Academic Year 2021/2022

The purpose of the course is to provide an introduction and overview of housing policy with a focus on social and affordable housing issues primarily in Canada, although this will include some international comparison.

The course commences with a brief examination of the rationale and basis for housing policy. From there we will trace the evolution of housing policy since its formal emergence in the early post-war period and over the subsequent 70 years to the present. The course will then engage students in a range of current issues, review potential data sources to support sound policy analysis and compare and contrast the state of policy in Canada with that in other countries.

This is a graduate seminar. Students should have completed required readings assigned for each class and come prepared to discuss and debate issues raised, and by doing so to expand their analytical skills as well as their understanding of housing issues.

Learning Outcomes expected

1. Examine why and how governments have become involved in housing policy
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the social, economic and political context in which housing is delivered, nationally and locally
3. Analyze major current issues in housing policy
4. Compare and contrast housing policy and provision both nationally and internationally
5. Understand how to find data to assist in analyzing housing issues.

Vlasios Melessanakis: This seminar-style course provides an overview of bank regulation and the causes of the 2008 global financial crisis.  It examines the role of regulators in ensuring the solvency of banks and stability of the financial system, the factors governing risks in the system, and what regulators do to contain those risks.  The course also identifies and assesses the trade-offs between regulation and competitiveness, between safety net mechanisms and market discipline, strategies in resolving failing banks, and many other policy issues that have been brought to the forefront by the crisis.

Mary Bartram: Mental health and substance use have emerged as a top health policy priority over the past decade, including the announcement of a $5B federal transfer to improve access to mental health services over ten years and the opioid crisis. Youth in particular have been advocating against stigma and for improved access to mental health services in schools and in the community. The mental health and substance use impacts of COVID-19 are unfolding in real time around the world. This course will provide students with a strong foundation in mental health and substance use policy analysis, with a particular focus on the Canadian context.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• apply core mental health and substance use concepts to the analysis of policy issues;
• analyze the relationship between institutions, ideas and interests in shaping mental health and substance use policy;
• communicate policy proposals verbally and in writing, in keeping with real-world policy practice, both individually and in groups;
• demonstrate clear and concise writing regarding public policy and policy research

The rise of ESG reporting, social enterprises, innovative financing models, and cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology provide nonprofits and businesses with new mechanisms to leverage positive impact. Accessible to students from all disciplines, this course focuses on the design and measurement of economic, social, and environmental impact and the correlation of that value to financial returns. Through simulations and case study analyses, students will learn to deftly maneuver through the complexity of responsible investing, benefiting from impact investments, and the intersection of public policy and social finance.