Cape Breton Provides Pointers for the Adjustment Programs Required by the Decline of the Old Economy (Working Paper 14)
Loading...
Authors
Kent, Tom
Date
2001-02
Type
working paper
Language
en
Keyword
Cape Breton , Devco , Coal Mining
Alternative Title
Abstract
The Cape Breton Development Corporation
need not, should not, be dying in the
way it is. “Devco” has been widely represented
as a failure dragged out too long.
In fact it had for a time considerable
success in a role too difficult to be often
attempted. The main failure was in the
political will to stick to its purpose.
This commentary is in three parts. The
first, major section discusses the purpose
of Devco and the policies that served the
purpose quite well but were maintained
for little more than a decade. It suggests
that the benefits would have been greater
if Devco had been started earlier in the
period of postwar prosperity.
The second section comments on the
enfeeblement of Devco in the 1980s. The
removal of its development function also
weakened, and has eventually led to the
abandonment of, Devco’s social purpose
in the operation of coal mining. Third, a short epilogue pointing out that,
while the Cape Breton case is extreme,
there will be increasing need to moderate
the socially disruptive consequences of
accelerating economic change. There are
lessons from the Devco experience: the
longer remedial action is delayed, the
more difficult and expensive it becomes,
and the more necessary for its effectiveness
is a steady political will.