The Institute for Research in Public Policy is based in Montreal.  Its
journal Policy Options is a great resource to see what is on the minds of
the movers and sakers in Canada.  Sadly, it too infrequently contains
analyses of the social determinants of health is a health-related
perspective but is nevertheless especially relevant -- see below!


THINKING AHEAD – JANUARY 2006

THE MONTHLY E-NEWLETTER OF  THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON PUBLIC POLICY


RECENT PUBLICATIONS



§          Child  Care.  In “Quality Counts!  Assessing  the Quality of
Daycare Services Based on the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child
Development,”  Christa  Japel,  Richard E. Tremblay and  Sylvana  Côté
evaluate  the quality of the services offered in more than 1,500 daycare
settings in  Quebec and examine the link between the socio-economic status
of families and  the quality of the daycare settings attended by their
children.

§          Electoral  Reform.  In “Fixing Canada’s Unfixed Election  Dates:
A ‘Political Season’ to Reduce the Democratic Deficit,” IRPP Visiting
Scholar Henry  Milnerargues that adoption of fixed election dates is a key
element in a comprehensive  strategy to address low voter turnout and
cynicism, and says that Canada is  among only 12 of 40 comparable
democracies that do not have  them.

www.irpp.org/indexe.htm


UPCOMING PUBLICATIONS



Lost in Transition:  Canada and the Search for a 3-D Solution in  Kosovo

Julian Wright

§          Balanced Budgets: A Canadian Fiscal Value

Thomas J. Courchene


§          The History of Maternity and Parental Leave in  Canada

Shelley  Phipps


POLICY OPTIONS

December 2005-January 2006

Nine authors,  including Gordon McBean, Elizabeth May and Ian
Burton,analyze the “perfect storm” of  global warming.  Plus, Bob Rae
provides a perspective on the  new Iraq, Alain-G. Gagnon and Raffaele
Iacovino explain how the first  Gomery report let Quebecers down, and much
more.



Coming up in  February: Biosecurity



www.irpp.org/po



UPCOMING  EVENTS



§          Working Lunch:  “The Democracy Experiment in Iraq”



The Honourable Bob  Rae



February 13, 2006,  Toronto, Ontario



www.irpp.org/events



DID YOU KNOW?



§          The  “In the Spotlight” section of the IRPP home page is updated
regularly to follow  federal election campaign issues as they emerge, and
the IRPP is pleased to help  you identify and contact expert commentators.