About
Christopher Ragan is an Associate Professor and the founding Director of McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy. He has held significant leadership roles including Chair of Canada's Ecofiscal Commission and membership on the federal finance minister's Advisory Council on Economic Growth. Ragan maintains active involvement in public policy discourse through frequent media contributions and public speaking engagements.
Ragan's research interests span macroeconomic policy, monetary policy, environmental economics, and carbon pricing. His work bridges academic research and practical policy implementation, with particular focus on how economic principles can address real-world challenges like climate change, fiscal sustainability, and economic growth.
His recent publications reveal consistent focus on Canadian economic policy challenges, with particular attention to slow-growth recovery, fiscal sustainability amid demographic change, and the intersection of environmental and economic policy. His work demonstrates how market-based approaches can address complex policy problems, particularly in the environmental domain.
- Doug Purvis Memorial Prize for The Way Forward (2015)
- Noel Fieldhouse teaching prize (2007)
Ragan is an active educator who has received recognition for his teaching excellence. He serves as author of Economics, the most widely used introductory economics textbook in Canada, now in its sixteenth edition. His public engagement extends through regular newspaper columns, primarily in The Globe and Mail, where he translates complex economic concepts for broader audiences.
