June 11, 2012 – The C.D. Howe Institute's groundbreaking study of immigration policy reform has won the 2012 Doug Purvis Memorial Prize.
The Canadian Economics Association announced that Toward Improving Canada's Skilled Immigration Policy: An Evaluation Approach by Charles M. Beach, Alan G. Green and Christopher Worswick won the prize.
The $10,000 prize, one of the most prestigious in the field, is awarded by the Purvis Foundation to the author(s) of “a highly significant, written contribution to Canadian economic policy.” The award was established in 1994 in memory of noted Canadian economist Doug Purvis, and the winner is selected by an independent committee nominated by the Canadian Economics Association and the Canadian Association for Business Economics.
In its announcement, the Canadian Economics Association jury stated: “While there is rarely a direct relationship between policy research and political decisions, it seems clear that the Beach, Green and Worswick research has had an influence on the government decision to recast immigration rules and processes.”
This marks the fifth time that a C.D. Howe Institute publication has won the Purvis Prize – fully one-quarter of the awards bestowed to date. Toward Improving Canada's Skilled Immigration Policy was also shortlisted for this year’s Donner Book Prize.
Charles Beach is a Professor of Economics at Queen's University and Christopher Worswick is a Professor of Economics at Carleton University: both are Research Fellows at the C.D. Howe Institute. Alan G. Green, who died before the book was completed, was a Professor Emeritus of Economics at Queen's University.
The book, published by the C.D. Howe Institute in October 2011, assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the current point system used to screen new arrivals, identifies the policy levers that affect the attributes and success rates of new arrivals, and shows how changing various criteria would likely affect immigrant earnings.
"We congratulate the authors on producing research that is already serving as a valuable resource for federal and provincial policy makers," said William Robson, President & CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute and a past Purvis Prize winner.
"Beach, Green and Worswick’s book is a key resource for everyone interested in how immigrants are doing in Canada, and motivated to ensure that Canada outperforms in the international competition for skilled people," he continued.
The C.D. Howe Institute is an independent not-for-profit research institute whose mission is to raise living standards by fostering economically sound public policies. It is Canada’s trusted source of essential policy intelligence, distinguished by research that is nonpartisan, evidence-based and subject to definitive expert review. It is considered by many to be Canada’s most influential think tank.
For more information contact: James Fleming, Editor, VP Media, C.D. Howe Institute. 416-865-1904; email:cdhowe@cdhowe.org.