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The Effect of Incarceration on Future Earnings
In this article, Dr. Bruce and Mr. Aldridge find that the literature regarding the effect of a criminal record on income suggests incarceration has a relatively small effect on lifetime earnings. Those who have been incarcerated tend to have lower levels of income than those without a criminal record, not because incarceration has changed their… Continue reading
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Spring 2016 issue of the Expert Witness newsletter (volume 20, issue 1)
Contents: This issue contains two articles written by Dr. Christopher Bruce. The first reviews the debate over the use of cross versus sole dependency approaches in the determination of loss of dependency on income; while the second article concerns the reliability of income data drawn from the 2011 census. Cross versus Sole Dependency in Fatal… Continue reading
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Are Data from the 2011 Census Reliable?
In this article, Dr. Bruce examines the reliability of the 2011 Census income data. In the past, completion of the long form census was mandatory. In 2011, however, completion of this form was voluntary and the response rate decreased. While this created statistical problems concerning the reliability of the data, Statistics Canada had anticipated these… Continue reading
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Cross versus Sole Dependency in Fatal Accident Actions
In this article, Dr. Bruce notes that a fundamental assumption in economics is that individuals are rational. Therefore, when an individual is observed to make a voluntary choice, it can be concluded that the individual must have expected that choice to make him/her better off (or at least, no worse off). With respect to fatal… Continue reading
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Spring 2015 issue of the Expert Witness newsletter (volume 19, issue 1)
Contents: The Cost of Household Services, Alberta 2014: A Survey In this issue of the Expert Witness, Christopher Bruce and Russette Pack summarise the results of a 2014 survey they conducted concerning the costs of providing household services in Alberta. They report that the costs of meal preparation, maintenance and repairs, snow removal and lawn… Continue reading
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The Cost of Household Services, Alberta 2014: A Survey
Christopher Bruce and Russette Pack summarise the results of a 2014 survey they conducted concerning the costs of providing household services in Alberta. They report that the costs of meal preparation, maintenance and repairs, snow removal and lawn mowing, housecleaning and laundry, and child care have all increased since our last survey; and that the… Continue reading
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Summer 2014 issue of the Expert Witness newsletter (volume 18, issue 1)
Contents: In fatal accident litigation, the plaintiffs are entitled to claim an amount that is sufficient to allow them to maintain the same standard of living as they had enjoyed when the deceased had been alive. In practice, this requires that the court calculate the percentage of the deceased’s after-tax income that would have benefited… Continue reading
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The Dependency Rate as a Percentage of After-tax Income: Canada 2008
We examine whether or not the dependency rate increases or decreases as family income increases (or decreases). In particular, some experts have argued that the survivor’s dependency decreases as the deceased’s income increases. For example, whereas the widow of a man with low income might need, say, 80 percent of his income in order to… Continue reading
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Winter 2013 issue of the Expert Witness newsletter (volume 17, issue 1)
Contents: In Assessment of Personal Injury Damages (5th Edition), we discussed the economic outcomes for aboriginal peoples in Canada. We outlined articles related to this subject, and provided data regarding income, educational attainment, participation, and unemployment rates for aboriginal people in Canada, based on the 2006 census. In this issue, we summarize new data derived… Continue reading
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Estimating the Income of an Aboriginal Plaintiff: Recent Evidence
In this article, we discuss the average income, educational attainment, unemployment, and participation rates of aboriginal Canadians (relative to non-aboriginals), as well as the economic outcomes of aboriginal peoples living on reserves. We then outline the adjustments to the income estimates, based on the latest census data, we feel are reasonable. Continue reading