Montreal Economic Institute: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
== History == |
== History == |
||
The MEI started its activities in 1999 as an outshoot of the Fraser Institute which organized its establishment and gathered the initial funding necessary to initiate a viable research program. Michel Kelly Gagnon, an entrepreneur and trained lawyer was chosen to administer the Institute. Initially a board of academics was established to guide research policy but eventually control of the research agenda was ceded to those who funded the Institute. The Institute rapidly established a leading place in debates on economic policy in the province of Quebec and managed to attract leading research lights suchas Marcel Boyer of the University of Montreal, a renowned mathematical economist of world wide repute. Apart from its research activities the Institue also organized yearly student economic seminars hosting such luminaries as Andrew Coyne, Ezra Levant, and John Robson. Gradually the Institute dissociated itself from its founder the Fraser Institute and embraced big business. This led in 2007 to the founding of a Quebec branch of the Fraser Institute in Quebec, in direct defiance of the Montreal Economic Institute. |
|||
The MEI started its activities in 1999 under the leadership of [[Michel Kelly-Gagnon]]. Mr. Kelly-Gagnon left to head the [[Conseil du patronat du Québec]] in April 2006. Economist [[Paul Daniel Muller]] was president from September 2006 to July 2008. Michel Kelly-Gagnon has been chosen to come back as president in February 2009. |
|||
[[Maxime Bernier]] served as its vice president, from May to November 2005, before he became federal [[Minister of Industry]]. [[Tasha Kheiriddin]] also briefly occupied this position from March to September 2006. From February 2007 to October 2009, the vice president was [[Marcel Boyer]], professor of economics at the [[University of Montreal]]. |
[[Maxime Bernier]] served as its vice president, from May to November 2005, before he became federal [[Minister of Industry]]. [[Tasha Kheiriddin]] also briefly occupied this position from March to September 2006 before moving to the Quebec branch of the Fraser Institute. From February 2007 to October 2009, the vice president was [[Marcel Boyer]], professor of economics at the [[University of Montreal]]. |
||
== Description == |
== Description == |
||
The MEI is financed by donations from foundations, private corporations and individuals; it does not accept funding from the public sector. Its annual budget is about $1.5 million and it has about ten persons on its staff ([http://www.iedm.org/uploaded/pdf/rapportsannuels_en.pdf Annual Report]). Several members of its board of directors play a significant role in Quebec's economy as entrepreneurs or intellectuals. The MEI prepares a ranking of Quebec high schools published in [[L'actualité]] magazine every fall. |
The MEI is financed by donations from foundations, private corporations and individuals; it does not accept funding from the public sector. Its annual budget is about $1.5 million and it has about ten persons on its staff ([http://www.iedm.org/uploaded/pdf/rapportsannuels_en.pdf Annual Report]). Several members of its board of directors play a significant role in Quebec's economy as entrepreneurs or intellectuals. The MEI prepares a ranking of Quebec high schools published in [[L'actualité]] magazine every fall. Initially this survey was conducted by the Fraser Institute. |
||
Its studies are often mentioned in Canadian media, just like those of the [[Fraser Institute]] |
Its studies are often mentioned in Canadian media, just like those of the [[Fraser Institute]]. The two institutes are no longer affiliated following a rift in which the MEI came under the control of corporate sponsors, which was anathema to the independent minded Fraser Institute. |
||
== Criticism == |
== Criticism == |
||
Revision as of 03:53, 26 June 2010
| Established | 1999 |
|---|---|
| President | Michel Kelly-Gagnon |
| Location | |
| Website | www.iedm.org |
The Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) is a non-profit research organization (or think tank) based in Montreal. It aims at promoting economic education of the general public and efficient public policies in Quebec and Canada through studies and conferences. Its research areas include different topics such as health care, education, taxation, labour, agriculture and the environment. Its studies are often mentioned in the media.
History
The MEI started its activities in 1999 as an outshoot of the Fraser Institute which organized its establishment and gathered the initial funding necessary to initiate a viable research program. Michel Kelly Gagnon, an entrepreneur and trained lawyer was chosen to administer the Institute. Initially a board of academics was established to guide research policy but eventually control of the research agenda was ceded to those who funded the Institute. The Institute rapidly established a leading place in debates on economic policy in the province of Quebec and managed to attract leading research lights suchas Marcel Boyer of the University of Montreal, a renowned mathematical economist of world wide repute. Apart from its research activities the Institue also organized yearly student economic seminars hosting such luminaries as Andrew Coyne, Ezra Levant, and John Robson. Gradually the Institute dissociated itself from its founder the Fraser Institute and embraced big business. This led in 2007 to the founding of a Quebec branch of the Fraser Institute in Quebec, in direct defiance of the Montreal Economic Institute.
Maxime Bernier served as its vice president, from May to November 2005, before he became federal Minister of Industry. Tasha Kheiriddin also briefly occupied this position from March to September 2006 before moving to the Quebec branch of the Fraser Institute. From February 2007 to October 2009, the vice president was Marcel Boyer, professor of economics at the University of Montreal.
Description
The MEI is financed by donations from foundations, private corporations and individuals; it does not accept funding from the public sector. Its annual budget is about $1.5 million and it has about ten persons on its staff (Annual Report). Several members of its board of directors play a significant role in Quebec's economy as entrepreneurs or intellectuals. The MEI prepares a ranking of Quebec high schools published in L'actualité magazine every fall. Initially this survey was conducted by the Fraser Institute.
Its studies are often mentioned in Canadian media, just like those of the Fraser Institute. The two institutes are no longer affiliated following a rift in which the MEI came under the control of corporate sponsors, which was anathema to the independent minded Fraser Institute.
Criticism
The MEI is sometimes criticized about the ideological neutrality of its research. According to some political analysts, it advocates mainstream neoclassical theories of economics.