Department of Anthropology, Economics and Political Science

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/2

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The surface of things: the impossibility of George Grant’s conservatism and the possibility of Canada
(2025) McKinnell, Ryan Alexander
This essay’s contribution to the symposium dedicated to the anniversary of Lament for a Nation explores how George Grant’s neglect of the question of the regime engenders a reductionist and, at times, misguided interpretation of political philosophy and politics by examining the fundamentally flawed understanding of Canada’s origins advanced in Lament for a Nation. At a time when Canadian sovereignty is under greater threat than at any point in the last century, it behooves us to return to the roots of our political tradition to decide if the Founders’ intention is valuable and worth preserving. Grant’s analysis is an obstacle to this enterprise because his failure to grasp the significance of the political not only precludes him from recognizing the full complexity of modernity, but also from understanding the intention of the Canadian Founding and the vitality of the Canadian regime.
Teaching economics of populism
(2025) Jahangir, Junaid
The objective in this paper is to list the salient ideas in the economics of populism to provide a lesson plan at the introductory and elective levels in economics. This is achieved through a literature review and book reviews in the economics of populism, the economics of hate, the political economy of both populism and hate, and popular books by noted academics, Jason Stanley and Yuval Noah Harari. A list of salient ideas is highlighted and complemented with video clips including ‘The Mob Song’ from Disney. Activities based on parsing song lyrics, contrasting viewpoints, and sample questions are outlined for the purpose of teaching the economics of populism.
Book review essay: a synoptic review of real-world and pluralist macroeconomics
(2025) Jahangir, Junaid
Garratt (2025, p.164) echoing Hodgson (2021) reiterated the limited changes in the teaching of undergraduate macroeconomics in the aftermath of the global financial crisis (GFC). Lanata-Briones (2025, p.99) noted a common student grievance in macroeconomics is the excessive theoretical content that comes at the expense of the real-world. Likewise, Fuentes (2025, p.135) stated that the excessive emphasis on mathematical technicalities makes macroeconomics less interesting for students. Earlier, de Muijnck and Tieleman (2021) had argued that economics education should focus on pluralism and the real world instead of abstract mathematics. While there exists the alternative of the online CORE text, de Muijnck et al. (2023, p.88) highlight that it is “not as radical as one might hope” (p.88). Similarly, Michell (2023) critiques that without access to tutoring, students may find it difficult.
How modern monetary theory questions the anxieties around debt
(2025-11-29) Jahangir, Junaid
Recently, top economists and historians assembled by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation sounded the alarm on the $38 trillion national debt in the US. The debt amounts to 120% of the GDP. However, Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) would reject this framing.
Book review of Jefferson, Therese and King, John E.: Post Keynesian Economics: Key Debates and Contending Perspectives
(2025) Jahangir, Junaid
De Muijnck and Tieleman (2021) argue that mainstream economics education does not help tackle challenges like climate change and inequality. Therefore, they suggest shifting the emphasis from mathematical technicalities to teaching based on real-world issues and pluralism. They state that pluralism is based on contrasting differing perspectives, a point made earlier by Mearman (2017) through contending perspectives. Similarly, in his manifesto on a new economics, Keen (2022, p. 151) argues that the most important alternatives to mainstream economics education include Post Keynesian economics and Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). Thus, topics of ecology and inequality, contending perspectives, and MMT and Post Keynesian economics, all drew me to the volume edited by Jefferson and King. As an educator, I recognize that many heterodox economists have adopted popular books into their teaching (de Muijnck et al. 2023). I too have incorporated popular books like Kelton (2021) on MMT, Hickel (2021) on degrowth and Piketty (2021) on inequality. However, the chapters in Jefferson and King by distinguished experts provide contrasting perspectives that enrich the classroom beyond the narrative of popular books. While the edited collections highlights several topics, my review focuses on chapters that, respectively, highlight the topical issues of MMT, the Green New Deal (GND) and inequality.
Towards a just economy with video clips
(2025) Jahangir, Junaid
In a bid to shift the focus from the technicalities of stylized mathematical problems and towards addressing real world issues, I came across Romeo (2024) which was promoted at the CORE website.1 This is not to take away from the important task set up by Keen (2022, p. 143) who opines that “failing to do mathematical modelling cedes to the Neoclassicals” and that “the mathematical foundation of a post-Neoclassical economics is system dynamics”. However, my approach at the ECON 101 level has been to expose students to pluralist perspectives through short video clips, and there is some literature that connects heterodox economics and critiques with animation clips (Jahangir, 2021; 2023). In this regard, Romeo (2024) provides an excellent opportunity to introduce students to alternative ways of achieving a more just economy. This is because each of his book chapters can be paired up with short videos of less than 5 minutes each that do not take much of class time and which can be helpful in retaining student interest. As Sexton (2006) mentions, the use of 3–5-minute short video clips to highlight economic principles can “break up the monotony of a straight lecture”. In what follows, seven short videos are showcased along with a synopsis of the main ideas offered by Romeo (2024).
Optimal population and sustainable growth under environmental constraints
(2025) Colonescu, Constantin
This paper develops a dynamic optimal growth model integrating population, economic activity, and environmental constraints to investigate sustainable long-run development. The model incorporates capital accumulation, consumption, pollution abatement, and an endogenous demographic equation in which population growth responds negatively to pollution. A critical environmental threshold is imposed beyond which population growth collapses. Calibrating the model with plausible parameter values indicates that a sustainable steady state can support a global population of approximately 5 billion, a level consistent with high per capita consumption and stable environmental conditions. The optimal policy entails devoting roughly one-third of output to pollution abatement, which is sufficient to stabilize pollution below the safe threshold without imposing excessive economic cost. In this equilibrium, the economy achieves high consumption per person, a stable capital stock, and environmental balance, thereby avoiding overshoot and collapsing scenarios. The results highlight the trade-off between economies of scale and environmental limits. Larger populations can stimulate production and innovation but risk unsustainable pollution levels, whereas smaller populations allow higher per capita welfare within ecological boundaries. These findings suggest that achieving global sustainability requires balancing population size, consumption, and ecological limits through effective pollution abatement.
Energy transition in Bangladesh: its implication on employment and skills in the power and energy sector
(2024) Alam, Rafat
The global energy landscape is undergoing a pivotal transformation, driven by the dual imperatives of sustainable development and climate change mitigation. This transition from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy sources presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities, particularly in the context of developing nations such as Bangladesh. With its dense population and burgeoning energy needs, Bangladesh stands at a critical juncture in its energy development trajectory. This paper explores the implications of Bangladesh’s energy transition on employment and skill requirements within the power and energy sector. Through a comprehensive analysis, the study aims to project the net employment impact by 2030, taking into account the evolving energy mix and the potential for job creation versus job displacement. The study further delves into the skill shifts necessitated by this transition, identifying key areas where workforce development efforts should be concentrated. Based on the findings, a set of policy recommendations were proposed to optimize employment outcomes in the renewable energy sector, thus facilitating a more inclusive and sustainable energy transition for Bangladesh.
Identifying the alternative narrative of LNG dominated energy-mix for the power sector
(2023) Alam, Rafat
This study addresses the critical issue of Bangladesh's pursuit of sustained and secure energy amidst its transition from a Least Developed Country (LDC) after 2026 and become a middle-income nation by 2050. The country has committed to different national and international platforms towards a substantial shift to renewable energy, aiming for 40% of its energy mix to be renewable by 2041, yet it is increasingly relying on expensive LNG-based power generation. The associated costs and impacts of this reliance on LNG, including economic, environmental, and social aspects, are examined. The economic burden, evident in significant government expenditures, poses risks to foreign reserves and macroeconomic indicators, potentially destabilising the nation’s fiscal balance. Moreover, the environmental implications of LNG, including greenhouse gas emissions and various air pollutants, are discussed, along with potential adverse effects on local ecosystems and communities. The findings underscore the urgency of transitioning to cleaner and more sustainable energy sources to mitigate climate change and avoid potential long-term economic risks associated with fossil fuel infrastructure investments. The study emphasises the immediate expansion of RE as an alternative to ensure a sustainable and resilient energy future, increased domestic gas exploration, and increased efficiency in power generation, transmission, and distribution.
Analysis: the rape of Palestinian men
(2025) Jahangir, Junaid; Long, Jennifer
Palestinian survivors of sexual abuse receive tragically little attention in Western media. This includes Palestinian women, who have been sexually assaulted for decades. In contrast, a lot more mainstream media space was afforded to Israeli victims of sexual abuse from October 7th even though some of that narrative has been problematized. Indeed, an article from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting reviewed New York Times coverage of sexual violence in Israel and Palestine over 11 months and noted a disproportionate focus on allegations of sexual assault committed by Palestinians (80%) versus allegations against Israelis (20%). The reporting on Israelis also avoided labelling these acts as sexual violence. Analyses have shown that Canadian media coverage disproportionately humanizes Israelis compared to Palestinians. The lack of coverage contributes to a broader narrative that overlooks Palestinians’ suffering.
Teaching the economics of racism
(2025) Jahangir, Junaid
The purpose of this paper is to offer three teaching plans in the economics of racial discrimination. It is shown that mainstream textbooks do not adequately capture the key ideas in the economics of racism. They delineate the anachronistic Becker model of discrimination. Resources like the Komlos textbook or the CORE Insight on Racial Inequality offer better alternatives on addressing systemic racism. This paper suggests how to incorporate Disney video clips from The Princess and The Frog; offers key ideas from the economics of incarceration; and discusses pluralist perspectives in the interest of advancing economic pluralism and decolonizing economics.
Book review: Between Doom and Denial
(2025) Jahangir, Junaid
I recall Andrew Leach from the mid 2000s. He was newly hired as an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta. I was working on my PhD dissertation on the Alberta electricity market restructuring. I remember being impressed by his sheer brilliance as he offered suggestions on strengthening my work. I believe that some of us are made strong so that we can serve the weak. This is why I am glad that he wrote the book, Between Doom & Denial, “to push back at half-truths that abound in public discourse” (p.1). Leach is clear that climate change is “the environmental, political, and societal challenge of our time” and that global warming is “mostly human-caused” (pp.1–3). As an economist, he is also clear that mitigating climate change is a public good, and many countries are not incentivised to mitigate climate change, instead free riding on the efforts of others (p.4). This is because the benefits of mitigating climate change are global, but the costs are local (p.9).
The green transition, federalism, and policy durability
(2024) Boyd, Brendan; VanNijnatten, Debora
A green transition represents a massive undertaking for society and governments that has not been seen since the end of the Second World War. This has led to calls for an approach similar to the Marshall Plan-the massive economic investment by the United States to rebuild the European economy and stabilize the political situation after the Second World War-to drive the shift to a low-carbon future. While almost all governments have developed policies in the areas of climate and sustainability, it is essential to assess the extent to which these actions can truly drive a sustainable transition. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government have committed in legislation to reduce the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net-zero by 2050. The Trudeau government overcame decades of regional acrimony to implement policies that would achieve this goal. The plan-including a price on carbon that will rise to $170 per tonne by 2030-has been lauded by experts as the first credible attempt by a Canadian government to live up to its climate change commitments. The key question is whether this policy architecture will have long-term durability, surviving changes in political and economic conditions, as it must be maintained and potentially expanded over the coming decades. This is far from a sure thing as provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario have been opposed, and the federal opposition Conservatives have promised to jettison these policies if they form the next government. This chapter will investigate the resilience of the policies in place to assess the likelihood that they can drive a sustainable transition across Canadian governments.
(Con)sensual sexual and reproductive justice for Indigenous women and girls through beadwork and burlesque
(2024) Johnson, Brittany; Riley, Kathleen C.; Perley, Bernard C.; García-Sánchez, Inmaculada M.
Language, whether spoken, written, or signed, is a powerful resource that is used to facilitate social justice or undermine it. The first reference resource to use an explicitly global lens to explore the interface between language and social justice, this volume expands our understanding of how language symbolizes, frames, and expresses political, economic, and psychic problems in society, thus contributing to visions for social justice. Investigating specific case studies in which language is used to instantiate and/or challenge social injustices, each chapter provides a unique perspective on how language carries value and enacts power by presenting the historical contexts and ethnographic background for understanding how language engenders and/or negotiates specific social justice issues. Case studies are drawn from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America and the Pacific Islands, with leading experts tackling a broad range of themes, such as equality, sovereignty, communal well-being, and the recognition of complex intersectional identities and relationships within and beyond the human world. Putting issues of language and social justice on a global stage and casting light on these processes in communities increasingly impacted by ongoing colonial, neoliberal, and neofascist forms of globalization, Language and Social Justice is an essential resource for anyone interested in this area of research.
Macroprudential policies and global banking
(2024) Doriane, Intungane
This paper examines the ability of macroprudential policies to dampen the pro-cyclicality of credit market cycles and to enhance the macroeconomic stability in countries open to cross-border banking activities. For the analysis, we develop a two-country dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model with collateral constrained investors and global banks. The existence of cross-border lending activities is the source of the transmission of shocks across countries. The macroprudential policies analyzed are loan-to-value ratios and capital requirements, also known as the capital adequacy ratio, which are formulated as Taylor-type rules. Our results show that the effectiveness of capital requirement financial regulations is undermined if borrowers can increase credit from foreign banks originating from a country with more relaxed financial restrictions. When cross-border lending is permitted, national financial regulators can improve the financial stability of credit growth and management of credit by complementing the capital adequacy ratios with loan-to-value ratios.
Rascals, pilfering, and purchases: the social and material entanglements of the early nineteenth century fur trade at Fraser Lake Post
(2024) Prince, Paul
Records related to Fraser Lake Post in New Caledonia and an assemblage of artifacts from a nearby Dakelh pithouse are used to query the early engagements of Indigenous people with fur traders and their materials. The central concern is with what fur traders regarded as theft, which they considered an affront and threat to the norms of commerce and presumed was motivated by a desire for material gain and flaws in personal character. The trader’s rhetoric brings into focus contrasting views of relationship building and the role of material culture in the process. When the exchange relationships are contextualized within sets of entanglements between individuals and social groups at various scales, discordant views of proper exchange and the value of material things can be better understood as resulting from differing ethos of reciprocity, with the material objects as more representative of relationships than technological changes and reliance.
Economics of Gaza
(2025) Jahangir, Junaid
The objective in this paper is to highlight the economics of Gaza by delineating the topics of structural occupation and energy conflict, free markets versus free market of ideas, economics of extremism, the economics of crime and discrimination, cultural stereotypes and crowding out of morality. This is achieved through an interdisciplinary approach by drawing literature from the nexus between economics and theology, law, and philosophy.
Bridging multiple meanings of 'impact' across and beyond the academy
(2025) Hall, Robyn; Auer, Meagan; McBeth, Renee; Green, Kassidy
"Impact" is central to contemporary research, yet its meaning varies widely across different stakeholders engaged in community-university research partnerships. This session will create a collaborative space for community members, academics, and administrators to explore and debate definitions of impact and how it is achieved. Informed by their research and professional practice, presenters will share diverse perspectives on what impact means to them in their respective roles as a community partner, community engagement facilitator, scholarly communications librarian, and community-based researcher. Participants will then be invited to share their own perspectives and experiences, reflecting on the tensions and synergies that arise from the process of striving to achieve meaningful outcomes when participating in community-based research. Key topics will include the challenges of balancing community priorities with academic goals, navigating differing views of impact among unique stakeholders, strategies for defining and pursuing impactful results, and practical strategies for communicating impact to different audiences. By sharing experiences, and considering multiple perspectives, this session will help shape a more nuanced and relational approach to defining and achieving research outcomes in community-engaged and academic contexts.
Book review of Beker, V. A.: Economic theory for the real world
(2025) Jahangir, Junaid
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, there has been a renewed push by student groups towards pluralism and real-world content in economics (Earle et al. 2017, Fischer et al. 2018). In this regard, several books of authors like Komlos (2023), McGuiness (2023), and Schneider (2024) have been recently published with words like ‘pluralism’ or ‘real-world’ in the title. However, not all such books are textbooks to answer the call for change in economics pedagogy, even though they address textbook content. The textbook of McGuiness (2023), which is like a supplementary reader to go with economics textbooks, has a neoclassical bent. Similarly, the work of Beker (2024), although heterodox, is not promoted as a textbook with exercises and resources. However, I was intrigued by his book as I used Komlos (2023) in my Humanistic Economics class and Komlos provided the foreword. Beker’s book reflects both seminal and recent contributions in heterodox economics and in a manner accessible to interested instructors, students, and lifelong learners. Moreover, while Komlos (2023) and Schneider (2024) are promoted as textbooks, Beker (2024) would be a supplementary reader that focuses on select topics.
Ancient Plasmodium genomes shed light on the history of human malaria
(2024) Michel, Megan; Skourtanioti, Eirini; Pierini, Federica; Guevara, Evelyn K.; Moetsch, Angela; Kocher, Arthur; Barquera, Rodrigo; Bianco, Raffaela A.; Carlhoff, Selina; Bove, Lorenza Coppola; Freilich, Suzanne; Giffin, Karen; Hermes, Taylor; Hiß, Alina; Knolle, Florian; Nelson, Elizabeth A.; Neumann, Gunnar U.; Papac, Luka; Penske, Sandra; Rohrlach, Adam B.; Salem, Nada; Semerau, Lena; Villalba-Mouco, Vanessa; Abadie, Isabelle; Aldenderfer, Mark; Beckett, Jessica F.; Brown, Matthew; Campus, Franco G. R.; Chenghwa, Tsang; Cruz Berrocal, María; Damašek, Ladislav; Carlson, Kellie Sara Duffett; Durand, Raphaël; Ernée, Michal; Fântăneanu, Cristinel; Frenzel, Hannah; García Atiénzar, Gabriel; Guillén, Sonia; Hsieh, Ellen; Karwowski, Maciej; Kelvin, David; Kelvin, Nikki; Khokhlov, Alexander; Kinaston, Rebecca L.; Korolev, Arkadii; Krettek, Kim-Louise; Küßner, Mario; Lai, Luca; Look, Cory; Majander, Kerttu; Mandl, Kirsten; Mazzarello, Vittorio; McCormick, Michael; de Miguel Ibáñez, Patxuka; Murphy, Reg; Németh, Rita E.; Nordqvist, Kerkko; Novotny, Friederike; Obenaus, Martin; Olmo-Enciso, Lauro; Onkamo, Päivi; Orschiedt, Jörg; Patrushev, Valerii; Peltola, Sanni; Romero, Alejandro; Rubino, Salvatore; Sajantila, Antti; Salazar-García, Domingo C.; Serrano, Elena; Shaydullaev, Shapulat; Sias, Emanuela; Šlaus, Mario; Stančo, Ladislav; Swanston, Treena; Teschler-Nicola, Maria; Valentin, Frederique; Van de Vijver, Katrien; Varney, Tamara L.; Vigil-Escalera Guirado, Alfonso; Waters, Christopher K.; Weiss-Krejci, Estella; Winter, Eduard; Lamnidis, Thiseas C.; Prüfer, Kay; Nägele, Kathrin; Spyrou, Maria; Schiffels, Stephan; Stockhammer, Philipp W.; Haak, Wolfgang; Posth, Cosimo; Warinner, Christina; Bos, Kirsten I.; Herbig, Alexander; Krause, Johannes
Malaria-causing protozoa of the genus Plasmodium have exerted one of the strongest selective pressures on the human genome, and resistance alleles provide biomolecular footprints that outline the historical reach of these species. Nevertheless, debate persists over when and how malaria parasites emerged as human pathogens and spread around the globe. To address these questions, we generated high-coverage ancient mitochondrial and nuclear genome-wide data from P. falciparum, P. vivax and P. malariae from 16 countries spanning around 5,500 years of human history. We identified P. vivax and P. falciparum across geographically disparate regions of Eurasia from as early as the fourth and first millennia bce, respectively; for P. vivax, this evidence pre-dates textual references by several millennia. Genomic analysis supports distinct disease histories for P. falciparum and P. vivax in the Americas: similarities between now-eliminated European and peri-contact South American strains indicate that European colonizers were the source of American P. vivax, whereas the trans-Atlantic slave trade probably introduced P. falciparum into the Americas. Our data underscore the role of cross-cultural contacts in the dissemination of malaria, laying the biomolecular foundation for future palaeo-epidemiological research into the impact of Plasmodium parasites on human history. Finally, our unexpected discovery of P. falciparum in the high-altitude Himalayas provides a rare case study in which individual mobility can be inferred from infection status, adding to our knowledge of cross-cultural connectivity in the region nearly three millennia ago.

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