The Performance of Service Industries in Canada: A Real Value Analysis

The performance of service industries in Canada has been lower than that of good industries over the last four decades, with noticeable exceptions such as for railways and telecommunication carriers. Service industries were less economically (and technically) efficient in that they generated less output value (quantity) per hour worked (level and growth) or per combined unit of labour and capital (multifactor productivity growth) than good industries. The relative output price of services declined slightly over time compared with goods. At the disaggregated level, changing relative output prices were substantial and proved to be an important factor explaining the relative satisfactory economic performance of many service industries despite their low technical performance. Nevertheless, the output share of service industries increased over that period, sustained, mainly, by the growing recourse of all firms to outsourcing of services.     

An Examination of the Interaction Between Modelling and Its Relationship with Construction Kits: Lessons from the Past and for the Future

Construction kits have played a significant part in nurturing the growth and development of the minds and manipulation-based skills of children (and adults) in formal and non-formal education settings. These kits have origins rooted in the representation of the built world and now have a diversity of form and function, including technical versions with moving parts. This article examines some of the historically based ideas that lie behind the role that kits may have in terms of physical modelling. The article traces the transformation of kits from simple bricks and blocks into more complicated pieces for space-filling and achieving the transfer of forces and motion. This transformation occurred during the Victorian era when the influence of the ideas of educationalists and, perhaps rather strangely, exponents of early aviation, played major roles in determining the diversity of forms of construction kit and modelled possibilities that are now to be seen in classrooms and homes. The article ends with a review of some of the lessons from the past and present that will need to be considered in relation to concrete modelling in schools for the future. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Impact of the Implementation of Technology Education on In-Service Teacher Education in South Africa (Impact of Technology Education in the RSA)

In this article the impact of technology education, as a new learning area (subject) in the curriculum, on in-service teacher education in South Africa is described in order to ascertain the extent of the impact. The research on which this article is based draws on a variety of experiences and observations in the field at grassroots level (in particular an outreach project in rural communities). The envisaged impact of technology education on South African schools, communities, teacher educators and teachers, the range of in-service teacher education that is required, and the impacts in urban and rural areas are discussed. Finally a number of concluding remarks are made about the extent of the impact of the inclusion of technology education in the new National Curriculum Statement and whether the situation has changed since the implementation of a pilot technology education project in 1998. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A computational general equilibrium model with vintage capital

This paper presents a vintage capital model assuming putty–clay investment and perfect foresight. The model is written in discrete time and is simulated by using a second order relaxation algorithm. By computing the eigenvalues of the dynamic system, we have checked the conditions of existence and uniqueness of a solution (Blanchard and Kahn's conditions) and identified the echo effect that characterizes vintage capital models and the related dynamics of creation and destruction. By calibrating the model on French data, it has been proved useful to explain the medium-term movements in the distribution of income in France during the last three decades.     

Technological choices and regulation: the case of the Canadian manufacturing sectors

Abstract The economic environment in which Canadian manufacturing firms operate has changed substantially over the last 40 years. Technological changes, new regulations, deregulation, and exogenous economic shocks all have been important aspects of this economic environment. In this article, we show how to include such changes in the economic environment faced by the firms in a behavioural model that includes the investment decision of the firm under uncertainty. Assumptions regarding the expectation formation process and technology are kept minimal. We estimate the effects of innovations such as the free trade agreement, the foreign investment review agency, and the federal environmental policy on the economic decisions of fifteen Canadian manufacturing sectors. JEL Classification: D24
Choix de technologies et réglementation: le cas des secteurs manufacturiers canadiens Au cours des 40 dernières années, l'environnement économique des firmes manufacturières canadiennes s'est grandement transformé. Que ce soit à cause du changement technologique, de la réglementation, de vagues de déréglementation ou de chocs économiques exogènes, les firmes ont dû s'adapter en modifiant leur technologie. Dans cet article, nous montrons comment prendre en compte les changements de l'environnement économique des firmes dans le cadre d'un modèle décisionnel de la firme en incertitude avec investissement. Les hypothèses concernant la technologie et les anticipations sont aussi générales que possible. Nous estimons l'effet qu'ont eu l'accord de libre échange, l'agence de tamisage des investissements étrangers et la politique environnementale fédérale sur les choix de technologies des firmes de quinze secteurs manufacturiers canadiens.