Fazley Siddiq
Economics and finance
“My early research on income and wealth distributions has resulted in a more comprehensive understanding of economic well-being and economic inequality, previously unexplored. There are three areas of impact within this category. First, a comprehensive measure of economic well-being can be understood better through a comparison of annuitization versus capitalization techniques. Second, statistical inference and dominance criteria can be used effectively to characterize life-cycle wealth distributions. Third, the application of the estate multiplier method on probate inventories allows for a comprehensive measurement of life cycle wealth distributions.
The second category of impact is the use of opportunistic, mostly short-term, debt instruments to diversify domestic and international public debt to minimize debt service charges at marginally higher risk levels. A supplementary question explored was whether the term structure of interest rates is related to debt magnitude.
The third broad contribution is in the area of public policy through advice provided to different levels of government in three distinct areas. First, a study of best practices in addressing the cash sectors of the underground economy in eight jurisdictions provided the Canada Revenue Agency with valuable information to combat tax evasion.
Second, through two distinct studies estimating the economic impact of international students, the Nova Scotia Department of Education and the Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training (CAMET) received detailed statistical analysis and recommendations for more informed public decision-making. Third, the development of a management accountability framework provided the Defence Research Development Centre of the Department of National Defence with input to better design its management accountability structures.
The final broad area of impact is on population volatility, in particular a comparative analysis of the rise and fall of subnational populations in Canada and the United States, which has produced two articles. I am particularly interested in the worrisome trend towards the hollowing out of rural communities and the rapid expansion of cities. I am currently writing a book on fifty years of the rise and fall of North American populations, exploring the underlying causes of subnational population volatility and migration in Canada and the United States. This book should provide valuable guidance for state/provincial and local governments in the broad areas of economic and social policy.
To conclude, my authored and co-authored publications have appeared in The Review of Income and Wealth, Acadiensis, Canadian Journal of Regional Science, A.C.E.A. Papers, Nova Scotia Historical Review, Social Science Review, Canadian Historical Review, Research in Economic Inequality, Empirical Economics, Economics Letters, Canadian Business Economics, International Advances in Economic Research, Public Sector Management and Canadian Public Policy.
