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The nature of linkages between the industrial relations systems of Canada and the United States is hypothesized to depend on the strength of U.S. unions, which cover a majority of Canadian union members, and on the process of social comparison, which extends U.S. wage contours into Canada. A regression analysis, using data for Canadian manufacturing industries from 1957 to 1969, demonstrates the influence of wage changes in U.S. industries on wage movements in Canada. The paper concludes with an examination of the implications of wage linkages with the United States for economic stabilization policy in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Self-Sufficiency Project (SSP) was a social experiment conducted in two Canadian provinces during the 1990s that tested a generous financial incentive program for welfare recipients. A little-known subsidiary experiment, called SSP Plus, had a three-way design that tested the incremental effect of adding employment services to the generous financial incentive program. Employment services are viewed by many welfare analysts as an important component of an overall strategy for helping welfare recipients escape poverty and achieve stable employment. This paper presents the results of the SSP Plus experiment. Adding employment services encouraged more people to take up the earnings supplement, and it appeared to have long-term effects on full-time employment and welfare receipt. This might be because the services improved the jobs people obtained. Compared to program participants who lacked the added services, SSP Plus members had higher earnings and wage rates, and also appear to have held more sustainable jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of sub-global participation in greenhouse gas mitigation efforts, this paper investigates the effectiveness of a Canada-U.S. emissions bubble under their existing regional trade agreement. It also explores the potential economic impact of carbon tariff harmonization through the implementation of a common Canada-U.S. external border tariff adjustment as a mean to address competitiveness issues. Using a multi-region, multi-sector computable general equilibrium model the paper finds that the creation of an emission bubble between the two countries could improve efficiency. The findings also suggest that a carbon tariff harmonization policy could give rise to distributional issues among Annex I regions and could fail to mitigate the negative competitiveness impacts of carbon abatement policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prescribing of opioids has increased internationally in developed countries in recent decades within primary and secondary care. The majority of patients with chronic non-malignant pain (CNMP) are managed by their general practitioner (GP). Recent qualitative studies have examined the issue of opioid prescribing for CNMP from a GP viewpoint. The aim of this study is to identify and synthesise the qualitative literature describing the factors influencing the nature and extent of opioid prescribing by GPs for patients with CNMP in primary care. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, CINAHL and Web of Science were systematically searched from January 1986 to February 2018. The full text of included articles was reviewed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool for qualitative research. The papers were coded by two researchers and themes organised using Thematic Network Analysis. Themes were constructed in a hierarchical manner, basic themes informed organising themes which informed global themes. A theoretical model was derived using global themes to explain the interplay between factors influencing opioid prescribing decisions. Results: From 7020 records, 21 full text papers were assessed, and 13 studies included in the synthesis; 9 were from the United States, 3 from the United Kingdom and 1 from Canada. Four global themes emerged: suspicion, risk, agreement and encompassing systems level factors. These global themes are inter-related and capture the complex decision-making processes underlying opioid prescribing whereby the physician both consciously and unconsciously quantifies the risk–benefit relationship associated with initiating or continuing an opioid prescription. Conclusion: Recognising the inherent complexity of opioid prescribing and the limitations of healthcare systems is crucial to developing opioid stewardship strategies to combat the rise in opioid prescription morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If, as has been widely suggested, internal labor markets are declining and a new employment contract with reduced employer-employee commitment is emerging, the criteria by which employees judge layoffs as fair or unfair may be changing. This paper presents findings relevant to that question, based on quasi-experimental surveys in Canada and the United States. Respondents rated layoffs stemming from reduced product demand as more fair than those resulting from employee suggestions. Behind this judgment, apparently, was the normative premise that companies should not punish employees for their efforts; rent-sharing norms appear to have played little or no role, as respondents deemed new technology an acceptable reason for layoffs. Consistent with theories of distributive and procedural equity, layoffs were perceived as more fair if the CEO voluntarily 'shared the pain.' Respondents in Silicon Valley were not more accepting of layoffs than were those in Canada, on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper briefly surveys the history of natural gas use and describes the main features of current gas consumption. The share of gas in total energy consumption, and the sectoral distribution of its use in major consuming regions are discussed. The main changes in the pattern of gas consumption since 1980 are reviewed and explained. I analyze the likely implications of (a) the emergence of the combined cycle gas power generation; (b) the rising environmental premium of gas; and (c) the transformation of the West European gas market structure. The paper concludes that natural gas will substantially increase its share of global energy consumption in the next 15-20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder caused by a single absent/defective gene and characterized by a lack of functional clotting factors. People with hemophilia may experience joint damage, pain, and psychological impairments, all of which could contribute to reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The current standard of care is clotting factor replacement, which is associated with regular infusions; therefore, alternative treatments such as gene therapy (GT) are in development. GT involves the delivery of a functional copy of the clotting factor 8/9 gene by a single infusion into the patient's cells, enabling them to produce their own clotting factor VIII/IX. The impact of treatment on patients' HRQoL can be assessed using hemophilia-specific patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. Since these measures were designed before the advent of GT, there is a need for updated individualized PRO measures. Patient groups and regulatory authorities emphasize the need for increased patient engagement when considering clinical trial design. Here, we provide patients' perspective on undergoing GT and discuss how to capture the patient voice when measuring the therapy's transformative impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars and practitioners from multiple perspectives, including developmental science, sociology, business, medicine, and public health, have considered the implications of employment for young people. We summarize a series of meetings designed to synthesize information from these perspectives and derive recommendations to guide research, practice, and policy with a focus on young worker safety and health. During the first three meetings, participants from the United States and Canada considered invited white papers addressing developmental issues, public health data and findings, as well as programmatic advances and evaluation needs. At the final meeting, the participants recommended both research and policy directions to advance understanding and improve young worker safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using two Canadian data sets, the authors explore the role of union coverage in displaced workers' wage losses. While only 32% of the workers had unionized jobs prior to displacement, the wage loss suffered by these workers represented about 80% of the wages lost by all displaced workers in both samples. Losing union status was associated with large losses whether or not a worker switched industries after displacement. Extrapolating the results to the United States, the authors estimate that one-third to one-half of U.S. displaced workers' wage losses may be due purely to the loss of union coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents updates on studies about labor-management relations, as of July 1979. Using industrial and regional categories, Peter Frost and Mark Thompson of the University of British Columbia continue their analysis of strike patterns in Canada. Milton Derber and Martin Wagner of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign completed a survey of bargaining and budget making in public institutions under tight budgetary conditions. Arthur Dobbelaere of Loyola University of Chicago in Illinois is completing an extensive study of bibliographic material in industrial relations. Mario Bognanno and James Dworking of the University of Minnesota are continuing research to test a theory they developed regarding the way interest arbitrators behave in handing down decisions.

The political involvement of Christian denominations in the last several decades has been shaped by a number of factors, such as the agendas particular denominations choose to pursue, whether issues are defined as moral or political ones, independent clergy activity, opinion gaps between elites and lay people, interaction with special interest groups, and the presence of inter-denominational coalitions. Conversely, restructuring theory suggests that as denominational identities and loyalties decline and parishioners become more divided in their political views, their denominations are less likely to take political action because of the internal conflict that would result. This paper examines denominational political activity on the subject of homosexuality to see if it conforms to restructuring theory, or if it could be better understood by historical factors. The evidence from this study shows that, while restructuring theory may help explain contemporary denominational political action in some limited situations, the aforementioned historical factors continue to explain much of the existing patterns of activity on this specific issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper two gaps in North American immigrant homeownership research are addressed. The first concerns the lack of studies (especially in Canada) that identify changes in homeownership rates by skin color over time, and the second relates to the shortage of comparative research between Canada and the United States on this topic. In this paper the homeownership levels and attainment rates of Black, Chinese, Filipino, White, and South Asian immigrants are compared in Canada and the United States for 1970/1971–2000/2001. For the most part, greater similarities than differences are found between the two countries. Both Canadian and U.S. Chinese and White immigrants have the highest adjusted homeownership rates of all groups, at times even exceeding comparably positioned native-born households. Black immigrants, on the other hand, tend to have the lowest ownership rates of all groups, particularly in the United States, with Filipinos and South Asians situated between these extremes. Most of these differences stem from disparities that exist at arrival, however, and not from differential advancement into homeownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Canadians use some form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and most Canadian physicians are not able to address their patients' use due to inadequate training. Integrative Medicine (IM) in the medical profession has grown over the last 20 years and is now recognized as a sub-specialty in the United States. Canada is lagging behind. The current state of CAM and IM education for physicians in Canada is described, using the United States' experience in comparison. The landscape and obstacles for Integrative Medicine for Canadian physicians is reviewed. A case is made for recognition of Integrative Medicine by Canadian Medical Colleges in order to advance this field in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A content analysis of values in dominant culture magazines in the United States, Canada and Great Britain during 1957-59, 1967-69 and 1970-72 indicated a priority on instrumentalism and little shifting in overall value preference over time. This appears to be contrary to predictions made by counterculture observers that Western society was changing rapidly toward a countercultural ideology. A similar analysis of the underground press in the same countries during 1967-69 and 1970-72 revealed a marked shift from expressive priorities during the earlier period to political priorities during the later period. These findings and their implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strongest empirical evidence of dependency has been the finding of an increasingly negative effect of extensive foreign capital penetration on the subsequent economic growth of the host. This long-run structural effect of foreign direct investment is based on cross-national comparisons over the period 1960-75, with samples of up to ninety-one countries. To date, the structural effect has not been replicated for rich (core) country samples. We suggest that the failure of researchers to substantiate the dependency effects in the core hinges on two problems: I) the need to identify "mature economic dependency" as a variation in the structure of core economic development, and 2; the need to model mature dependency with longitudinal rather than cross-national research designs. In this paper, we use time series data to illustrate the long-term negative effects of Amen can direct investment on post-World War!! economic growth in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of various papers related to the migration that were published in several periodicals. One of the papers discussed is "Gentility: A French-Canadian Community in the Minnesota Red River Valley," by V. Berroit. The history of the settlement of French Canadians in Gentility, a township in Polk County in the Red River Valley of North-Western Minnesota. "For the most part, French Canadian immigrants remained culturally and spiritually faithful to a socio-ecclesiastical structure and that not only gave them individual independence by being basically rural, but assured them of their survival as a group by virtue of its village-like character. Another paper discussed is "Immigration Policies and Trends: A Comparison of Canada and the United States," by M. Byod. This paper discusses recent migration to North America with reference to the 1962 and 1967 Canadian immigration regulations and the 1965 U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. Despite the similar emphasis on manpower and kinship criteria as the basis for the admission of immigrants, differences between Canada and the U.S. exist with respect to the importance of immigration for the respective economies, the organization of immigration, the formal regulations, and the size and composition of migrant streams.

Background: Pharmacy students can help protect the public from vaccine-preventable diseases by participating in immunization initiatives, which currently exist in some Canadian and American jurisdictions. The objective of this article is to critically review evidence of student impact on public health through their participation in vaccination efforts. Methods: PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Database, EMBASE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Scopus and Web of Science electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed literature on pharmacy student involvement in vaccination programs and their impact on public health. Papers were included up to November 17, 2015. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts and extracted data from eligible full-text articles. Results: Eighteen titles met all inclusion criteria. All studies were published between 2000 and 2015, with the majority conducted in the United States (n = 12). The number of vaccine doses administered by students in community-based clinics ranged from 109 to 15,000. Increases in vaccination rates in inpatient facilities ranged from 18.5% to 68%. Across studies, student-led educational interventions improved patient knowledge of vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. Patient satisfaction with student immunization services was consistently very high. Discussion: Methodology varied considerably across studies. The literature suggests that pharmacy students can improve public health by 1) increasing the number of vaccine doses administered, 2) increasing vaccination rates, 3) increasing capacity of existing vaccination efforts, 4) providing education about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases and 5) providing positive immunization experiences. Conclusion: Opportunities exist across Canada to increase pharmacy student involvement in immunization efforts and to assess the impact of their participation. Greater student involvement in immunization initiatives could boost immunization rates and help protect Canadians from vaccine-preventable diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We reviewed the literature on the association between pre-pregnancy multimorbidity (co-occurrence of two or more chronic conditions) and adverse maternal outcomes in pregnancy and postpartum. Data sources: Medline, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched from inception to September, 2021. Study selection: Observational studies were eligible if they reported on the association between ≥ 2 co-occurring chronic conditions diagnosed before conception and any adverse maternal outcome in pregnancy or within 365 days of childbirth, had a comparison group, were peer-reviewed, and were written in English. Data extraction and synthesis: Two reviewers used standardized instruments to extract data and rate study quality and the certainty of evidence. A narrative synthesis was performed. Results: Of 6,381 studies retrieved, seven met our criteria. There were two prospective cohort studies, two retrospective cohort studies, and 3 cross-sectional studies, conducted in the United States (n=6) and Canada (n=1), and ranging in size from n=3,110 to n=57,326,681. Studies showed a dose-response relation between the number of co-occurring chronic conditions and risk of adverse maternal outcomes, including severe maternal morbidity or mortality, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and acute health care use in the perinatal period. Study quality was rated as strong (n=1), moderate (n=4), or weak (n=2), and the certainty of evidence was very low to moderate. Conclusion: Given the increasing prevalence of chronic disease risk factors such as advanced maternal age and obesity, more research is needed to understand the impact of pre-pregnancy multimorbidity on maternal health so that appropriate preconception and perinatal supports can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a neurocutaneous disease that causes significant morbidity worldwide. The disease is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which leads to the development of a painful, vesicular rash and can cause complications such as post-herpetic neuralgia and vision loss. Globally, the incidence of HZ is increasing, and it incurs billions in cost annually to the healthcare system and to society through loss of productivity. With the advent of effective vaccines such as the live attenuated vaccine, Zostavax®, in 2006, and more recently the adjuvant recombinant subunit vaccine, Shingrix®, in 2017, HZ has become a preventable disease. However, access to the vaccines remains mostly limited to countries with developed economies, such as the United States and Canada. Even among countries with developed economies that license the vaccine, few have implemented HZ vaccination into their national immunization schedules due to cost-effectiveness considerations. In this review, we discuss the currently available HZ vaccines, landscape of HZ vaccine guidelines, and economic burden of disease in countries with developed and developing economies, as well as barriers and considerations in HZ vaccine access on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the structural and construct validity, and internal consistency of the Quality of Life Scale among Canadian women with histories of intimate partner violence. Methods: Consistent with COSMIN Guidelines, a secondary analysis was conducted using data from a community sample of 250 adult (over 18 years) Canadian women with histories of partner violence and who participated in Wave 5 of the longitudinal Women’s Health Effects Study. Data were collected 4 years after baseline using structured interviews that included the Quality of Life Scale and two mental symptom scales (Center for Epidemiological Depression Scale and Davidson Trauma Scale) used to assess construct validity of the Quality of Life Scale. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis in MPLUS 8 with maximum likelihood estimation supported the hypothesized unidimensional structure of the 9-item Quality of Life Scale based on acceptable fit indices. Internal consistency, estimated using Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability, were .91 and .92, respectively, with item-total correlations ranging from .46 to .84. Inter-item correlation coefficients (range=.30–.79), suggesting that all items contribute to the total score. As hypothesized, the quality of life total score was negatively related to the total scores on both the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (r=–.739) and Davidson Trauma Scale (r=–.537), providing evidence of construct validity of the Quality of Life Scale. Conclusion: The Quality of Life Scale is a brief, reliable, valid, unidimensional self-report measure appropriate for use with women who have experienced partner violence. By addressing an important measurement gap, results of this study have potential to advance research on women’s quality of life in the context of partner violence, including improving the evaluation of a growing body of advocacy and health interventions designed to support women’s healing and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-sector end-use energy model E3MC was used to analyze the energy and greenhouse gas emissions impact of adding a carbon tax to efficiency improvement standards for the residential sector in Canada and the USA. Compared to standards alone, the addition of the tax led to further residential emission reductions in Canada, but attenuated the residential emission reductions in the USA. Examination of the relative residential electricity:natural gas prices demonstrated that the different country impacts were due to an increase in relative prices in the USA, but a decrease in relative prices in Canada that led to opposite shifts in preference for electricity over natural gas in the residential sector. Markedly different impacts of the carbon tax on electricity prices was due to the predominance of hydroelectric power in Canada and coal-fired electric generation in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "border effect" in international trade refers to a situation in which there is higher volume of trade within a country compared with the volume of trade across the country's borders. Although trade economists are not surprised at the existence of a border effect, they do find the significant size of the estimated effect in the empirical literature perplexing. In this study we authors show why previous empirical studies have had an upwards bias in the estimation of the border effect. The study also provides more reasonable estimates of McCallum's estimated border effect in United States-Canada trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the research papers presented by Michael J. Churgin and Howard Adelman regarding the government policies of countries toward refugees which appeared in the Spring 1996 issue of International Migration Review. Adelman examines in detail efforts by Tutsi refugees from Rwanda to exercise their right of repatriation between 1991 and 1996 and the varying attitudes of different Canadian ministries and agencies toward that objective. Churgin takes a longer historical perspective to assess changes and continuity in patterns of response by the U.S. government to mass migrations. The common feature of these two articles is a focus upon the perspectives of decisionmakers in advanced democracies and their ability to affect migration flows. An implicit issue suggested by both articles is the moral relevance of numbers of claimants in determining an acceptable response to particular migration flows. Adelman is concerned with the right of refugees to membership in their state of origin and the process by which they might seek to exercise a right to repatriation. He chooses to examine this issue not from the refugees' viewpoint but from that of a third country, Canada. The Canadian perspective proves to be a fractured one, as six different ministries and agencies of the Canadian government pursued often contradictory objectives in their interactions with the previous Rwandan regime and with representatives of Tutsi exiles.

Theoretical understanding of survey nonresponse is implicitly heavily behaviourist, concentrating upon researchers' inputs such as follow-up arrangements, and predetermining social role characteristics of sample listings. With the decline over time in response rates, however, the possible importance of social values concerning privacy invasion has been more seriously entertained by methodologists. The paper describes evidence indicating that, in both the USA and Canada, the post-1960's decline in response is not accounted for simply by input explanations. A privacy index is generated by content analyzing British, Canadian, and American newspapers for privacy-related objections to the decennial census. Decade and country, scored according to the privacy index, are then entered into an empirical model for predicting response rate on a survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an analysis of functionary skills and prerogatives deployed in process of framing, negotiating and establishing conditions for action in pentecostal assemblies. It is based upon overt non-participant observation and interviewing in 66 pentecostal institutions in England and Wales, Canada and the United States. Its focus is upon the crises that arise either when the prerogative of definition is contested by two or more 'special definers' or when there is a compelling resemblance of phenomena in the sacred domain to realities familiar in the profane. The skills which enable the professional functionary to sustain sacred definitions during such conflicts include competence in the sacred language, the management of laughter and the sacred gift of `discernment'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes and analyzes the little-known, but extensive, defense cooperative relationship that exists among the armed forces of the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. While perhaps arguably a relatively esoteric subject prior to 1989, given the recent changes that have taken place in the Soviet Union, U.S. alliance strategy is now on the threshold of a new era--an era in which the Soviet threat is seen by many allies as diminishing. As U.S. officials ponder the implications of a decreased Soviet threat on its many alliances, of which almost all have been threat-based, it will be important to recall the one series of collective security arrangements with allies that has been founded on similarities, vice solely threats. This intimate Anglo-Saxon connection appears to have the needed bases for enduring well into the post-cold-war era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a detailed description of the pattern of occupational adjustment of the Vietnamese refugees to the United States and compares their experiences with other recent refugee and immigrant groups, such as the refugees from Nazism, the Hungarian refugees, the Cuban refugees, two immigrant groups, one to Canada and one to the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the outset of the Thatcher/Reagan era, the employment and labor law systems across six Anglo- American countries could be divided into three pairings: the Wagner Act model of the United States and Canada; the Voluntarist system of collective bargaining and strong unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland; and the highly centralized, legalistic Award systems of Australia and New Zealand. The authors argue that there has been growing convergence in two major areas: First, of labor law toward a private ordering of employment relations in which terms and conditions of work and employment are primarily determined at the level of the enterprise; and second, of individual employment rights, toward a basket of minimum standards that can then be improved upon by the parties. The greatest similarity is found in Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. Ireland retains a greater degree of public ordering, while the United States diverges in favoring the interests of employers over those of employees and organized labor. The authors explore reasons for the convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author talks about the progress of building physics. He notes that such small niche of applied science has evolved to become one of the leading fields in building in the 21st century in which aspects such as indoor air quality, energy efficiency of buildings and other fields of engineering activities tend to be a subset of simultaneous heat, air and moisture transfer. He mentions that the U.S. and Canada prefer the term building science over building physics as the latter is said to be more practical and more performance-oriented.

Professional sports leagues play a major role in our society, but little attention has been given to organizational factors related to league survival. We address this issue by examining the effects of related agglomeration (the extent to which league teams are located near teams from other sports that share the same broad professional sport identity), sport age, market heterogeneity (high variance in the number of teams from other sports in its teams' cities), and within-sport league competition (high niche overlap) on league mortality. Related agglomeration may lead to intensified competition but may also lead to benefits by producing agglomeration economies and by driving the development of regional identities. We propose that the effects of related agglomeration vary over a focal population's life cycle. We also argue that leagues with high market heterogeneity have higher chances of failure, particularly under conditions of high competition. We test our ideas using event history analysis to examine mortality in the entire population history of professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada (which are fundamentally different from leagues in other parts of the world) from the first league founding in 1871 until 1997. We find that leagues in young sports whose teams tend to be located in cities with large numbers of other sports (high related agglomeration) suffer from higher mortality rates while leagues that are in more established sports are less likely to fail under these circumstances. Consistent with prior research, leagues are more likely to fail when they experience higher competition (higher niche overlap) with other leagues in their sport, and the effects of competition are exacerbated by high variance in the number of other sports across the leagues' cities (high market heterogeneity). We end by discussing the implications of our results for more common multi-unit organizational forms such as franchises and by considering promising avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative study examines survey data from 464 call centers in the United States, 167 in the United Kingdom, and 387 in Canada to explore two questions: whether institutional differences shape employers' choices of ways to improve work force flexibility, both numerical and functional; and whether strategies for numerical flexibility and functional flexibility are related. The results suggest that institutional differences across these liberal market economies--specifically, in dismissal regulations and union strength--did affect how employers chose to achieve work force flexibility. For example, the use of part-time workers was more common in countries with more stringent rules regulating dismissals. Organizational characteristics also mattered, with outsourced firms being more likely than in-house firms to use part-time workers. Evidence also suggests that managers used numerical flexibility and functional flexibility strategies as substitutes: higher employee job discretion was associated with both lower dismissal rates and a lower likelihood of temporary use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 1999 and 2001 Canadian matched employer-employee data with rich information on worker and job characteristics, the authors identify the relative importance of immigrant wage differentials within and across establishments and the sources of these differentials. Whereas existing explanations of immigrant wage differentials emphasize immigrants' productive characteristics, differentials across establishments may be entirely independent of immigrants' actual or perceived skills or quality. The findings show highly non-random sorting of immigrants across establishments within Canada's major cities and geographic regions. For immigrant men, this sorting affected wage differentials more than did differences in how immigrant and native men were paid within establishments. For immigrant women, however, particularly those from less developed world regions, within-establishment wage differentials appear to have been more important. These findings raise numerous important questions for future research, such as whether the highly non-random sorting of immigrants across establishments primarily reflects immigrants' search behavior or employers' recruiting methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U S. and Canadian economies have much in common, including similar collective bargaining structures. During the period 1981-88, however, although both countries witnessed a decline in the percentage of workers belonging to unions and an increase in hourly wage inequality, those changes were much more pronounced in the United States than in Canada Using data on men in Canada and the United States in 1981 and 1988 (from the Labour Force Survey and supplements to the Current Population Survey), the authors study the effect of labor market institutions on changes in wage inequality by computing simple counterfactuals such as the distribution of wages that would prevail if all workers were paid according to the observed nonunion wage schedule Their results suggest that much more severe declines in the unionization rate in the United States than in Canada account for two-thirds of the differential growth in wage inequality between the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author analyzes nominal and real wage changes in unionized manufacturing firms in Canada and the United States over the years 1964-90. He finds more differences between the countries' patterns of wage determination in the years 1964-79 than have commonly been recognized. In the 1980s, the nominal wage determination structure changed more sharply in the United States than in Canada. Real wage determination changed little in the United States before 1986, while after 1986 observed real wage growth was significantly smaller than what would have been predicted based on patterns of bargaining in earlier years. In Canada, real wages in the 1980s were significantly higher than they would have been if the previous patterns of wage determination had persisted. Both the nominal and real wage change results suggest that unions in U.S. manufacturing fared poorly in wage bargaining in the 1980s by comparison with their Canadian counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several observers have argued that one reason for higher union density in Canada than in the United States is that union certification procedures are considerably less time-consuming in Canada. This study tests that claim through an analysis of data on employer unfair labor practices and the outcome of union certification applications in Ontario from 1982 through 1990. The author finds that employer unfair labor practices reduced union support in certification campaigns in Ontario, but their effect is far less significant than that found in studies of the certification process in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes how the twelve-hour shift in the petroleum and chemical industries developed based on interviews with managers in fifty plants in the U.S. and Canada in 1977. It is found that twelve-hour shift is not a total solution to the problems of working shifts but as long as operations run continuously, no schedule will be able to remove the undesirability of late-shift and weekend work entirely. The significance of the modified schedule depends on its provision for fewer interruptions to the normal functioning of the workers' private lives. Success of such schedules depends on the willingness of management and workers to innovate together for their mutual good.

This article presents information on the growth and development of the fur workers union in the U.S. The International Fur Workers Union of New York was organized in 1904 by Jewish fur workers. In 1911, a new fur union was founded in New York City due to the necessity for the improvement of employment conditions of workers. In 1928, the Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union was organized by communist furriers' union in collaboration with the Communist in the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. The union of leather workers with fur workers became the International Fur and Leather Workers Union of the U.S. and Canada in May 1939.

Strategic human capital research has emphasized the importance of human capital as a resource for sustained competitive advantage, but firm investments in this intangible asset vary considerably. This article examines whether and how external pressures on firms from capital markets influence their human capital strategy. These pressures have increased over the past three decades due to banking deregulation, technological innovation, and the rise of institutional investors and new financial intermediaries. Against this backdrop, this study examines whether a firm’s capital structure as measured by share turnover, shareholder concentration, and financial leverage is associated with firm investment in strategic human capital. Based on survey and objective financial data from 221 establishments in the United States and Canada, our analysis indicates that firms with greater share turnover, higher shareholder concentration, and higher levels of financial leverage are less likely to invest in human resource systems that create strategic human capital. Differences in national financial systems also lead to differential effects for U.S. and Canadian firms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigated the links between alcohol use trajectories and problem drinking (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition abuse/dependence) using five waves of data from 727 North American Indigenous adolescents between 10 and 17 years from eight reservations sharing a common language and culture. Growth mixture models linking fundamental causes, social stressors, support, and psychosocial pathways to problem drinking via alcohol use trajectories over the early life course were estimated. Results indicated that 20 percent of the adolescents began drinking at 11 to 12 years of age and that another 20 percent began drinking shortly thereafter. These early drinkers were at greatly elevated risk for problem drinking, as were those who began drinking at age 13. The etiological analysis revealed that stressors (e.g., perceived discrimination) directly and indirectly influenced early and problem alcohol use by decreasing positive school attitudes while increasing feelings of anger and perceived delinquent friendships. Girls were found to be at risk independently of these other factors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Why are democracies unresponsive to well-documented injuries in the production and by the consumption of pornography? Legal challenges to pornography in Canada and the United States in which sexual subordination, not moral notions of "obscenity," were the driving rationale, show democracies inadequately recognizing gender-specific harms. Changes in Canadian obscenity doctrines to account for harm and inequality, in contrast with the U.S. reign of "free speech," did not deliver a corresponding change on the ground. Developments in democratic theory, international law, and the particular U.S.-Canadian legal trajectory, and consideration of the void of institutions articulating the interests of those victimized in and by pornography, suggest the need to adopt empowering civil remedies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After September 11, 2001, the U.S. and Canadian federal governments increased restrictions on materials and people crossing the border. Antiterrorism regulations have introduced costly compliance requirements, clearance delays, and unpredictable border wait times for companies conducting business across the international border. A recent study suggests that many Canadian and U.S.-based exporters intend to counteract these costs by implementing strategies including geographic supply chain reconfiguration. Strategic adjustments of this nature could have profound effects on the geography of North American supply chains, the structure and volume of bilateral trade, and the management of just-in-time delivery systems. This project follows up on the previous study via personal interviews with 35 businesses that had indicated an interest in geographic strategies. Preliminary findings suggest that firms are quickly adjusting to new security requirements and are improving communication channels throughout their cross-border supply chains to stay abreast of new developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article previews the September, 2006 issue of "Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice." The issue focuses on the topic of women's entrepreneurship, noting that thirty percent of all privately held firms in the U.S. are principally owned by women, controlling $1.2 trillion in revenue. The trend of women's entrepreneurship is even greater internationally, especially in countries such as Canada, Denmark, and New Zealand. The issue focuses on social perceptions of women entrepreneurs, building the female entrepreneurship community, and a discussion of research related to women-owned businesses.

This study assesses whether civic association activity has declined in four Western democracies: Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Influential accounts of decreasing civic engagement in the United States lead to the expectation of similar patterns in the other three nations. The authors test this hypothesis using data from time-use surveys of adult national samples for the mid-1960s to the late 1990s. One major finding is a clear decline in association activity in the United States, especially after 1975, but relative stability in the other three countries. Equally important are further results indicating that the American decline pertains only to women. Findings are sustained even after controlling for social background characteristics and four other activities (television watching, paid work, childcare, and physical activity). The analysis casts doubt on the theory that declining civic association activity in the United States reflects generational differences. Possible explanations for the reduced activity among American women, including lower levels of state support, are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with the citizen submission process administered by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), one of the key concessions made to the environmental movement by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. in their effort to build political support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993. Overview of the NAFTA; Role of CEC in the area of enforcement of international trade; Status of citizen submissions on enforcement matters; Revisions of guidelines for submissions on enforcement matters.

Examines the state of the relationship between Canada and the U.S. Impact of the refusal of Canada to join the war against Iraq in 2003 on the U.S. government; Number of Canadian peacekeepers dispatched to Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; Information on the book "Ignorant Armies: Sliding Into War in Iraq," by Gwynne Dyer.

Explores how social and behavioral scientists are focusing their investigations of traditional and alternative medicine in Native American communities of the U.S. and Canada. Discussion on traditional and alternative medicine; Issues involving native medical practices.

In this study we reconsider the relationships between gender stereotypes and the three universal dimensions of affective meaning: Evaluation (E), Potency (P), and Activity (A). Multiple regression analyses of comparable data sets for the United States and Canada are aimed at the most contentious question found in the literature: To what extent are male and female stereotypes differentiated along the E dimension? We find that, net of P and A, higher levels of goodness are consistent with the perception that a trait is associated with females. This suggests that two status hierarchies operate in the gendering of traits: a primary hierarchy, which overlaps with the power hierarchy favoring men, and a secondary status hierarchy favoring women. We note that women's status advantage on this secondary hierarchy might be understood as benevolent sexism or, alternatively, as social recognition of the importance of women's caring labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 1500 middle-teenagers were selected from Seventh-day Adventist churches thoughout the United States and Canada for a longitudinal study on church retention and dropout A new survey was sent each year for ten years. collecting a wide variety of information on family background and personal beliefs, attitudes, and practices. At the end often years it was determined how many of these now young adults were still church members, how many were active in their congregations, and how many had dropped out of membership or become inactive during the study period. These facts were then correlated with information collected during the first year of the study on family background and religious beliefs and practices to develop predictions about what things in the lives of church-affiliated teenagers will influence whether they continue in the church or drop out of it as young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the Northwest Passage controversy between the United States and Canada beginning with the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Sea voyage through the passage without permission from the Canadian Government in August 1985 to the signing of the executive agreement on Arctic cooperation in January 1988. Particular focus is placed upon U.S. national interests in the Arctic region, Canadian public opinion and governmental reaction to the Polar Sea voyage, and U.S. freedom of the seas policy as exercised during the Reagan administration. The implications of the dispute upon NATO and the role of the Soviet Union are noted. A concluding analysis of this event is included, as well as a prescription for future cooperation by developing a Canadian-American Northwest Passage Coast Guard Patrol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the extent to which governments in Canada and the United States (U.S.) can control the behavior of public corporations with regards to the issue of environmental protection. Conditions under which governments can exercise control; Efforts made by the governments of the U.S. and Canada; Measures which can be taken to regulate public corporations.