Following the 2008 global financial crisis, Canada appeared to escape the austerity implemented elsewhere, but this was spin hiding the reality. A closer look reveals that the provinces – responsible for delivering essential public and social services such as education and healthcare – shouldered the burden. The Public Sector in an Age of Austerity examines public-sector austerity in the provinces and territories, specifically addressing how austerity was im- plemented, what forms austerity agendas took (from regressive taxes and new user fees to public-sector layoffs and privatization schemes), and what, if any, political responses resulted. Contributors focus on the period from 2007 to 2015, the global financial crisis and the period of fiscal consolidation that followed, while also providing a longer historical context – austerity is not a new phenomenon. A granular examination of each jurisdiction identifies how changing fiscal conditions have affected the delivery of public services and restructured public finances, highlighting the consequences such changes have had for public-sector workers and users of public services. The first book of its kind in Canada, The Public Sector in an Age of Auster- ity challenges conventional wisdom by showing that Canada did not escape post-crisis austerity, and that its recovery has been vastly overstated. Bryan M. Evans is professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University. Carlo Fanelli is assistant professor in the Department of Social Science at York University. Renewing and expanding national infrastructure is critical to the wellbeing and productivity of Canadians. Not only are the required investments daunt- ingly large for all three levels of government, but so too is the required level of intergovernmental cooperation if our goals are to be realized. The 2015 State of the Federation volume advances our understanding of these infrastructure challenges and identifies how best to resolve them. The contributors to the volume provide historical or international compar- ative perspectives and utilize legal, economic, or administrative approaches to examine the nature and magnitude of the so-called infrastructure deficit and the question of how best to finance the necessary investments. The possible roles played by deficits and debt are considered, together with options such as public-private partnerships and asset recycling, and a possible Aboriginal resource tax to finance the on-reserve infrastructure needs of First Nations. Other contributors examine the infrastructure-investment-decision processes at the federal and provincial levels and consider the optimal allocation of responsibility for infrastructure investments among the different levels of government, and the related issue of the role of intergovernmental transfers to underwrite this allocation. John R. Allan is a fellow and former director of the Institute of Intergovern- mental Relations at Queen’s University. David L.A. Gordon is professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning and Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University. Kyle Hanniman is associate director of the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queen’s University. André Juneau is a fellow and former director of the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queen’s University. Robert A. Young (1950–2017) was professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario and a fellow of the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations. 3 2 M Q U P S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 S P E C I F I C AT I O N S Queen’s Policy Studies – Institute of Intergovernmental Relations May 2018 978-1-55339-455-6 $39.95A CDN, $39.95A US, £33.00 paper 6 x 9 248pp eBook available S P E C I F I C AT I O N S June 2018 978-0-7735-5335-4 $34.95A CDN, $34.95A US, £28.99 paper 978-0-7735-5334-7 $110.00S CDN, $110.00S US, £91.00 cloth 6 x 9 432pp 23 tables, 29 diagrams, 1 drawing eBook available P O L I T I C A L S T U D I E S • P U B L I C A D M I N I S T R AT I O N P U B L I C P O L I C Y • P O L I T I C A L S T U D I E S Canada: The State of the Federation 2015 Canadian Federalism and Infrastructure edited by john r. allan, david l.a. gordon, kyle hanniman, andré juneau, and robert a. young The Public Sector in an Age of Austerity Perspectives from Canada’s Provinces and Territories edited by bryan m. evans and carlo fanelli Challenging conventional wisdom on austerity in Canada after the global financial crisis.