John Kuszczak

After completing a Masters of Arts in Economics (MA) at McMaster University, John Kuszczak started his career at the Bank of Canada in 1981 as an economist in the Monetary and Financial Analysis Department. Over his 20-year career at the Bank, he held several positions before being appointed Research Adviser in the Monetary and Financial Analysis Department. His research interests revolved around the application of theory and econometric techniques to answer important macroeconomic policy questions.

John Kuszczak passed away in 2002 after a battle with cancer. To honour his memory, the Bank of Canada has established the annual John Kuszczak Memorial Lecture, which features guest lectures from renowned economists who are contributing to the same fields of research that John strived to advance.

Publications

A Comparison of Twelve Macroeconomic Models of the Canadian Economy

In this report, the authors examine and compare twelve private and public sector models of the Canadian economy with respect to their paradigm, structure, and dynamic properties. These open-economy models can be grouped into two economic paradigms.

The Performance and Robustness of Simple Monetary Policy Rules in Models of the Canadian Economy

In this report, we evaluate several simple monetary policy rules in twelve private and public sector models of the Canadian economy. Our results indicate that none of the simple policy rules we examined is robust to model uncertainty, in that no single rule performs well in all models.
Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports Topic(s): Monetary policy and uncertainty JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, E58
December 12, 1997

Potential output growth: Some long-term projections

This article examines factors that have affected the growth of potential output since the 1950s and presents three possible scenarios for its growth in the future. The authors conclude that there will be a marked slowing in the future growth of potential output as a result of slow population growth and a reduction in labour force participation as the population ages.

A VAR Analysis of Economic Interdependence: Canada, the United States, and the Rest of the World

Technical Report No. 46 John Kuszczak, John Murray
The authors use vector autoregression (VAR) modelling techniques to examine the response of the domestic economy to foreign influences and to quantify some of the concepts and relationships relating to economic interdependence. Particular attention is given to the dynamic behaviour and interactions of the U.S. and Canadian economies over the past twenty years. Extensive empirical […]
Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports Topic(s): International topics JEL Code(s): F, F1, F15, F4, F41

John Kuszczak Memorial Lecture

Every year since 2002, the Bank of Canada has honoured the memory of John Kuszczak with a guest lecture in his name presented at the Bank’s Annual Conference.

“While the number of us who were lucky enough to work with John over his 20-year career at the Bank is diminishing, the lecture helps ensure that his legacy as a fine economist and colleague is preserved and will continue to inspire future generations of economists. John had a great sense of what’s important and what isn’t, and many of the distinguished economists who have given the Kuszczak Memorial Lecture were chosen because their research speaks to the most important policy issues of the day.” – Deputy Governor Lawrence Schembri

Past lectures

2023: Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, International Monetary Fund and University of California Berkeley

2022: José-Víctor Ríos-Rull, University of Pennsylvania

2021: Robert Shiller, 2013 Nobel Laureate for Economic Sciences, Yale University

2020: Jean Tirole, Toulouse School of Economics

2019: Philippe Aghion, Harvard University

2018: David Romer, University of California, Berkeley

2017: Harald Uhlig, University of Chicago

2016: Michael Woodford, Columbia University

2015: Kenneth Rogoff, Harvard University

2014: Jeremy Stein, Harvard University

2013: Barry Eichengreen, University of California, Berkeley

2012: Edmund Clark, TD Bank Group

2011: Richard Schmalensee, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2010: Eswar Prasad, Cornell University and Brookings Institution

2009: Mark Gertler, New York University

2008: Carl Walsh, University of California at Santa Cruz

2007: David Laidler, University of Western Ontario

2006: Kenneth Singleton, Stanford University

2005: Frederic S. Mishkin, Columbia University 

2004: Charles Engel, University of Wisconsin-Madison

2003: Douglas Gale, New York University

2002: William Scarth, McMaster University