Policy for Journalists

The Policy for Journalists program teaches journalists how to use an economic lens to analyze Canadian and global policies. The complexity of some policy issues is daunting. While economic reasoning doesn’t guarantee a resolution of the issues, it is a powerful tool for critical thinking. The ability to determine opportunity cost, identify incentives, and predict resulting behaviour will help journalists set aside the emotion surrounding policy issues and bring clarity to the discussion of current events. The sessions are focused on applying economic concepts to analyze and interpret various Canadian and global public policies. Each session will provide you with a foundation for the case studies and discussion that follow it. This program will be guided by an experienced economics educator, alongside policy experts to walk you through a variety of areas of public policy and case studies.

Having taken our Economics for Journalists program previously, or having a solid understanding of economics and an interest in public policy is required for this advanced program.

Public policy topics covered include (but are not limited to):

• Energy development and the environment
• Canada’s health care system
• Government spending and taxation
• Canada's education system
• Poverty, inequality, and the disappearing middle class

Economic concepts covered include (but are not limited to):

• The "economic way of thinking" reviewed
• Public choice theory
• Debt, deficits, and balanced budgets
• Market failure and government failure
• Globalization
• Unintended consequences
• Trade
• Inflation

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Devon Orth-Lashley at @email for more information. To receive updates on upcoming programs, please subscribe to our Journalists mailing list.