Mel Watkins is an iconic figure in the development of the "new" political economy in Canada. Since the 1960s he has combined scholarly writing with political activism for a range of issues, from Canada's economic dependency on the US to the role of social democratic parties to aboriginal rights.

"All human beings develop a certain view on the world, and individuals belonging to the same national cultures are likely to develop very similar views with one another. In this same manner, academic economists and policymakers are consistently exposed to the same view on the preferred way of...