Dr. John Lester

John Lester is a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Living Standards and an Executive Fellow with The School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. He is a former federal government economist who writes on public policy issues. John's last public service assignment was as Director of Research for the Expert Panel Review of Federal Support to Research and Development. Prior to that, he managed the Tax Evaluations and Research Group at Finance Canada. Since leaving the public service John has published papers with the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, the School of Public Policy, the Canadian Tax Journal, Canadian Public Policy, the C. D. Howe Institute and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. His research interests include the federal government's expenditure management system (including evaluation policy); benefit-cost analysis of government programs, particularly those related to R&D and innovation; empirical analysis of R&D spillovers; market failures in the financing of innovative projects; and entrepreneurship policy.

Expertise in tax policy, benefit-cost analysis of government tax and spending programs, market failures in financing innovative projects, R&D and entrepreneurship policy.