"A comparative study of Canadian and American responses to the changing international economy and to changing patterns of social diversity in domestic society, Degrees of Freedom traces the impact of these pressures on the economic and social structure, culture, political institutions, and policy regimes of the two countries." "The book's primary aim is to determine whether Canada and the United States have become more similar as their economies have become more integrated and their societies more diverse. The authors conclude that although powerful economic and social pressures clearly constrain national governments and lead to convergence in some areas, distinctive cultural and political processes preserve room for distinctive national responses to important problems of the late twentieth century."--Jacket.