Abstract 'Brain Drain' refers to the emigration of highly skilled Canadian workers to the United States. Some economists identify it as a significant and growing problem. They prescribe a variety of remedies. However, a second group of economists argue that it is not a problem. This essay concludes that it is not a significant problem; Canada enjoys a net 'brain-gain' and examines the ideological agenda motivating the advocates of a crisis.
Abstract The paper discusses how the "brain drain" is accelerating in the era of globalization, due to the United States' immigration policy and the better opportunities professionals find abroad. The paper relates that this results in much of Africa having a dearth of doctors, scientists, technicians, corporate executives, university graduates and other people needed for a country's economic and social development.
From the Paper "The United States is a magnet for people all over the world, as can be seen by the problem of illegal immigration. One of the tenets of those supporting legal immigration is that used in the right way. Immigration can assure that the best and the brightest are selected and that the U.S. can in this way enhance its supply of technically trained workers. One problem with this approach is that it causes a "brain drain" in other parts of the world as those best able to help in their own country are siphoned off to the United States. This issue can become a concern in the country of origin, and it has been noted that Africa is suffering because of the policy; the region's best educated are emigrating to the United States at too high a rate."
Abstract This paper examines Canada's brain drain--Emigration of skilled professionals, academics and computer workers, particularly to the United States. At the same time Canada admits more than 200,000 immigrants each year and many of these are educated, highly skilled, professionals. Despite media attention on brain drain it is minimal and overwhelmed by Canadian immigration in knowledge-based occupations.
Abstract How did immigration contribute to Canada's economic growth? The purpose of this essay is to discuss the ways in which it can be determined how Canadian immigration/emigration between 1914 and 1945 contributed or did not contribute to the country's economic growth. Of secondary but equal importance is to explore ways to determine if emigration during that time period caused significant loss of brain power .
Abstract This paper finds that there has been chronic labor shortages in Taiwan and makes an effort to discover the reasons behind this. For the most part it focuses on the incidence migration and brain drain and comments on the effects these processes have had on Taiwan's overall economic development. It concludes that there is evidence suggesting some brain drain, but fairly little to go on in terms of quantifying the economic effects. In large part, this has to do with the difficulties associated with measuring the brain drain.
Abstract The paper shows that one of the greatest problems facing the American nation today is that of its failing school systems. It is a favorite rhetorical trope of politicians that education is an investment in our nation's future. The paper discusses how few politicians are truly interested in remedying the situation in real, constructive ways. It explores two ways politicians have recently attempted to improve the nation's education system by introducing an expanded school voucher system and raising state standards for children's education via increased standardized testing. These solutions are attractive to voters because they do not cause much of a drain upon taxpayer's funds. The paper argues however that ultimately the only real solution that will result in a real and long-lasting improvement in the education is that all American children receive increased funding for schools.
From the Paper "This real increase in funds was used to support summer schools, remedial programs, and actual steps to support student's ability to strive for real standards. Such programs do not attempt to close failing schools through heightened competition with the private sector, or support school's attempts to simply set standards without taking real steps to ensure students meet these standards. Recently, Michigan cut over 100 million from its early childhood education and remedial help program for elementary school children. California eliminated its system of monetary awards to public schools that meet standards in the state. Although standards were not lowered in either state, how can students meet such standards without adequate support from teachers and a supported curriculum?"
Abstract This paper evaluates the economic requirements of the elderly today such as health plans and pensions and discusses what will happen when those born in the baby boom of the 1950s and 1960's become pensioners. It examines the foreseen drain on the economy and the effects it has on Medicare and pension plans as well as Social Security. The paper includes statistics and a graph.
From the Paper "Modern Canada is also suffering from many of the issues that currently plague the United States. According to a statistical analysis provided by Canada's Daily report, ?One out of every eight Canada's citizens reported that they had unmet health care needs in 2000/01, up from one in twenty-four in1994/95. Prolonged waits and unavailability of services were the most frequently reported reasons for such unmet needs.? If this pattern continues in its hostile direction, these painful statistics will grow in coalition with its offset pattern. The problem with treating Canada's elderly is that the Canadian hospitals do not have the money or the room for such a large number of older people needing health care (sound familiar). In a recent health care study done by the University of Toronto, states that ?80% of young people between the ages of 18-45 are given higher priority in health care over those between the ages of 45-80.?"
Tags: babyboom, medicare, social, security, seniors, hospitals, health
From the Paper "ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING AND GIS
Introduction
This research examines the application of relationship between geographical information system (GIS) technology to the process of environmental modeling. A watershed analysis application of GIS to environmental modeling is used for purposes of discussion.
Environmental Modeling
Environmental models are simplified characterizations of reality. A model does not include all aspects of a real situation. Only those characteristics deemed to be necessary to assess the issue for which the model is designed are included in the model. This simplification of reality allows the analyst to focus more clearly on a specific problem. Thus, while environmental.."
Abstract This paper discusses the many social and economical reasons for Canada not to ratify the Kyoto Accord of 1997, an international agreement aimed at addressing the issue of climate change. The paper argues, for example, that there is no concrete evidence that global warming is in fact ocurring. The paper shows that many provincial governments in Canada are opposed to the ratification of the Accord, whereas the federal government is in full support. This could be attributed to the fact that Jean Chretien knows that he will soon no longer be the Prime Minister of Canada, ratification of the Kyoto Accord may be his way of making a grand exit. The paper argues that the federal government has obviously not taken into account the economical impacts of the Kyoto Accord. If the Accord is ratified, many Canadian jobs will be lost as a result, some project even a second brain drain to the USA.
From the Paper "If Canada ratifies the Kyoto Accord, the country would be a much better place to live in now as well as in the future. At least this is what many "experts" would like Canadians to believe. The United Nations Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement aimed at addressing the issue of climate change. The protocol was agreed to in 1997. It commits developed countries to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 5.5% below 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012. Canada's share is a 6% reduction below 1990 levels. Other developed countries are being obligated with different emission reduction commitments. Developing countries and, of course, countries that are not party to the agreement are not required to meet targets for greenhouse gas emissions (CM&E, 2001)."
Abstract Discusses the economic costs and advantages to organizations. Transaction theory. Focus on health care industry and employee turnover. Goal of hospitals for health care excellence and cost control. Impact of employee turnover on hospital budgets; drain on profits and efficiency. Staff shortages and elimination of services. Threat to revenues.
From the Paper "Transaction cost theory, as proposed by Ronald Coase and Oliver Williamson, states that organizations experience enormous economic costs and corresponding economic advantages in each and everyone of their captivities or transactions (Slater & Spencer, 2000). For many years, the dominant neoclassical approach to the theory of the firm suggested that nothing significant would be gained from peering into the "black box" called the firm and that it was enough to know that a firm operated to maximize profits. In the core model of perfect competition, this was achieved subject to known technology and known prices.
Transaction cost theory takes into account the assertion that the firm exists because of its capacity to economize on the costs of market-oriented production (Slater & Spencer, 2000). The firm itself emerges as the most superior economic device for the ..."
Abstract The paper shows how Napoleon failed to match Britain's economic policies of a sound currency, direct taxation of the rich, naval power and a consolidated national bank. It shows that the army drained the French economy, so taxes rose and hyperinflation took place. This led to mass unemployment and high bread prices after the 1811 harvest. As confidence waned, the bourgeoisie deserted Napoleon, and the country was in disarray. Napoleon was a military genius who was far ahead of his counterparts in the early 1800?s. However, his opponents modernized their military strategies and brought themselves up to his level. The paper shows that Napoleon allowed the French economy to stagnate while being shored up by short term finances stemming from military victories. Ultimately, this greatly contributed to the collapse of the Empire and Napoleon's eventual defeat.
From the Paper "Financial issues played a major part in the conflicts and developments of the 18th and 19th centuries. Sound fiscal policy was the key to whether a nation could feed its people and supply its armed forces. Finance, and tax in particular, had been significant in bringing down the ancien regime in France. J.R Stephenson described Chartism as "a knife and fork question, a bread and cheese question" and there is certainly much truth in the assumption that radical feelings and societal insecurity are at their greatest during times of economic depression. Therefore a sound economy was paramount for a prosperous and harmonious nation."
Abstract The paper stresses on the harmful effects of tobacco smoking including the major diseases and disorders associated with it. It discusses how cigarettes are harmful to the smoker himself and also impose a drain on the economy that far outweighs the benefit they provide. It examines the chemical makeup of the leading cause of death in the United States and analyzes the large sums of health care costs and productivity losses related to smoking. It also looks at the legal stance of smoking and how no law in the United States of America punishes smokers for causing the death of another through second hand smoke although some states have taken steps to restrict smoking in public places.
From the Paper "How is a cigarette harmful? A typical cigarette contains four thousand chemicals, two hundred of which are known poisons, and forty-three carcinogens, or substances that cause cancer. Some of the poisons in cigarette smoke include acetone, the chemical used in nail-polish remover, nicotine, an extremely addictive chemical found in insecticide, benzene, a petrol additive, ammonia, a chemical used in toilet cleaners, and arsenic, the main ingredient in rat poison ("Harmful Chemicals" n. pag.). When a cigarette is lit, the tobacco catches on fire and produces a hot, noxious smoke, filled with such poisons, that is inhaled by the smoker. This smoke fills the lungs and deprives the brain of oxygen, and the burning temperature of the smoke causes damage to cells in the lungs and other places, opening the door for cancer to set in. Naturally, the poisons in the smoke have an adverse effect on the health of the smoker. Lung cancer, emphysema, coronary heart disease, stroke, and larynx cancer are a few of the numerous illnesses caused by cigarette smoking (Howell 26-27)."
Abstract This paper examines how nurse practitioners compare with physicians in referring asthma patients to the right specialists. The paper explains that a literature review on this topic was performed because nurse practitioners are playing an increasing role in primary medical care, but are still meeting some opposition from physicians who consider them less qualified and fear they are draining funds away from their practices. The paper looks at the question whether nurse practitioners would recognize the need for referral to a specialist as readily as would a physician.
From the Paper "In some places, nurse practitioners are setting up practices on their own, independent of physicians (Ventura, 1998). In Manhattan, a group known as Columbia Advanced Practice Nurse Associates (CAPNA) have admitting privileges at one of the city's leading medical centers and have secured contracts with three HMOs to serve as primary care providers with reimbursements at the same rates as physicians. While NPs were originally created to provide service in areas where doctors were scarce, they are rapidly becoming accepted everywhere, and the Department of Veterans Affairs issued a policy statement encouraging the use of NPs, saying the could provide up to 80 percent of patients' healthcare needs."
Tags: NP, HMO, Cardiothoracic, CAPNA, health, care, system
Abstract This paper examines how a study of Southern California coastal waters in 1999 showed that the waters rarely contain enough bacteria during the summer to make swimmers sick, except at creeks and storm drains that are releasing urban runoff. It looks at how significant portion of coastal water contamination comes from non-point source pollution such as agriculture and urban runoff, faulty septic systems, marinas and recreational boating and habitat degradation. It proposes a study to determine the coliform count in water samples from New Port Beach, California which is considered to be one of the best urban beaches in the United States and provides an analysis of the results.
From the Paper "Newport Beach is the fifth best urban beach in the United States, according to the Surfrider Foundation report issued in May, 2000 (Mehta, 2000). The city was one of three California communities to make the list as a place where healthy shorelines and urban development coexist. However, Newport Bay suffers from extreme pollution from the Santa Ana River. In January, 2000 Gumbel (2000) reported that all 8 miles of Huntington Beach, a few miles north of Newport Beach, had been closed since the previous summer because the water had shown exceptionally high levels of enterococcus bacteria, indicating fecal contamination. Surfrider Beach in Malibu was plagued at the same time by E. coli bacteria and viruses. The contamination in both cases was attributed to urban runoff."
Abstract This paper discusses how Uganda shows all the traits of a developing country. It looks at how it faces the many environmental problems common to many developing countries, such as deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, invasions by introduced species, poaching and wetland draining. It also discusses how the Ugandan population is not very healthy, with a low life expectancy, due to HIV infection and deaths from simple (treatable) illnesses, such as malaria and meningitis. It analyzes what exactly development means for Uganda and its people and how development is composed of more than just economics. It looks at how political and cultural changes should also be taken into account as well.
From the Paper "Too much of development is ideas imposed from the outside by people "who know best", which is very much a patronizing attitude from the very people that are supposedly trying to help (especially in these worrying times where speaking about "regime change" is rarely challenged). People in developing countries are not stupid, they are just disadvantaged financially, which in this day and age, where money speaks louder than anything, even louder than the deaths of children from untreated diarrhea, is admittedly a hindrance, but not an insurmountable obstacle, if only they were given a fair chance: Fair Trade, a fair deal on the price of drugs from multinational drug companies, a fair hearing when help is needed desperately (Remember when Rwanda begged for coverage of its tribal warfare, and no-one would cover it? Remember when Colombia had three thousand deaths in an earthquake ? which incidentally destroyed the coffee region for three years ? and no-one listened?)."
