Focusing on the Depression, Second World War, and early post-War period, Robert Ascah examines the interaction of politics and capital markets in Canada from the perspective of the debt management function. Ascah's insightful study explores the Dominion Government's dealings with domestic and international finance capital and their reaction to the policies of Alberta's Social Credit government, and in particular the April 1936 default.

In many commodity-based economies, rollercoaster boom-and-bust cycles have come to be viewed almost as an unavoidable characteristic. Framed mainly in the context of the Alberta economy, the articles in this volume explore a wide range of issues associated with the historical phenomenon of recurring periods of boom and bust, including reasons for their apparent inevitability, dealing with revenue volatility, possible diversification strategies, savings policy, and challenges faced by policy makers. Re-examining and shedding new light on these struggles, Boom and Bust Again is an important contribution to the literature on policy issues for readers in the fields of economics, business, finance, and public policy. Contributors: Robert L. Ascah, Jason Brisbois, Colin Busby, Edward J. Chambers, Bev Dahlby, Stephen Duckett, J. C. Herbert Emery, Nicholas Emter, Roger Gibbins, Brad R. Humphreys, Ronald Kneebone, Gordon Kramer, Stuart Landon, Kathleen Macaspac, Victor A. Matheson, Melville McMillan, John D. Murray, Alice O. Nakamura, Al O'Brien, David L. Ryan, Liesje Sarnecki, Constance Smith.