Conference Reports, October, 2007
Exposing the Energy Myopia
Energy is the lifeblood of all economic activity. For this reason, disruptions in predictable supply and demand have far reaching impacts for all countries. Though a popular topic of discussion in the media, the catalogue of threats associated with energy instability has been slow to gain traction as a policy priority. Some practical questions arise from the welter of discussion and popular conjecture: Is there a looming global energy crisis? If so, how quickly is it happening, and how grave is the problem? What are the economic implications of coming energy shortages, and what are the geopolitical implications? What are the governance issues and what options exist for addressing them in a multilateral context?
Exporting Good Governance the Canadian Way
Can "good governance" be "exported" to developing countries, especially by a country such as Canada? If so, should Canadians be exporting good governance abroad? These are, of course, difficult questions, the answers to which can be both politically charged and hotly contested. Still, they are questions that must be asked, if for no other reason than that, over the course of the last two decades, millions of Canadian dollars have been spent on good governance programs, with varied results to show for it.