Academic Year 2024/2025

While “social policy” often designates the policies which governments use for welfare and social protection, it refers more generally to the study of human well-being and the ways in which a society attempts to achieve this well-being. Social Policy normally includes policies about education, health, social security and housing, all understood in their broadest meaning. It can also include policies to provide full-employment, to protect the environment, to redress social deviants, to provide recreational activities or personal services. Social policy can be achieved not only through government, but also through family, non-profit organizations, local communities, churches or through the market. The course will explore the nature and historical development of social programs in capitalist countries, with particular focus on Canada.

In this course, we will examine a range of ethical theories – such as utilitarianism, Kantian theory, virtue ethics, feminist ethics – to consider what governments should do. Applications could include policies affecting climate change, income inequality, end of life, privacy, restitution, use of force.

Description coming shortly.

This course explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in public policy, management programs, and non-profit organisations. Students will critically analyse AI applications, examining benefits and challenges by applying different ethical and responsible AI frameworks. Additionally, the course delves into AI governance theories, models, and tools for managing AI-driven initiatives effectively in the public and non-profit sectors.

This course will provide students with the knowledge and practical skills required to engage in public policy advocacy with all levels of government in a Canadian context. It addresses theories of policy change and advocacy, the institutions and cycles of parliamentary and municipal governments, and practical guidance in developing, implementing and evaluating effective public policy advocacy strategies. Students will work in teams to develop, present and assess an advocacy strategy on a current issue of relevance to the charitable and nonprofit sector.

This course will provide students with a basic understanding of the legal principles, statutory regulations, and judicial interpretations that influence the policy-making processes in government. The focus will be on the practical implications of law on contemporary policy areas such as health, technology, and immigration. While this is not a law class per se, students will be expected to review and understand case law, statutes, and regulations that apply to specific policy fields. This class will help students begin to understand how legal principles and policy design are interconnected. This knowledge is important for those aspiring to influence public policy, engage in legal practice, or otherwise contribute to public administration and governance.

A great Canadian scholar once remarked that intergovernmental relations are what Canada has instead of a public political philosophy. Maybe an overstatement, but it is true that virtually every area of collective wellbeing, from the nature and extent of our welfare state to economic development decisions and foreign relations is shaped in interactions and negotiations among Canada’s constitutional orders. This course will examine the nearly invisible institutions and practices that structure interactions among federal, provincial, Indigenous, territorial and municipal governments, starting with the major fiscal and policy institutions. We will then explore more deeply, considering specific cases such as economic development and responses to the climate crisis and the emergence of a third order of Indigenous government.

Indigenous peoples’ policies as nations are set in a comparative political-economic and institutional context with Canadian policies and programs on Indigenous peoples. Over the semester, students will move create a comprehensive literature review engaging with critical Indigenous thought. Students will participate and reflect on learning through applied Indigenous pedagogy, namely through beading workshops. The experiential learning is aimed towards understanding cultural resurgence, community building and engagement with Indigenous paradigms.

This course focuses on the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of sustainability in urban contexts. We will explore these issues through various relevant analytical lenses including political economy, urban political ecology, environmental justice, feminism, and decolonization. Emphasis will be placed on the intersecting nature of sustainability challenges through an exploration of key topics including urban climate adaptation and mitigation, land-use planning, transit and automobility, buildings and infrastructure, urban greenspace and environmental gentrification, public health, and good green jobs. Canadian and international examples will be explored.

Transportation policy has profound effects on the national economy and the mobility of individual Canadians. Look no further than the Covid-19 restrictions to see it up close and personal. This course will enable students to participate in framing and implementing government and industrial transportation policy that touches the lives of everyone. The course will cover all the principal modes—road, rail, air, and marine. And it will deal with urban mobility and infrastructure, safety and security, technology and innovation, and regional priorities and challenges, along with a special look at the pandemic shock-waves and how we are likely to emerge from the stunning disruption.

The course analyzes the socio-economic structures of the pharmaceutical sector. The course analyzes the dominant business models at work, the regulatory framework from approval of new drugs to reimbursement, the challenges of health research in a for-profit sector, debates over the institutional corruption of medical research, corporate strategies to increase profits often to the detriment of public health, access to medicines in developed and developing countries, orphan drug policy as well as potential strategies to expand access to medicines, improve health outcomes and reduce costs. This course is trans-disciplinary, building on political economy, economics of innovation, health care policy, epidemiology, and sociology of science.

This course examines the core functions of public sector innovation (PSI). More specifically, this course is designed to help students understand what questions (e.g., innovation typologies and sources), how questions (how can governments innovate), where questions (the political and socio-economic context within which organizations operate in different sectors), why questions (why governments need to innovate), and so what questions (outcomes of innovation, including ethical implications). Overall, the concepts taught in this course apply to all types of positions in all kinds of organizations (e.g., public, private, and non-profit) in which we may find ourselves. However, most of our focus will be on the public sector. We will learn various concepts on public sector innovation and how they influence innovative activities and employee attitudes considering different levels of analysis: individuals, groups, organizational structure, state/country, and the external environment of public organizations. We will also contemplate a key question from the first class: innovation through or in the public sector (i.e., should the bureaucracy innovate itself or promote business innovation?) and how it affects employees (e.g., their attitudes and behavior), organizations (e.g., performance), and nations (e.g., national development).

Explore the language and discourse of public policy through the critical lens of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) to unpack the ways in which social identities are (re)presented and (re)produced in policy texts. Gain insights into the impact of policy on diverse groups based on considerations such as race, gender, sexuality, ability, and socioeconomic status. This seminar introduces critical concepts from EDI and public policy studies to examine strategies for promoting inclusive policies that address systemic inequalities and promote social justice.