Welfare state vs. warfare state: Toward a comparative political economy of militarism in Canada and the United States

The effects of the Great Recession have been worse in the United States than in Canada. This is not a short-term aberration. Rather, it is the result of long-term economic trends, shaped in part by the two countries 'different public policy orientations toward warfare and welfare. This article examines, with reference to Canada and the United States, the way in which a sustained commitment to a warfare state undermines social and economic development, public finances, and corporate culture.