Economic geography >

Research questions

1. Through the 1990s New-Economy industries were an important source of employment growth for the Canadian economy. What is the geography of New-Economy industry employment across Canada? Has employment in these industries been biased towards large, diverse metropolitan areas?
2. Analyses of the extent of Canada’s integration into the U.S. market have been limited to data on trade flows from 1993. New data are available for 1997 and will soon be available for 2002, which will allow a more up to date analysis of Canada’s trade relationship with the U.S. These data will allow us to ask whether ten and fifteen years after the implementation of the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement Canada is fully integrated into the U.S. market.
3. Productivity levels vary persistently across provinces, rural and urban areas, and cities. How does the intensity of competition across these places affect their productivity growth rates?
4. Over time, firms have to build new plants to renew Canada’s industrial base. The process of renewal is inherently a decision based on perceived market opportunities and one that involves a question of location. Does the rate of renewal vary across different geographies — provinces or rural and urban areas? Is renewal in some places driven by the establishment of new firms and in others by plants built by older, incumbent firms?
5. Many argue the economic environment in which firms develop has a strong influence on their long-term survival. What geographic factors influence the long-term survival of new entrants and the mortality of pre-exiting plants and firms?