The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Contrary to popular wisdom, changes in government policy have improved, not undermined, the incentive to attend university relative to six years ago, says a C.D. Howe Institute Commentary released last week. The study, Carrots & Sticks: The Effect of Recent Spending and Tax Changes on the Incentive to Attend University, is written by Kirk A. Collins, Assistant Professor of Finance, and James B. Davies, Professor of Economics at the University of Western Ontario. They challenge the prevailing view that governments have neglected postsecondary education. By studying both spending and tax measures between 1998 and 2003, they show a boost in the net incentive to attend university, largely because of changes in the tax system. Calls for substantial spending increases are unwarranted, they conclude. Instead, they propose smarter, more effective ways to improve the current subsidy package. The paper is available at www.cdhowe.org.
