Dan Breznitz, a senior fellow in international development studies at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, has won the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s first-ever Policy Book Prize.
Mr. Breznitz won for his book, Austerity: the Lack of Prosperity and Inequality in the Western World.
Founded by the advocacy group Public Citizen, the $60,000 prize recognizes Canadian public policy writers for creative thinking and pioneering new models of policy making. The finalists were announced by Sara Gauchat, associate director of communications at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and Gary Mason, the institute’s president and CEO.
“What makes Dan’s work stand out is its thoughtful analysis of the benefits and costs of austerity,” said Ms. Gauchat. “He brings an analytic framework to the conversation on spending, tax, spending, and taxation and argues that the morality of austerity can be questioned in many new ways.”
“Borrowed Funds” is described as a look at “the effect of the loss of government fiscal stimulus on global growth, international migration, unemployment, inequality, and the global economy generally.”
“Dan’s work is effectively accessible to anyone interested in public finance, international development, and politics and suggests a bigger agenda for policy improvement,” added Mr. Mason.
According to the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s website, the Policy Book Prize will also be used to explore other policy themes, with the next prize, to be awarded in 2020, specifically inspired by the book “Restraint, Accountability, and the Natural Economy: An Unconventional Defense of the Future of Canada.”
“The contest will seek new policy ideas to confront important challenges facing Canada and the world today,” the site said.
