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Spreading the Wealth: Rethinking Charity Regulation in a Time of Need

It was the end of April. Carleton students were winding down from another term, finishing exams and finalizing any outstanding final papers. Well not so for a cohort of 60 students in the Master of Public Policy and Administration. They were just ramping up to take part in a 4-day intensive simulation exercise as part of their capstone project course — a final required component of their degree program which the School of Public Policy and Administration has run since 2018. “The capstone experience is such a critical part of our program, giving the students a chance to solidify their learning with us and strengthen their professional ties with classmates,” notes Director Jennifer Stewart. “We are so happy we can…

Alexandra Mallett Talks to CBC about Sustainable Energy Grids

Power utilities grapple with latest climate threat: catastrophic winds Saturday's storm toppled transmission towers and left thousands in the dark Alistair Steele · CBC News · Posted: May 25, 2022 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: May 25 Toward the end of a virtual news conference Monday afternoon, Hydro Ottawa's Bryce Conrad made two things clear: the power utility couldn't have anticipated the destructive power of Saturday's storm, and it's unsure how to guard against such violent weather in the future. "We don't really know what the hell hit us," the plain-spoken president and CEO said. "But whatever it was, it took down composite poles that are 65 feet tall." ------------------------ Alexandra Mallett, an associate professor at Carleton University's school…

Carleton Team Places First in National Public Administration Student Case Competition

Carleton University’s SPPA team won the gold medal for their presentation on the case study “A Wicked Problem? Rough Sleeping in Cities” at the National Public Administration Student Case Competition on February 26. The Carleton team consisted of students in SPPA's Master of Public Policy and Administration program: Nick Harrison, Kelsey Johnson, Dong Ngo, Sydney Roy, and alternate Ben Phillips. This year's coach was SPPA director and professor Jennifer Stewart. The Challenge  The team spent almost two months analyzing different cases and developing an array of policy solutions for each case. “The competition allowed me to apply what I had learned in class over the course of my two-year degree to a scenario in a hands-on way,” says Johnson. “The…

Practicum Experience

A high point of the graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Program Evaluation is a final practicum project. Students get the chance to apply what they have learned in a team project working directly with clients on a real-life evaluation. Two courses are dedicated to this critical part of the program. Students are supported through the full process of planning, executing and reporting on their evaluations, which includes a final presentation to the clients outlining the preliminary findings of the analysis. Past practicum projects have engaged a wide range of topics and clients. Examples include: Current projects concluding in 2024: Mennonite Economic Development Agency (MEDA). The evaluation will focus on how integrating gender, environmental, social and governance principles has impacted the early…

Pam Provis: Master of Public Policy and Administration

Pam Provis, MPPA I have many friends and colleagues who have graduated from SPPA and I have heard many stories throughout the last 15 years about the quality of academia and calibre of professors. Consistent feedback year after year is a good indicator of a respected school. Covid forced/allowed me to slow down and think strategically about my learning path and how I want to continue my career in contributing to a greater good. After reviewing the various course options and the quality of professors in SPPA, it seemed like a natural fit. It is daunting to go back to school after 15 years, and even more daunting to tackle this program while also juggling a full-time job and personal…

MPP in Sustainable Energy and the Environment

Environment and climate change represent some of the most difficult problems facing modern society. For two centuries fossil fuels have powered the rise of industrial civilization, bringing increased affluence and improved quality of life. They still provide 80% of the world’s energy as well as feedstocks for the manufacture of many products including steel, fertilizers, chemicals and plastics. Today we understand that our energy systems — heavily reliant on fossil fuels — are having profound effects on our world including driving climate change, increasing pollution and contributing to deforestation, putting our future at risk. The quest to build a prosperous and equitable net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission economy in Canada has emerged as a fundamental task confronting this generation. The…

PhD Current Students

Degree Requirements All the degree requirements for the PhD in Public Policy are outlined in the Graduate Calendar. These include four single-semester core courses and a research seminar, as well as comprehensive exams, electives and thesis. Degree requirements for the specialization in Political Economy are also detailed in the Graduate Calendar. Extension Request PhD students who would like to request an extension should complete the following steps: Complete the extension request form. Compose and include a letter explaining the circumstance. Provide a realistic timeline schedule for the completion of the remaining research activities that has been approved by all members of the thesis committee. Include a letter from the thesis supervisor supporting the extension request. Include letters or emails from committee members noting…

PhD Student Fahad Ahmad has the lead article in the The Conversation

Carleton University SPPA PhD student Fahad Ahmad and Tarek Younis from Middlesex University write a lead article in The Conversation titled "‘Caliphate’ podcast and its fallout reveal the extent of Islamophobia" This article discusses the issue security agencies and the media create when they view and present Islam and Muslims as constant potential threats, and how these practices feed into dangerously violent and deadly Islamophobia. Read the full article here  

PhD Core Course Descriptions

PhD Course Descriptions PADM 6010: Current Issues in Public Policy An examination of issues in Canadian public policy, and approaches to analysing them. May include issues such as inequality, gender, environment, indigenous governance, US/Canada relations. Approaches to analysis may include contemporary and classic thinkers. There are several major policy – and societal – problems facing Canada and the globe that students should have some familiarity with: environmental crisis; inequality (of income, class, race/ethnicity, sexuality etc); the rise of populism. In order to understand the broader context in which current decision-makers are facing, and in which these issues have arisen, students should also have some background on the nature of the post-WWII settlement, and the neoliberal shift of the 1970s. PADM…

Nathan Grasse

Bachelor of Science (BS) (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States)MPA (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States)PhD in Political Science (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States)Nathan focuses on the governance of public-serving organizations, including associations between governance and financial management. This includes the study of revenue structures, the potential conditioning effects of organizational and environmental factors, and the implications of strategic choices on financial health and other organizational outcomes.Despite the crucial role charities play addressing social problems, enhancing representation, and delivering services in their communities, we have much more to learn about the effective management of these organizations. For example, when managing their finances, charitable organizations may be forced to rely on their own history, anecdotal information, or literature borrowed from other sectors to…