Out in print! Some great articles in here including one by myself and @lindsaytedds.bsky.social on designing cash transfers for inclusion in Canada. #CdnPoli

I'm super excited to see this out in the world. #INCLUSIecon --> examining the full system of taxes, transfers, and income supports - how policies/programs, incl. their design, implementation, governance, and institutions shapes who has resources, who doesn't, and why, and what can we do about it

@gillianpetit.bsky.social and I have built something we're proud of. INCLUSIECON is our research home — rigorous work on tax and transfer policy, designed from the start to be used. Take a look 👇 inclusiecon.ca

From Cost to Investment: Reframing Social Spending in an Affordability Era - IRPP Affordability pressures in Canada remain elevated. In 2024 — the most recent year for which there is comprehensive data — food insecurity reached record highs, nearly half of Canadians reported diffic...

New commentary by @gillianpetit.bsky.social & Selvia Arshad: Canada's new budgeting framework puts most social programs in a fiscal category that makes them easier targets for cuts & harder to justify. This has real consequences for households facing affordability pressures.
irpp.org/research-stu...

From Cost to Investment: Reframing Social Spending in an Affordability Era - IRPP Affordability pressures in Canada remain elevated. In 2024 — the most recent year for which there is comprehensive data — food insecurity reached record highs, nearly half of Canadians reported diffic...

Proud of my @gillianpetit.bsky.social and PhD student Selvia Arshad — new @irpp.org piece out today

Classifying social spending as an "operating expense" quietly sets it up to be cut. They make the case for evaluating it as investment using MVPF

#inclusiecon

irpp.org/research-stu...

From Cost to Investment: Reframing Social Spending in an Affordability Era - IRPP Affordability pressures in Canada remain elevated. In 2024 — the most recent year for which there is comprehensive data — food insecurity reached record highs, nearly half of Canadians reported diffic...

Want to learn more? Read our article and let us know your thoughts!

irpp.org/research-stu...

The MVPF reframes public spending from “money out” to “social value in,” allowing policy-makers to compare diverse interventions across affordability domains, placeing them on a common social welfare-based footing that prioritizes outcomes for households with the greatest material insecurity.

We propose using a social welfare-based metric — the marginal value of public funds (MVPF) — to evaluate social spending not as an operating expense but as a social investment. The MVPF assesses how much social welfare is generated per dollar of government spending.

Evidence shows that many social programs do more than provide immediate, temporary support. They boost labour force participation, reduce inequality, and prevent or lower future costs in areas such as health care, shelters and the justice system.

Affordability pressures in Canada remain high. Yet federal budgeting practices risk narrowing the understanding of the value of social spending. Transfers to individuals & program spending are classified as operating expenditures. This shapes how programs are evaluated & prioritized.

From Cost to Investment: Reframing Social Spending in an Affordability Era - IRPP Affordability pressures in Canada remain elevated. In 2024 — the most recent year for which there is comprehensive data — food insecurity reached record highs, nearly half of Canadians reported diffic...

New piece from myself and Selvia Arshad on why reframing social spending as an investment is important for recognizing the long-term value programs that support people’s well-being, reduce inequality and strengthen the economy. #CDNpoli @irpp.org

irpp.org/research-stu...

How a program is designed IS what it does. Benefit levels, clawback rates, eligibility rules, appeal rights — not fine print. The policy. Short TLDR video below.
Full open access paper with @gillianpetit.bsky.social 👇
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

The article ends with a case study of the BC Basic Income Expert Panel's work and final report. It concludes the Panel did a good job using an inclusive framework, but it could have been strengthened by conducting & emphasizing qualitative analysis and the perspectives of those with lived experience

For those thinking of how to design #BasicIncome - this one was written with you in mind. How do we grapple with designing a cash transfer that adequately addresses heterogeneity of need and accessibility? How do we think about the whole system of income and social supports, including financing?

Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems‐Based Approach to Cash Transfer Program Design This article presents a systems-based framework for the inclusive design of cash transfer programs in Canada. Grounded in the goal of enhancing inclusion through an intersectional lens, the framework...

**PUBLICATION NEWS** Mine and @lindsaytedds.bsky.social article "Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems-Based Approach to Cash Transfers" is now available for early viewing at Canadian Public Administration. #CdnPoli

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems‐Based Approach to Cash Transfer Program Design This article presents a systems-based framework for the inclusive design of cash transfer programs in Canada. Grounded in the goal of enhancing inclusion through an intersectional lens, the framework...

Thrilled to share my lasted publication with @gillianpetit.bsky.social

Income and Social Supports: An Inclusive Systems‐Based Approach to Cash Transfer Program Design - Petit - Canadian Public Administration - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Look what came in the mail today! I’m excited to dig in! Lots of fabulous contributors including myself, @lindsaytedds.bsky.social and Wenshuang Yu. Special thanks to Christopher Cotton for putting this together. #cdnpoli

Slaying myths about income support Rising food insecurity shows Canada’s affordability crisis is real. Income supports fuel inflation or discourage work.

In a new piece for @irpp.org Policy Options, @shaimaayassin.bsky.social, @rsamson.bsky.social and I examine some of the most persistent myths surrounding income supports in Canada — and what the evidence actually shows.

policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/inco...

Related: Slaying myths about income support.

Latest piece by @rsamson.bsky.social, @shaimaayassin.bsky.social and @gillianpetit.bsky.social

policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/inco...

Groceries & essentials are straining lower income household budgets.The CGEB could reach 12M+ Canadians.Who qualifies? How much will people receive? Who will benefit the most?

@gillianpetit.bsky.social & @shaimaayassin.bsky.social break it down in their new IRPP commentary: irpp.org/research-stu...

Looking ahead, the CGEB should be viewed not as the final policy response to food insecurity, but as a foundation. Adjustments to targeting parameters and attention to take-up barriers such as tax non-filing could significantly strengthen its impact.

Our analysis suggests that benefit structures that concentrate support at the bottom of the income distribution can better address affordability issues for those with the lowest incomes and yield larger reductions in poverty

However, the CGEB improves affordability primarily for households near the low-income threshold, while offering more limited relief for those facing the most severe material constraints.

The CGEB is a step toward addressing persistent affordability pressures through an existing, well-established transfer mechanism. The federal govt has opted for a tool that can be delivered quickly, reaches a large share of lower-income households & involves relatively low administrative complexity.

In Q3 2025, very low-income households spent about 115 per cent of their disposable income on shelter, food purchased from stores and transportation.

While the CGEB will alleviate some of this pressure, impacts are smaller for those with very low income.

The CGEB is expected to reach about 12 million recipients, but the average benefit increase is modest relative to the scale of recent affordability pressures.

Expanding the GST/HST Credit: How the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit Helps Canadians and Why Design Choices Matter - IRPP The federal government announced the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB) on January 26, 2026. The benefit is an expansion of the existing GST/HST Credit aimed at easing affordability pressu...

New out today by myself and @shaimaayassin.bsky.social with @irpp.org: on the expansion of the GST/HST Credit and why design choices matter.

irpp.org/research-stu...

Alberta’s separation from Canada would be illegal Alberta separatism is gaining attention, but Canadian constitutional law and international law make independence virtually impossible.

Robert J. Currie: Alberta’s separation from Canada would be illegal policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/albe...

I live close to the mountains (Banff/Canmore). We used to visit all the time when I was young. Now, we never go. It's too expensive and too over-crowded. It's sad. But, we do make our way down to the Crowsnest Pass area. It's not as swanky but it's cheap (for now).

Indication of Interest in Participation in UCalgary Study Study title: Evaluation of Income Supports and Employment for Persons with Disabilities in Alberta On February 4, 2025, the Alberta Government announced the creation of a new income support program—...

Are you a person receiving AISH or living with a disability in AB? I'm leading a research study on the economic well-being of AISH clients/PWDs and would welcome your participation. Please click the link below to learn more & sign up #Alberta #AISH #ADAP #disability

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...