Big Ideas for a Stronger, Cleaner Economy

We are excited to be guest editors for the new special issue of Canadian Public Policy Journal (CPP) - “Big Ideas for Sustainable Prosperity: Policy Innovation for Greening Growth.”

Recognizing that Canada needs to accelerate its shift to a cleaner and more sustainable economy, we brought together a group of prominent environment and economy experts for a two-day conference at the University of Ottawa, and we asked them to share their “big ideas” on driving Canada’s green growth transition. In collaboration with Canadian Public Policy Journal, we are releasing a special issue that captures the ideas and discussion coming out from that conference.

The authors wrote the papers featured in this special issue specifically as big think pieces to help spur new ideas and research questions — and as such they do not conform to typical academic articles. Rather than focusing on presenting new research (although this could help inform their arguments), we asked them to identify policy challenges or changes needed to drive greener growth, as well as point to key research questions that might help inform these changes.

The release of this special issue comes just as we’ve changed our name from Sustainable Prosperity to Smart Prosperity Institute – and it could not come at a better time. The ten papers presented in this issue reflect some of the “big ideas” that have shaped our new and expanded mandate. This journal release represents a turning point for our organization. The articles both capture what we’ve learned during the past eight years – such as the important role that market-based instruments can play in creating price signals – as well as frames a number of new policy horizons, including accelerating clean innovation and promoting the accurate valuation of natural capital.

As you explore the “big ideas” proposed by some of Canada’s leading thinkers on the environment and the economy, you will get a sense of some of the exciting and timely directions that Smart Prosperity Institute will go in the coming months and years.

We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all authors and reviewers, as well as the Canadian Public Policy Journal team for making this special issue a reality.

We also gratefully acknowledge financial support for this special issue by Natural Resources Canada and the University of Ottawa, as well as core support for the Sustainable Prosperity Research and Policy Network from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Ontario Ministry of Environment.

Read the special issue here

Click here to access videos and presentations from the Big Ideas conference