What if economic growth is real but only in certain places? In this special two-part episode, we move beyond headline GDP to examine the territorial foundations of economic development. Guest Dr. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Princesa de Asturias Chair in Economic Geography at the London School of Economics, and Director of the Cañada Blanch Centre, draws on decades of research to explain how regions fall into what he calls a development trap. These are not necessarily the poorest places. They are often middle-income regions that once thrived and are now quietly falling behind. Policy concentrates investment in major hubs and assumes spillovers will follow — the evidence suggests otherwise.  In part one, host Marwa Abdou and Dr. Rodríguez-Pose explore the limits of place-neutral policy, the risks of betting national growth on a handful of metropolitan centers, and why institutions, not just markets, determine long-run prosperity.  In part two (to be released tomorrow), Dr. Ken Coates, Distinguished Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and Professor of Indigenous Governance at Yukon University, brings the Canadian terrain into focus. From resource regions to Indigenous governance and northern economies, we examine how institutional capacity, local ownership and mobilizing latent potential shape opportunity across a vast federation. Because when capability clusters by postal code, growth stops being a national statistic and becomes a question of power. Links:- Andrés Rodríguez-Pose – London School of Economics  - Cañada-Blanch Centre at LSE  - The Revenge of the Places that Don’t Matter by Andrés Rodríguez-Pose   - The Case for Regional Development Intervention: Place-Based vs Place-Neutral Approaches by Fabrizio Barca, Philip McCann, and Andrés Rodríguez-Pose - Do Institutions Matter for Regional Development? by Andrés Rodríguez-Pose - What Kind of Local and Regional Development and for Whom? By Andy Pike, Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, & John Tomaney 

Canada isn’t short on talent, research or ideas. Yet living standards are under pressure, and productivity growth has slowed. What is really holding the economy back?  In this extended episode, host Marwa Abdou brings together two leading economists for a rare back-to-back look at the productivity puzzle from both a macroeconomic and innovation perspective.  Paul Beaudry, Professor at the Vancouver School of Economics and former Bank of Canada Deputy Governor, reframes productivity as a measure of value, not effort, and challenges the assumption that more education and labour force growth automatically translate into stronger outcomes. Dan Breznitz, Co-Director of the University of Toronto’s Innovation Policy Lab, pushes the conversation further, arguing that invention alone does not create prosperity. What matters is whether economies build the capacity to scale ideas, diffuse technology and embed innovation inside real firms.  Their insights point to a deeper tension: Canada’s challenge may not be a lack of ambition but a gap between what the country knows how to produce and what it is structured to use. It’s a timely conversation about economic design, competitiveness and the choices that could determine whether Canada pulls ahead or stands still. Links:- Paul Beaudry – Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia - Dan Breznitz - Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto - Demographics and recent productivity performance: insights from cross-country comparisons by Paul Beaudry, David A. Green, Fabrice Collard - The Great Reversal in the Demand for Skill and Cognitive Tasks by Paul Beaudry, David A. Green, Benjamin M. Sand - Innovation in Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World by Dan Breznitz - Canada’s Productivity Gap Is a Vulnerability We Must Fix - Business Data Lab Other Resources:- Canada 2025 Article IV Consultation Staff Report - Productivity Growth in Canada: What is Going On? - Tim Sargent, School of Public Policy - Canada’s Productivity Challenge: The Hidden Costs of Resource Abundance and U.S. Dependence - Julien Martin, School of Public Policy - We Need to Get Going on Canada’s Four-Alarm Productivity Emergency – CD Howe Institute - Canada’s Investment Crisis: Shrinking Capital Undermines Competitiveness and Wages – CD Howe Institute - The Role of Firm Size in the Canada–U.S. Labour Productivity Gap Since 2000 - Statistics Canada 

Welcome to Season 2 of Canada’s Economy, Explained! Host Marwa Abdou opens the season by stepping back from the usual ritual of economic forecasting to ask a more fundamental question: What happens when the systems shaping our economy are tested in real time? Before looking ahead to 2026, this episode examines what the past year revealed about the limits of prediction, the persistence of economic constraints, and the growing gap between intention and institutional capacity. Because economies do not run on data alone. They run on decisions. And those decisions ultimately shape trust. Marwa is joined by returning guest Andrew DiCapua, Principal Economist at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, who shares his six economic predictions for the year ahead, from interest rates and trade to business investment, consumption and consumer sentiment. Together, they explore why the outlook may be more conditional than certain, and why stability on paper does not always translate into confidence on the ground. But this conversation goes beyond forecasts. It introduces the central lens for the season: How power operates within the economy, who sets the rules and whether Canada’s systems are prepared to deliver on the ambitions they signal. If last season focused on the importance of trust, this season asks what makes trust possible. Because in a world of finite resources, the future is not simply predicted. It is chosen. Links:- 8 Predictions for Canada’s Economy in 2025 - BDLNow – Data Driven Prediction of the Canada’s Economy - 6 Predictions for Canada's Economy in 2026 

In this special episode, recorded live at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s AGM and Convention, host Marwa Abdou speaks with Minh Tri Dang, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Finance at Wilson, and Karla Congson, CEO and Founder of Agentiiv, about the intersection of work, leadership, and innovation at a critical moment for Canada’s economy. Technology is advancing faster than our ability to build the skills and leadership models needed to use it well. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rise of AI. Organizations that treat AI as a simple technological upgrade, rather than a shift in culture and capability, will struggle to remain competitive in a market that rewards adaptability, not just adoption. Marwa, Minh, and Karla examine what this means on the ground. They explore how the labour market is already being reshaped, and why the decline in entry-level roles is creating broken rungs in the career ladder. The traditional pathways that once helped young workers gain experience are narrowing, and the implications for opportunity and mobility are significant. All three agree on one thing: Canada needs a coordinated national workforce strategy that connects skills, innovation, and inclusion. Without it, the country risks falling behind at a time when the pace of change is accelerating. Links:- Canadian Labour & Staffing Journal - Agentiiv  

Taxes shape more than government revenue. They shape trust. In this episode, host Marwa Abdou sits down with Heather Scoffield, founding CEO of the Canadian Tax Observatory, to explore how Canada’s tax and fiscal systems influence the country’s ability to build, grow and compete. Together, they unpack the tensions inside the 2025 Federal Budget, from the renewed focus on large-scale capital projects to the difficult choices around fiscal discipline, human capital, and long-term productivity. Heather explains why a modern industrial strategy must include people as much as physical infrastructure, and why simplifying parts of Canada’s tax system could strengthen the relationship between taxpayers and government. This conversation goes beyond line items and budget tables. It is a look at how Canada funds its ambitions, how those decisions affect households and businesses, and what a credible, sustainable path to shared prosperity might require. Links:- Heather Scoffield - Bricks and mortar build out the federal balance sheet - Canadian Tax Observatory