Public Policies in Canada and the United States.

• Position: Conferences - Conference notes

"Public Policies in Canada and the United States," an NBER conference supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Employment and Social Development Canada, took place in Gatineau, Quebec, on October 27-28. Research Associates Philip Oreopoulos of the University of Toronto and David Card of the University of California, Berkeley, organized the meeting. These researchers' papers were presented and discussed:

* Hilary Hoynes, University of California, Berkeley, and NBER, and Mark Stabile, INSEAD (Fontainebleau) and NBER, "Small Differences that Matter: Differences in the Social Safety Net and the Implications for Women and Children"

* Kevin S. Milligan, University of British Columbia and NBER, and Tammy Schirle, Wilfrid Laurier University (Ontario), "Push and Pull: Disability Insurance, Regional Labor Markets, and Benefit Generosity in Canada and the United States"

* Michael Baker, University of Toronto and NBER; Janet Currie, Princeton University and NBER; and Hannes Schwandt, University of Zurich, "Inequality in Mortality over the Life Course: A Comparison of the U.S. and Canada"

* Marc Frenette, Statistics Canada; Judith Scott-Clayton, Columbia University and NBER; Philip Oreopoulos; and Carolyn Tsao, Harvard University, "Why are Community College Completion Rates So Different between Canada and the United States and Does It Lead to Differences in Earnings?"

* Michael Kottelenberg, Huron University College (Ontario), and Steven F. Lehrer, Queen's University (Ontario) and NBER, "New Evidence on How Skills Influence Human Capital Acquisition and Early Labour Market Return to Human Capital between Canada and the United States"

* Kory Kroft, University of Toronto and NBER; Fabian Lange, McGill University (Montreal); Matthew J. Notowidigdo, Northwestern University and NBER; and Matthew Tudball, University of Toronto, "Long Time Out: Unemployment and Joblessness in Canada and the United States"

* Stephen Jones...