John R. Allan

Dr. John R. Allan is Vice-President Emeritus and Professor of Economics Emeritus of the University of Regina. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he settled with his parents in Hamilton, Ontario, where he studied at McMaster University, obtaining a B.A. (Hons.) degree in political economy. Graduate studies in economics were pursued at Princeton University, from which he received A.M. and Ph.D. degrees. While at Princeton he was a Ford Foundation Fellow. Since completing graduate studies, John’s career has alternated between academe and government. In addition to the University of Regina, he has been a member of the economics departments at the University of Saskatchewan, Queen’s University and McMaster University. He has also served in a senior executive capacity in the federal Department of Finance, with responsibilities in the areas of fiscal policy and tax policy, and in the Alberta Treasury Department. After retiring as Vice-President at the University of Regina, he was appointed Senior Policy Fellow at the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy. Since returning to Kingston, John has been actively involved with the Queen’s Institute of Intergovernmental Affairs, serving as Associate Director and Interim Director. He was appointed a Fellow of the Institute in 2010.

Dr. Allan has published extensively in the field of public-sector economics, most particularly, tax policy. While in Ottawa, he chaired the Commodity Tax Review Group and the Federal-Provincial Committee of Officials on the Revenue Guarantee. He was also the senior economic advisor to the Select Committee of the Ontario Legislature on Tax Reform, and served as a special advisor to the province’s first Minister of Revenue. He was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.