government.
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Jason Clemens
Executive Vice President, Fraser Institute
Jason Clemens is the Executive Vice President of the Fraser Institute and the President of the Fraser Institute Foundation. Hehas an Honors Bachelors Degree of Commerce and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Windsor as well as a Post Baccalaureate Degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University. Before rejoining the Fraser Institute in 2012, he was the director of research and managing editor at the Ottawa-based Macdonald-Laurier Institute and prior to joining the MLI, Mr. Clemens spent a little over three years in the United States with the San Francisco-based Pacific Research Institute. He has published over 70 major studies on a wide range of topics, including taxation, government spending, labor market regulation, banking, welfare reform, health care, productivity, and entrepreneurship. He has published over 300 shorter articles, which have appeared in such newspapers as The Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Washington Post, Globe and Mail, National Post, and a host of U.S., Canadian, and international newspapers. Mr. Clemens has been a guest on numerous radio and television programs across Canada and the United States. He has appeared before committees of both the House of Commons and the Senate in Canada as an expert witness and briefed state legislators in California. In 2006, he received the coveted Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 award presented by Caldwell Partners as well as an Odyssey Award from the University of Windsor. In 2011, he was awarded (along with his co-authors) the prestigious Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for the best-selling book The Canadian Century. In 2012, the Governor General of Canada on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, presented Mr. Clemens with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to the country.… Read more -
Milagros Palacios
Director, Addington Centre for Measurement, Fraser InstituteMilagros Palacios is the Director for the Addington Centre for Measurement at the Fraser Institute. She holds a B.S. in IndustrialEngineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and a M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Concepcion, Chile. Ms. Palacios has studied public policy involving taxation, government finances, investment, productivity, labour markets, and charitable giving, for nearly 10 years. Since joining the Institute, Ms. Palacios has authored or coauthored over 70 comprehensive research studies, 70 commentaries and four books. Her recent commentaries have appeared in major Canadian newspapers such as the National Post, Toronto Sun, Windsor Star, and Vancouver Sun.… Read more -
Nathaniel Li
Senior Economist, Fraser Institute
Nathaniel Li is a Senior Economist at the Fraser Institute. He holds a B.A. from the Fudan University in China anda Ph.D. in Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Guelph. Prior to joining the Fraser Institute, he worked for the University of Toronto as a postdoctoral fellow and the University of Guelph as a research associate. His past research work has been published in many high-quality, peer-reviewed academic journals, including the Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural Economics, Preventive Medicine, and Canadian Public Policy. His current research covers a wide range of issues in fiscal, education, and labour-market policies.… Read more