Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Do Educational Leaders In Small, Fragile, And Developing Countries Translate Their Understandings Of Student Learning And Achievement Into Leadership Practices? A Case-Study About Leadership In Haïtian Urban Schools, Carolyne Pierre Marie Verret

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Haïti is unique in many respects; full of contradictions and paradoxes. While beautiful in many regards, it is fraught with issues: political, economic, societal, environmental, cultural, health-related, and educational. The latter stands out, however, as education affects the quality of the country’s human capital, determining the quality of life of its citizens. Therefore, having competent people in leadership positions is critical especially within schools where they can impact students’ learning, development, and achievement (SL/A).

Aiming to describe the state of educational leadership in Haïtian schools to inform policy-makers of the lived-experiences of educational leaders (ELs), the objectives of this study …

Indigenous-Municipal Intergovernmental Agreements: A Case Study Examining Substantive Collaboration, Gwendolyn Lowrie-Dennis

MPA Major Research Papers

Indigenous-municipal intergovernmental collaboration has been increasing across Canada. Some suggest it can act as either a tool to create empowering policy or as an instrument of authoritative control. This paper examines the case study of the Upper Ottawa Valley Medical Recruitment Committee and classifies its intergovernmental agreement as either symbolic or substantive. It does so by analyzing the frequency of communication, the decision-making processes used, the implementation of the agreement, and its outcomes. The findings suggest that the Committee achieved substantive results on all measures, but not without facing significant logistical and social barriers. Intergovernmental collaboration was ultimately beneficial in …

The Future Of Caos In Small Ontario Municipalities: A Study Of What Small Ontario Municipalities Are Doingto Recruit And Retain ‘Top Talent’, Michael Szarka

MPA Major Research Papers

Many Chief Administrative Officers will retire in the coming years, posing a succession problem for municipalities. The problem is especially acute in small and Northern municipalities. Municipalities must develop talent recruitment and retention strategies. Analysis of two case studies indicates that strong council support for succession planning is required, and municipal organizations should invest in their staff so that they can ascend to leadership positions, including promoting professional networking opportunities.

Aboriginal Offender Parole Outcomes, Truman Paul Tremblay

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This paper outlines an Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) and addresses a current Problem of Practice (PoP) in Aboriginal federal corrections. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is a federal department mandated by the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. Notably, this Act mandates the CSC to be responsive to the special needs of Aboriginal offenders. Aboriginal offenders have long been over-represented within the Canadian corrections system; consequently, there is tremendous pressure on the CSC to address the gap in outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal offenders. The PoP considers the role of the Aboriginal Initiatives Directorate within CSC and describes the impact …

The Relationship Between Federal Citizenship And Immigration Policies And The Internationalization Of Higher Education In Canada, Rashed Al-Haque

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Using Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as a way to do Critical Policy Analysis (CPA), this instrumental case study explores the relationships between citizenship and immigration (CI) policies and the internationalization of Canadian higher education. By utilizing a critical-sociomaterial approach, the research exposes actors and actor-networks that are otherwise overlooked in these policy areas. Moreover, this lens underscores the impacts and consequences of policy and how the enrollment and/or exclusion of actors in actor-networks enables certain actors to exert control, power, and primacy over others.

While most research on internationalization identifies the academy as the site for internationalization policy enactment, this research …

The Socioeconomic Implications Of Ontario's Joint And Several Liability Arrangement: Insights From Municipal Political Elites In Perth County, Josh Brick

MPA Major Research Papers

This research report examines the extent to which senior municipal staff in Perth County consider the economic and social implications of joint and several liability. Data for the report is drawn from semi-structured interviews with Chief Administrative Officers or senior staff in the Municipality of North Perth, the Municipality of West Perth, the Township of Perth East, the Township of Perth South, and the County of Perth. The interviews reveal that staff consider both the economic and social implications of the current legislative framework, however economic implications are given greater weight.

Enumeration Of The Homeless Population In Rural Communities, Barbara Hall

MPA Major Research Papers

Ontario Service Manager areas are now mandated by the province of Ontario to enumerate the homeless population under their jurisdiction. The rural homeless have unique characteristics that must be incorporated into the enumeration methodology. Case study analysis suggests that period prevalence and registry week methods are better suited to rural areas than a point-in-time count.

Pluralism In Regional Health Planning: An Analysis Of Public Engagement In Ontario’S Local Health Integration Networks, Paul Sandor

MPA Major Research Papers

This study identifies and explains variation in the choices of public engagement methods across Ontario’s Local Health Integration Networks, in order to inform the policy space these organizations operate in with respect to enabling citizen participation in regional health planning decisions. The websites of all 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) were searched for three key documents that detail their past and future public engagement method choices. Drawing from the literature, a multi-metric qualitative scoring framework was designed to explore patterns of variation in public engagement method choices across each region. The findings demonstrate that there is minimal variation in …

The Applicability Of British Columbia's Regional Districts As A Model Of Regional Governance For Newfoundland And Labrador, Jennifer Crowe

MPA Major Research Papers

Adequate service delivery, equitable representation, and efficient financing have been at the forefront of local government issues in Newfoundland and Labrador since before confederation. Regional governance is a means to achieve more efficient service provision, better representation of rural interests, and a stronger financing model. This paper asks to what extent can the British Columbia Regional District model be applied to the Newfoundland and Labrador context. The paper first provides the reader with an understanding of the regional governance issues currently faced within Newfoundland and Labrador before delving into an analysis of the origins, history, and evolution of the Regional …

Waterright: An Examination Of Drinking Water, Tax Policy, And Water Affordability In Southwestern Ontario, Robert Sharon

MPA Major Research Papers

There is an extensive regulatory framework embodying the operational supply of drinking water in Ontario, including the need for all municipalities to provide a self-sustaining financial plan for their system. This has resulted in the price of water in Ontario significantly outpacing the Consumer Price Index and general property taxation rates. This cost increase is impacting Ontario residents, causing poorer residents to pay a larger percentage of their disposable income on water required for basic human needs.While provincial regulation is thorough from a quality assurance approach, it is silent on the matter of ensuring residential water affordability. Municipalities can improve …

The Rural Effect On School Closures And The Limitations Within The Provincial Policy Framework, Shannon Geraghty

MPA Major Research Papers

As costs rise, the Ministry of Education and school boards have cut costs by closing schools. The social fabric and economic growth of rural areas are negatively affected by school closures. On the basis of an examination of recent school closure processes in the Upper Canada District School Board in eastern Ontario, this paper recommends explicit incorporation of economic impacts in closure studies, reform to the distribution of provincial education funding, and greater public engagement.

Does The Province Have Enough Financial And Statistical Data Available To Execute A Needs-Based Grant Allocation To Target Municipal Infrastructure Investment Instead Of Utilizing An Application Process To Allocate Funds?, Brenda Garrett

MPA Major Research Papers

Municipalities across the Province are grappling with infrastructure deficits. Small, northern, and rural municipality’s tax assessment base limits its ability to garner sufficient revenue to support operations as well as renew and replace infrastructure. Federal and Provincial governments must step in and assist. As a result, the province introduced the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) as a permanent program to fund critical infrastructure projects for core assets—roads, bridges, water and wastewater. This paper analyzes provincially mandated municipal Financial Information Returns (FIRs) in conjunction with OCIF statistics to assess whether the Province can efficiently and effectively re-distribute revenue using existing financial …

Measuring The Fiscal Impact Of At-Large Versus Ward-Based Political Representation In Ontario Municipalities, Alysha Faria

MPA Major Research Papers

This research report analyzes whether Ontario municipalities with ward-based electoral systems spend more per capita than those with at-large elections. American literature suggests that ward-based municipalities spend more because of log-rolling and politicians' greater responsiveness to neighbourhood electorates. The analysis considerd per-capita expenditures for all Ontario municipalities in the year 2011. Operating and capital expenditures were analyzed separately, as were lower-tier, single-tier, and upper-tier municipalities. Contrary to expectations, ward municipalities spend less per capita than at-large ones on average, however the difference between the two groups was not found to be statistically significant when controlling for municipality type, municipal population …

Who Governs The Internationalization Of Higher Education? A Comparative Analysis Of Macro-Regional Policies In Canada And The European Union, Merli Tamtik

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

The internationalization of higher education has become a politically strategic and economically promising policy area. As a result, the traditional authority and governance boundaries related to internationalization are becoming fluid. This paper focuses on the macro-regional internationalization strategies in Canada and the European Union (EU) in order to understand the changing dynamics of internationalization governance. By applying multi-level governance theory, the paper analyses and compares how internationalization is understood at the macro-regional level, revealing fundamental differences in the normative values. The findings indicate that while Canada is formulating an aggressive marketization approach to benefit from the intensified global competition, the …

Data-Driven Public Diplomacy: A Critical And Reflexive Assessment, Hamilton Bean, Edward Comor

FIMS Publications

This essay presents a critical and reflexive assessment of contemporary efforts

to innovate the measurement and evaluation of public diplomacy. Analyzing a

recent and pivotal report called “Data-Driven Public Diplomacy,” it explains

how the institutional and ideological residue of the Cold War underwrites

these initiatives in the context of American activities in its contemporary “War

on Terror.” Inspired by Marx’s concept of the fetish—n under-represented

conceptual approach to public diplomacy research—he authors critique

the thinking of public diplomacy scholars and officials, arguing that both an

omnipresent past and a powerful form of technological fetishism are discernible

in the “Data-Driven Public …

Municipal Resource Guide To Leading Practices In Cost Savings, Martin Horak, Andrew Sancton, Rachna Goswami, Umera Ali

Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance – Publications

Ontario municipalities of all sizes face pressure to “do more with less.” Commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs, this Resource Guide provides municipal officials with single-source information about a range of current leading practices in cost savings in small and mid-sized Ontario municipalities. Municipalities across the province are continually developing innovative practices that save costs without incurring service level reductions. Most of these practices involve small-scale initiatives that result in modest savings. Yet even modest savings add up over time, and multiple small initiatives in a single municipality can make a big difference. In addition, by providing an …

An Exploration Of Gender Differences In Higher Risk Young Offenders: Implications For Assessment And Service Delivery, Jordyn G. Webb

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Current research examining services for male and female youth in the criminal justice system has focused primarily on males and then generalizes findings to reflect the needs of females. However, more recent literature has identified critical differences between males and females involved in the youth criminal justice system, recognizing that females have unique concerns that need to be reflected in services and interventions. This study examined 277 high-risk, violent and chronic offending youth referred to an urban-based court clinic between the years 2010-2015. The youths' files contained information related to psychological functioning, family history, and information related to outside agencies …

Social Relationships In Young Offenders: Relevance To Peers, Poverty, And Psychological Adjustment, Victoria Sabo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The increasing influence of peers in adolescence is related to a developing array of skills, aspirations, attitudes, and behaviours. The nature and magnitude of this influence and the potential association of certain youth with deviant peers is among the most prominent risk factors in predicting youth crime. This becomes of greater concern for economically disadvantaged youth, whose neighbourhoods harbour greater susceptibility to negative peer influence. With social affiliations at the forefront of youth development and criminality, research efforts need to further characterize the nature, constitution, and influence of peers on adolescent offending. Two hundred and eighty-one Canadian youth were sampled …