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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Stories Of Youth Politics In Action: Uncovering Youth Political Spaces For Local Governments, Adam Fearnall Aug 2015

Stories Of Youth Politics In Action: Uncovering Youth Political Spaces For Local Governments, Adam Fearnall

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper argues that local governments must create space for expressions of youth politics within formal political processes if they hope to engage young residents in the work of government. It is comprised of a number stories that capture the essence of generalizable lessons about where to find and how to recognize expressions of youth politics. Each one is intended to uncover a different aspect of youth politics and to make a case for why local governments need to learn how to recognize the spaces and languages that define the youth political sphere. The paper concludes with a discussion of …


Sharing The Lived Experience Of Public Housing: A Critical Discourse Analysis And Perspectives From Residents Of Public Housing In London, Ontario, Tim Smuck Aug 2015

Sharing The Lived Experience Of Public Housing: A Critical Discourse Analysis And Perspectives From Residents Of Public Housing In London, Ontario, Tim Smuck

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the extent to which media and government discourse about public housing differs from the lived experience of public housing residents. It uses case studies of the two largest and most negatively stereotyped public housing communities in London, Ontario – Limberlost and Southdale – and it argues that there are three distinct discourses surrounding public housing in the city. The first discourse is the media, which was analyzed using a media review of the largest media outlet, the London Free Press; the second discourse is the London and Middlesex Housing Corporation (LMHC), which was investigated using a government …


Public Health Funding: Results Of A Quantitative Analysis Exploring The Influence Of Local Public Health Unit Characteristics On The Provision Of Provincial And Local Funding, Sandy Stevens Jul 2015

Public Health Funding: Results Of A Quantitative Analysis Exploring The Influence Of Local Public Health Unit Characteristics On The Provision Of Provincial And Local Funding, Sandy Stevens

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper attempts to identify what local public health unit (PHU) characteristics, if any, may be contributing factors to the variations in provincial and local per capita funding levels between PHUs. Financial data was collected on the size of the grant provided to each health unit by the Province of Ontario and the total expenditures spent by each PHU. This data was analyzed in relation to four health unit characteristics: the governance model of the board of health; the population density of the area overseen by each health unit; the economic health of the local communities; and the workload experienced …


Institutional Collective Action In Ontario’S Fire Service: Conducive And Inhibiting Factors Of Local Collaboration Of Fire Safety Inspections And Enforcement, Brian Arnold Jul 2015

Institutional Collective Action In Ontario’S Fire Service: Conducive And Inhibiting Factors Of Local Collaboration Of Fire Safety Inspections And Enforcement, Brian Arnold

MPA Major Research Papers

The economic, political, and social environment in Ontario is placing increased pressure on the delivery of local fire prevention services and fire chiefs and elected officials are expected to do more with fewer resources. Subsequently, exploring mechanisms to work collaboratively with neighbouring fire departments in order to improve the efficacy of fire prevention programs should be a priority. This paper examines the conducive and inhibiting factors of voluntary collaboration for fire prevention activities within Ontario’s fire service. A cross-sectional study and analysis was undertaken to collect data of relevant variables at a specific point in time using a triangulation approach. …


A Matter Of Size: An Investigation Into How The Size Of Municipality Impacts What It Values In A Municipal Association, Neale Carbert Jul 2015

A Matter Of Size: An Investigation Into How The Size Of Municipality Impacts What It Values In A Municipal Association, Neale Carbert

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether municipalities of different sizes behave in municipal associations in different ways and, more specifically, it investigates how municipalities in Ontario value and interact with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). The data and conclusions presented are based on a series of qualitative interviews with elected officials and city staff of a small municipality and a large municipality that both hold membership in the AMO. The findings reveal that the size of a municipality does in fact affect what it will value in a municipal association. The limited budget and capacity of small municipal governments leads …


The Perfect Storm: Emergency Management Regulations And Small Municipalities In Ontario, Jennifer Alexander Jul 2015

The Perfect Storm: Emergency Management Regulations And Small Municipalities In Ontario, Jennifer Alexander

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines emergency management legislation in Ontario with a specific focus on identifying the barriers that small municipalities experience with implementing provincial emergency management regulations. Through a qualitative research approach, this study examines three small municipalities in southwestern Ontario – Bluewater, Goderich, and Middlesex Centre – which have a similar population size and geographic location. Interviews with key municipal stakeholders were conducted and their responses are analyzed within this report. The findings demonstrate that small municipalities are struggling to maintain emergency readiness due to a lack of financial capacity to invest in resources and proactive emergency measures.


The Study Of Knowledge And Attitudes Of Students In Chinese Universities Towards Canadian Political And Local Issues, Huiwen Chen Jul 2015

The Study Of Knowledge And Attitudes Of Students In Chinese Universities Towards Canadian Political And Local Issues, Huiwen Chen

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper provides a specific perspective of Chinese-Canadian relations by studying the knowledge and attitudes of Chinese students towards Canadian political and local issues. The data and conclusions presented are based on 134 questionnaires that analyze the level of knowledge and attitudes the participants had and what factors contributed to this. The findings reveal that the participants had very little knowledge about Canada and fairly negative attitudes towards Canada, compared to other countries such as the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Moreover, certain factors, such as sex, place of birth, and proficiency with English, impacted the level of …


Public Service Motivation At A Small Suburban Municipality: An Analysis Of Intrinsic And Extrinsic Motivators And The Characteristics Of Employees Of The Town Of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Tami Kitay Apr 2015

Public Service Motivation At A Small Suburban Municipality: An Analysis Of Intrinsic And Extrinsic Motivators And The Characteristics Of Employees Of The Town Of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Tami Kitay

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper determines the motivators of employees who are highly attracted to public sector work. The researcher sought to replicate the 2005 Bright study, which found a strong relationship between public service motivation and the personal characteristics of employees, their employment status, and their intrinsic/extrinsic reward preferences, with the employees of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury. The results indicate a strong correlation, but not identical results, to the Bright study, with the common foundation between the two studies being a strong majority of local government employees who are intrinsically connected to and motivated by the public service.


Transitioning The Canadian Democratic System Into The Era Of Digital Governance: A Longitudinal Study Of First Time Online Voting And Voter Turnout In Ontario Municipalities, Chris Bantock Jan 2015

Transitioning The Canadian Democratic System Into The Era Of Digital Governance: A Longitudinal Study Of First Time Online Voting And Voter Turnout In Ontario Municipalities, Chris Bantock

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the relationship between online voting and voter turnout rates in Ontario municipalities. It uses a longitudinal research design to collect election data from municipalities that used online voting for the first time in 2014, which is compared to election data from the 2010 Ontario municipal elections, and it also uses a survey that was administered to the Clerks Department of randomly selected municipalities. The findings reveal a statistically proven relationship between online voting and increased voter turnout in Ontario municipalities.