Test Bank For Social Inequality in Canada Dimensions of Disadvantage 7E Monica Mi Hee Hwang

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Test Bank For Social Inequality in Canada Dimensions of Disadvantage 7E Monica Mi Hee Hwang

 

Part I Power and Class
1. Investigating Ownership Concentration, Transnational Connections, and State Involvement in the Canadian Economy, Monica Mi Hee Hwang and Edward Grabb
2. Corporate Power in 21st Century Canada, William K. Carroll
3. Breaking Down the Wealth Equation: Housing, Assets, and Debt, Michelle Lee Maroto and Meryn Severson Mason
Part II Socio-economic Bases of Social Inequality
A. Income, Wealth, and Poverty
4. Poverty and Income Inequality: Measures and Trends, Deana Simonetto and Peter Urmetzer
5. The Distribution of Wealth and Economic Inequality: Canada and the World, James B. Davies
B. Occupation
6. Inequalities in Work and Employment, Tracey L. Adams and Wolfgang Lehmann
7. Social Class, Post-secondary Education, and Occupational Outcomes, Harvey Krahn
C. Education
8. Location Matters: Education and Employment Inequalities in Northern and Rural Canada, David Zarifa, Cathlene Hillier, and Darcy Hango
9. Exploring Definitions of Indigenous Student Success, Emily Milne and Terry Wotherspoon
10. Immigration Pathways and Next Generation Outcomes: Caribbean and Filipino Children of Caregivers, Philip Kelly and Cindy Maharaj
Part III Social Justice and Inequality
A. Ethnicity, Race, Language, and Ancestry
11. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and First Nations Issues: A Content Analysis of Major Canadian Media, 2014-2015, Daniel Drache, Coral Voss, and Fred Fletcher
12. Racial Inequality, Social Cohesion, and Policy Issues in Canada, Jeffrey G. Reitz and Rupa Banerjee
B. Gender and Sexual Orientation
13. Neoliberalism, Gender, and the Gig Economy in Canada, Edward Haddon
14. Changing Gender Time Distributions in Domestic Duties: 1986-2015, Neil Guppy, Larissa Sakumoto, and Rima Wilkes
15. Gender Inequality and Family Patterns, Roderic Beaujot, Jianye Liu, and Zenaida Ravanera
16. LGBTQ2S+ Employment and Earnings in Canada, Nicole Denier, Shannon V.T.L. Mok, and Sean Waite
C. Disability
17. Disability and Social Inequality over the Life Course, Kim Shuey and Andrea Willson
D. Region
18. Regional Inequality in Canada: An Enduring Issue?, Max Chewinski and Catherine Corrigall-Brown
Part IV Some Consequences of Social Inequality
19. Social Inequality and Health, Gerry Veenstra
20. COVID-19 and Prisons: A Perfect Storm of Illness, Isolation, and Inequality, Sandra Dong Hee Hwang and Monica Mi Hee Hwang
21. Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program: Unequal by Design?, Monica Mi Hee Hwang

 

Test Bank For Social Inequality in Canada Dimensions of Disadvantage 7E Monica Mi Hee Hwang

 

Chapter 1

Investigating Ownership Concentration, Transnational Connections, and State Involvement in the Canadian Economy

 

Multiple Choice Questions

 

1. Which of the following is not a principle component of Canada’s economic power structure?
2. a) Private-sector companies
3. b) Foreign owners in Canada’s economy
4. c) The role of government
5. d) The Church
6. e) Canadian ownership of businesses outside Canada

 

2. What do John Porter’s analysis in the 1950s and 1960s and Wallace Clement’s studies in the 1970s emphasize?
3. a) The concentration of ownership among large-scale enterprises
4. b) The significance of the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial economy
5. c) The long-lasting impacts of international monetary policies stemming from World War II
6. d) The relationship between economic and the military elites
7. e) The role of the State in creating an economic environment conducive to industry

 

3. Through what mechanism do economic elites control large and often diverse businesses?
4. a) Transnational corporations
5. b) Holding companies
6. c) Economic monopolies
7. d) Rent seeking
8. e) Stocks and bonds

 

4. The role of foreign owners in Canada’s economy is the study of what phenomenon?
5. a) Internationalism
6. b) Mercantilism
7. c) NAFTA
8. d) Transnational connections
9. e) The welfare state

 

5. What percentage of Canada’s top 500 companies were family-controlled in 2007?
   1. 10 percent
   2. 21 percent
   3. 32 percent
   4. 40 percent
   5. 63 percent

 

6. According to recent evidence, what best describes the situation of the established family “dynasties” in Canada?

1. Their influence is increasing
2. The value of their corporate holdings is increasing
3. They have an equal amount of influence and assets
4. Their influence is decreasing
5. Their influence is decreasing and they are losing corporate holdings

 

7. Families including the Thomsons and the Irvings speak to the confluence of what?
   1. Media ownership and political influence
   2. Ascribed characteristics and political influence
   3. Economic centrality and wealth
   4. Land ownership and transnational connections
   5. Global capitalism and state involvement in the economy

 

8. What do studies that have looked at trends in the total value of companies listed on the TSX conclude?
9. The total value of companies listed on the TSX is equally distributed among all firms
10. There are no discernable trends in levels of concentration of corporate ownership
11. The top firms on the TSX account for an increasing amount of its total value
12. There are more “small firms” on the TSX that control an ever-increasing share of its total value
13. The TSX does not include the vast majority of firms listed in Canada

 

9. In which country is the concentration of all bank assets the most concentrated?
10. The United States
11. The United Kingdom
12. Japan
13. France
14. Canada

 

10. Approximately what percentage of the financial industry’s total assets (worth $2.214 trillion in 2005) is held by the five largest Canadian banks?
11. 50 percent
12. 64 percent
13. 78 percent
14. 90 percent
15. 99 percent

 

11. What does the ownership of the wireless media market in Canada, Canada’s satellite business, and Canada’s Internet business demonstrate?
12. The media are not prone to high levels of ownership concentration in Canada
13. The government has been successful in diversifying corporate ownership of the media
14. Ownership concentration of the Canadian media sector is high, but it is decreasing
15. The media is another sector of the economy that features high and increasing ownership concentration
16. The Canadian government has a monopoly of the media sector

 

12. What is a potential cause for concern of the changing nature of Canada’s transnational connections?
13. It is a sign that Canada is having problems attracting qualified immigrants to move here
14. It is a sign that Canada may not be attracting sufficient outside interests in establishing businesses here
15. It is a sign that the national economy is being threatened from the forces of globalization
16. It is a sign that the Canadian government is restricting the flow of capital outside its borders
17. It is a sign that the Canadian people are afraid to invest their money in transnational endeavours

 

13. Companies based in what country have the most notable presence in the Canadian economy?
14. The United Kingdom
15. Germany
16. France
17. The Netherlands
18. The United States

 

14. What do the automotive sector and the retail sector tell us about the Canadian economy?
15. Canada relies too heavily on commodities
16. Canada invests more money abroad than is invested from outside
17. Foreign companies are still quite evident among the top companies in Canada
18. Foreign companies only figure prominently in the fringes of the Canadian economy
19. Canada is an unattractive destination for foreign capital

 

15. What can be said about how the state has influenced business activities historically in Canada?
16. The state always protects Canadian companies by lending money to Canadian capitalists
17. The state consistently competes with Canada’s private sector firms by creating state-run enterprises
18. The state always protects Canadian companies by imposing tariffs and restrictions on foreign competitors
19. The state has never offered tax reductions to foreign companies in Canada
20. The state always influences business activities, although in contradictory ways

 

16. What evidence do researchers employ to question the claim that government intervention into the economy has become excessive in recent decades?
17. The state’s role in the economy is actually quite small
18. Much government activity is directed towards assisting private-sector businesses
19. Private interests still act as the pre-eminent force
20. Most government spending occurs in the realm of public education, health care, and social and protective services
21. All of the above

 

17. What is one direct means for measuring state economic power?
18. Determine the amount of taxation government levies on small business
19. Determine the proportion of government-controlled major enterprises within the national economy
20. Determine the proportion of government revenue that is allocated to social services
21. Determine the proportion of government activity in non-essential services
22. Determine the impact of interest rate fluctuations on the profitability of private capital

 

18. What statement is supported by recent studies that estimate the share of total assets that are owned by the government or public sector?
19. Government economic control in Canada has been increasing since 1961
20. The private business sector has less economic control than the Canadian government
21. Since 1961 the government’s share of ownership of total assets in Canada has declined
22. There are no reliable tools to gauge the total assets held by the state
23. Government economic control in Canada has been on the decline for several decades yet remains around 35 percent in 2012

 

19. What best explains the nature of the economic policies of the federal government/ administrations since the mid-1980s?

1. The election of the Liberal Party in 1993 reversed the sale of various government-run enterprises.
2. The federal government of Justin Trudeau has sought to expand direct state involvement in the economy
3. State leaders of each party encouraged private-sector economic expansion
4. Steven Harper’s Conservative government was unique in its encouragement of private-sector economic expansion
5. Economic policies of the federal government are linked in a dichotomous fashion to left/right parties

 

20. Which of the following statements does not apply to the contemporary Canadian economy?
21. There is still a high concentration of economic power in a small group of giant private-sector corporations
22. Canadian businesses now buy or invest more in foreign countries than they do in Canada
23. The government’s presence on the economic scene has declined in the past several decades
24. Non-Canadian companies exert greater influence in the economy than they ever have
25. Canada’s economic developments can be seen as logical developments of the expansion of the globalizing capitalist system

 

21. Why is it problematic to have a concentration of ownership in any sector?
22. a) It is harder for new competitors to do business in the sector and established firms can work in collusion to artificially set prices
23. b) It is harder for new competitors to do business in the sector and workers can be denied danger pay
24. c) It is harder for new competitors to do business in the sector
25. d) Established firms can work in collusion to artificially set prices
26. e) None of the above

 

22. Public interest groups and workers’ unions should be concerned about family-owned enterprises because:
23. a) Family-owned enterprises contribute over half of all private sector jobs
24. b) Family-owned enterprises impact worker’s protections and wages
25. c) Family-owned enterprises negatively influence other family-owned enterprises
26. d) Family-owned enterprises are foreign-controlled
27. e) All of the above

 

 

23. The pandemic pay was:
24. a) A program that was introduced in 2020 in the province of Saskatchewan
25. b) A one-time payment of $100 to those who were eligible
26. c) A premium amounted to as much as $100 extra for eligible front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
27. d) Both A and B
28. e) Both A and C

 

24. Rogers, Bell and Telus accounted for what percentage of the wireless media market in 2013?
25. a) 79 percent
26. b) 75 percent
27. c) 92 percent
28. d) 90 percent
29. e) 40 percent

 

25. What consequences will follow the proposed $26 billion purchase of Shaw Communications by Rogers?
26. a) It will shrink the telecommunications market and may result in higher prices for consumers in Canada
27. b) It will shrink the telecommunications market and may result in lower prices for consumers in Canada
28. c) It will encourage other family-owned enterprises to enter the telecommunications market
29. d) It will encourage new competition in the media sector
30. e) It will reduce Canada’s sky-high wireless fees

 

26. Foreign control in Canada after World War II had what effect on the Canadian economy?
27. a) Canada was subject to decisions made by foreign corporations
28. b) There was no effect of foreign control in Canada after World War II
29. c) Canadian corporations were able to make decisions in foreign economies
30. d) Canada became a developing country
31. e) Canadian banks acquired foreign assets

 

27. The top five Canadian banks have received a third of their revenues from:
28. a) The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)
29. b) Investing in foreign countries
30. c) The Government of Canada
31. d) Foreign countries investing in Canada
32. e) The worldwide expansion of capitalism

 

28. Overview of “__________” is a more comprehensive gauge of government economic influence:
29. a) The share of the country’s total assets held by the various branches of the state
30. b) The total assets held by the top five banks
31. c) Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
32. d) Average annual income earnings
33. e) Total corporate assets

 

29. Which of the following is not a reason why some observers allege that Canadian governments often poorly utilize their taxation and spending powers?
30. a) They fund poorly conceived endeavours
31. b) Governments inadequately subsidizing the financial sector
32. c) Governments fund expensive social programs
33. d) Governments administer unprofitable enterprises
34. e) They fund inefficient government enterprises

 

 

True or False Questions

 

1. Historically, many powerful companies were owned or controlled by a small number of people.

 

2. One component of our economic elites involves individual entrepreneurs who control large and often diverse businesses through “holding companies.”

 

3. Among companies operating in Canada, the level of concentration of ownership increased between 1977 and 1987.

 

4. Individual families such as the Weston family have a declining influence on the nature and overall direction of our economy.

 

5. While families like the Thomsons, Rogers, and Irvings rank among the wealthiest in Canada, they exhibit little decision-making power on the Canadian economic scene.

 

6. Ownership concentration is apparent throughout most of the economy, save the financial sector.

 

7. Mergers and acquisitions in the past two decades have had little to no effect on centralization of ownership in the financial sector.

 

8. Transnational connections include only those cases where foreign enterprises own and control part of Canada’s economy.

 

9. Outside control by foreign commercial interests is a contemporary feature of the Canadian economic structure.

 

10. During the era between World War II and 1970, Canada experienced levels of foreign control of the economy higher than other developed nations.

 

11. Foreign ownership of Canada’s total economic assets has progressively increased since World War II.

 

12. In recent years Canadian businesses have bought or invested in foreign countries more than the other way around.

 

13. Analysts increasingly see foreign investments as a logical consequence of economic globalization.

 

14. Between 1985 and 2013, there was a reduction of foreign-owned companies in the top 10 companies operating in Canada.

 

15. Most of the foreign sector of the Canadian economy is British.

 

16. The Canadian government has only ever acted as to protect Canadian companies from foreign competition.

 

17. In 2013, 11 government directed enterprises were among the leading 25 companies in Canada.

 

18. The asset value of government businesses and enterprises has declined between 1961 and 2001.

 

19. Economic globalization is the sole cause of decreasing state involvement in the Canadian economy.

 

20. The federal Liberals under Jean Chretien adopted policies that broke drastically from those of the Mulroney government.

 

21. The media sector has witnessed higher and increasing ownership concentration.

 

22. The $26 billion purchase of Shaw Communications by Rogers in March 2021 will increase new competition in the telecommunications market.

 

23. It has been suggested that Canada has a higher level of ownership concentration that has likely increased over recent decades.

 

24. In the 1970s, high levels of foreign control in Canada meant that the economy was subjected to decisions made by foreign corporations.

 

25. Foreign countries have heavily invested in the top five Canadian banks.

 

26. Foreign control is most prominent in the Canadian media sector.

 

27. The Canadian government has been actively encouraging foreign business ventures through tax reductions and other incentives to foreign companies in Canada.

 

28. Many private-sector capitalists see the government as an unwelcome competitor in the business space.

 

29. One major cause of decreasing state involvement in Canada is the shifting policies of the federal and many provincial administrators in recent years.

 

30. There is a high concentration of economic power in a small group of giant private-sector corporations operating at the top of the ownership structure in Canada.

Short Answer Questions

 

1. What are transnational connections? Explain how these linkages have changed throughout Canada’s history.

 

2. Explain one of the means for measuring state economic power. According to this measure, explain how state power has changed or has not changed.

 

3. What does research tell us about ownership concentration in Canada? What changes are evident?

 

4. Explain the role of family-owned enterprises and “holding companies” in the Canadian economy. What impact might this have on public-interest groups, workers unions, and front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic?

 

5. In your own words, please define “transnational connections” and briefly elaborate on what these connections include.

 

 

Long Answer Questions

 

1. Has government intervention into the economy become excessive in recent decades? Provide arguments supporting each side of the debate.

 

2. Is the Canadian economy controlled by foreign interests? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

 

3. Please explain what mergers and acquisitions are and how they impact ownership concentrations. In doing so, please try to reference the chapter materials to supplement your responses.

 

4. Explain what occurred with foreign direct investment in Canada after the Second World War.

 

 

Discussion Questions

 

1. What do you think about state involvement in the economy? Do you feel that it directly affects you?

 

2. What do you know about Canada’s family “dynasties”? What exposure do you have to them vis-à-vis the products you consume or the place of your employment?

 

3. Are you worried about foreign ownership in Canada? Does this differ from Canadian involvement in foreign nations? Is some transnational activity more justifiable than others?

 

4. In Canada, the financial sector is known to be a sector where ownership concentration is most prevalent. Over the past decade, mergers and acquisitions have led to only a handful of companies predominating the Canadian financial sector. Discuss a possible implication that this centralization may have on Canadians. Do you see this as a potential problem? Discuss why or why not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer Key

 

Multiple Choice Questions

 

 

1. D (Introduction)
2. A (Introduction)
3. B (Introduction)
4. D (Introduction)
5. B (Introduction)
6. E (Concentration of Ownership)
7. C (Concentration of Ownership)
8. C (Concentration of Ownership)
9. E (Concentration of Ownership)
10. C (Concentration of Ownership)
11. D (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
12. B (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
13. E (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
14. C (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
15. E (The State and Economic Power)
16. E (The State and Economic Power)
17. B (The State and Economic Power)
18. C (The State and Economic Power)
19. C (The State and Economic Power)
20. D (Conclusion)
21. A (Introduction)
22. B (Introduction)
23. C (Introduction)
24. C (Concentration of Ownership)
25. A (Concentration of Ownership)
26. A (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
27. B (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
28. A (State and Economic Power)
29. B (State and Economic Power)

 

 

 

True or False Questions

 

 

1. T (Introduction)
2. T (Introduction)
3. T (Introduction)
4. F (Introduction)
5. F (Concentration of Ownership)
6. F (Concentration of Ownership)
7. F (Concentration of Ownership)
8. F (Concentration of Ownership)
9. F (Concentration of Ownership)
10. T (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
11. F (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
12. T (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
13. T (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
14. T (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
15. F (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
16. F (The State and Economic Power)
17. F (The State and Economic Power)
18. T (The State and Economic Power)
19. F (The State and Economic Power)
20. F (The State and Economic Power)
21. T (Concentration of Ownership)
22. F (Concentration of Ownership)
23. T (Concentration of Ownership)
24. T (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)
25. F (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence
26. F (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence
27. F (The State and Economic Power)
28. T (The State and Economic Power)
29. T (The State and Economic Power)
30. T (Conclusion)

 

 

Short Answer Questions

 

1. Transnational connections are how our economy is linked to enterprises in other countries. These connections raise questions about the role of foreign owners in our economy and our connection with the larger global capitalist system. An important change is that foreign influence in Canada is decreasing while Canadian influence abroad is growing. (Transnational Connections and Foreign Influence)

 

2. Students may cite one of two measurements techniques: the proportion of government-controlled major enterprises within the national economy; or the share of the nation’s total assets held by the various branches of the state. In each case students should demonstrate that state power has decreased. (The State and Economic Power)

 

3. Research tells us that there is a high degree of ownership concentration in Canada. Students here might mention family “dynasties” and the role they have played in the Canadian economy. Control of the Canadian economy is shifting from control by a small number of families towards concentration by the largest enterprises in Canada. (Concentration of Ownership)

 

4. Family-owned enterprises are a large component of the economic elite in Canada, and often operate holding companies. Holding companies, otherwise known as “conglomerates”, control interrelated sets of large and diverse businesses. This concerns public-interest groups because it leads to concentrated ownership in sectors and makes it harder for businesses to compete against one another. Workers’ unions should be concerned because concentrations of ownership may lead to decreases in earnings.

 

5. Transnational connections are another significant feature of our ownership structure. These connections include those in which foreign enterprises own and control parts of Canada’s economy, and involve linkages in which Canadian corporations own and control businesses in other nations.

 

Long Answer Questions

 

1. Some argue that the government has become excessively involved in the economy. Governments may intervene to help local businesses by imposing heavy duties and tariffs on foreign goods; or they may encourage foreign investment through means such as tax breaks and other incentives; or they may compete with capitalists by establishing state-run enterprises. Students should note that arguments against government intervention hinge on government’s support for inefficient businesses and that state-owned enterprises have an unfair advantage in that they are not responsible to making a profit as private enterprises are. Arguments against this position suggest that the overall activity of the government in the economy is quite small and what activity does occur tends to aid private enterprises by providing them with a healthy and well-educated workforce. (The State and Economic Power)

 

2. This question pertains to the current time period; therefore, students who support their argument with evidence will be compelled to answer that foreign interests do not control the Canadian economy to any great extent. The financial sector is overwhelmingly domestic as is media ownership. There is still a substantial American presence in our economy, but it is mostly in retail and automobile manufacturing and it has decreased since its peak in the 1970s. (Concentration of Ownership)

 

3. The concentration of ownership refers to a small number of owners of assets in a particular sector, or across many different interrelated sectors. Mergers and acquisitions have added to this centralization. Mergers occur when two or more businesses join under centralized control. For example, in the financial industry, mergers and acquisitions are common. The Bank of Nova Scotia purchased National Trust in 1997, and the Toronto-Dominion Bank took over Canada trust in 2000. These acquisitions led to a high level of concentration of bank assets.

 

4. After the Second World War, there was a peak in foreign ownership over Canadian assets. The Canadian economy was exposed to a higher level of foreign control during this period, similar to less developed countries today that have relatively little control of the state of their own economy. However, foreign influence in Canada has substantially declined over the past years. Recently, transnational connections operated in the “opposite direction” because Canadian businesses have been increasingly investing in foreign countries more than foreign countries have been investing in Canada.