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The Effects Of Income Inequality On Social Assistance Services Caseload: A Local Perspective Of London, Ontario Using Multiple Linear Regression Statistical Model, Juan Cardona Dec 2016

The Effects Of Income Inequality On Social Assistance Services Caseload: A Local Perspective Of London, Ontario Using Multiple Linear Regression Statistical Model, Juan Cardona

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper explores the relationship between income inequality and social assistance caseload within the context of London, Ontario from 1993 to 2013. Gini coefficients, social assistance caseload, and control variable data have been gathered and calculated using a multiple linear regression statistical analysis and academic investigation. The findings suggest that there is a 68 percent correlation between the regression model and the independent variable of social assistance caseload, with unemployment being the strongest explanatory variable. A negative relationship between income inequality and social assistance caseload variables was found, but important endogenous variables, such as policy interventions and macroeconomic cycles, have …


Towards Evidence-Informed Agriculture Policy Making: Investigating The Knowledge Translation Practices Of Researchers In The National Agriculture Research Institutes In Nigeria, Isioma N. Elueze Nov 2016

Towards Evidence-Informed Agriculture Policy Making: Investigating The Knowledge Translation Practices Of Researchers In The National Agriculture Research Institutes In Nigeria, Isioma N. Elueze

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigated the knowledge translation practices of researchers in the National Agriculture Research Institutes of Nigeria and the utilization of research knowledge by policy actors in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria. Data for the study was obtained from agriculture researchers and the policy actors through questionnaires and interviews. In addition, bibliometric and content analysis were carried out on documents from the research institutes and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to gauge the transfer and use of knowledge by the researchers and policy actors respectively. Out of about six hundred questionnaires that …


The Development And Implementation Of The Off-Premise Outlet Density Expansion Initiative Within Ontario's New Beer Framework: A Case Study, Stephanie A. Simpson Oct 2016

The Development And Implementation Of The Off-Premise Outlet Density Expansion Initiative Within Ontario's New Beer Framework: A Case Study, Stephanie A. Simpson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: In April 2015, the Ontario government announced the expansion of beer sales in up to 450 grocery stores, thereby substantially increasing access to alcohol. This policy was introduced despite a robust body of research demonstrating a positive relationship between increased outlet density, alcohol consumption, and consequent harm. Methods: This qualitative case study explored the role of health information, and the contexts and factors which shaped its use, in the development and implementation of Ontario’s policy to expand alcohol outlet density. Kingdon’s Streams Model (2011) guided a directed content analysis of policy-related documents (n=69) and transcripts from semi-structured interviews with …


Whose Finger On The Nuclear Trigger, Erika Simpson, Murray Thomson Sep 2016

Whose Finger On The Nuclear Trigger, Erika Simpson, Murray Thomson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.


Towards A World Free Of Nuclear Weapons, Erika Simpson Aug 2016

Towards A World Free Of Nuclear Weapons, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.


Identification Of Factors For Successful Implementation Of The Incident Management System In Ontario Health Unit Emergency Management Programs, Dimitra Kasimos Jul 2016

Identification Of Factors For Successful Implementation Of The Incident Management System In Ontario Health Unit Emergency Management Programs, Dimitra Kasimos

MPA Major Research Papers

In 2008, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care released the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Protocol, which mandated local health units to develop emergency response plans consistent with the Incident Management System (IMS). The main purpose for implementing IMS was to provide a standardized approach to local and provincial government emergency response by providing a common framework. This paper identifies some of the factors present in health units that consistently implement IMS during incident and emergency response. A questionnaire was developed to collect data from 34 of the 35 health units in Ontario. The findings reveal that health units have …


Should The Niagara Region Chair Be Directly Elected?, Michael Genova Jul 2016

Should The Niagara Region Chair Be Directly Elected?, Michael Genova

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper explores the merits of directly-elected heads of council versus appointed heads of council in Ontario’s upper-tier regional governments with a specific focus on the Niagara Region. A comparative literature review of academic papers and government publications was undertaken, principally by examining the local government reforms introduced by the Blair government in English municipalities, namely the creation of the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the position of Mayor of London. Based on the literature review, four separate theories were developed in favour of directly-elected heads of council: improved voter turnout; improved calibre of candidates standing for office; enhanced soft …


The Effectiveness Of Using A Public-Private-Partnership Model For Urban Rail Transit: The Vancouver Case, Jie Bian Jul 2016

The Effectiveness Of Using A Public-Private-Partnership Model For Urban Rail Transit: The Vancouver Case, Jie Bian

MPA Major Research Papers

In recent years, public-private partnerships, which are commonly referred to as PPPs or P3s, have become increasingly popular in Canada. Within the context of public transit, PPPs involve the private sector designing, building, financing, and operating the facilities. This paper analyzes the potential benefits of P3s based on an in-depth case study of public transportation investment in Greater Vancouver. It compares a DBFO (design-build-finance-operate) project and two non-DBFO projects in Metro Vancouver using the three variables of efficiency, fulfillment of original purposes, and procedural transparency. Ultimately, there were very few apparent merits of PPPs in the Vancouver case and the …


Digital Strategies In Local Government: Private Sector And Early Adopters Lessons Learned, Robert Delorme Jul 2016

Digital Strategies In Local Government: Private Sector And Early Adopters Lessons Learned, Robert Delorme

MPA Major Research Papers

In recent years, both the public and private sectors have been using digital strategies, which represent an integration of business and technology plans in an organization. This paper investigates the early adoption of digital strategies in the public sector at the local government level using case studies for southern Ontario that focus on existing academic and practice-based literature, along with documented government adoptions of digital strategies to identify trends and issues. The findings support the private sector lessons and further indicate that there is little consistency in approach, methodology, or stage of digital strategy implementation within the public sector. Research …


Municipal And Developer Success Rates At The Ontario Municipal Board: A London, Ontario Case Study, Dan Scheid Jul 2016

Municipal And Developer Success Rates At The Ontario Municipal Board: A London, Ontario Case Study, Dan Scheid

MPA Major Research Papers

The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) is a quasi-judicial tribunal with the authority to render decisions regarding land-use planning disputes. Using London, Ontario as a case study, this paper attempts to determine if municipalities or developers are generally more successful before the OMB when they are in direct opposition. The research seeks to highlight the underlying reasons why OMB makes its decisions, what it bases its decisions on, and any ramifications this may have for municipalities and developers. Through an extensive literature review, comparisons to other empirical studies of a similar nature, and a carefully selected research design, this paper provides …


The Role Of Local Government In China’S Urbanization: The Relationship Between Local Land Finance And Government-Led Urbanization, Ying Qiu Jul 2016

The Role Of Local Government In China’S Urbanization: The Relationship Between Local Land Finance And Government-Led Urbanization, Ying Qiu

MPA Major Research Papers

Over the past several decades, dramatic growth and institutional reforms have taken place in the Chinese economy and society, which has been accompanied by accelerated urbanization. This paper examines the rationale behind the local government’s pursuit of urbanization and its deep relationship with fiscal reform, local land management, and the political performance evaluation system of local cadres by central officials. The findings reveal that, rather than being a natural consequence of economic development and a complex outcome of population urbanization and land urbanization, China’s urbanization in recent decades can be identified as a local government-led development deriving from the municipalities’ …


Driving Decision-Making: An Analysis Of Policy Diffusion And Its Role In The Development And Implementation Of Ridesharing Regulations In Four Canadian Municipalities, Lisa Shields Jul 2016

Driving Decision-Making: An Analysis Of Policy Diffusion And Its Role In The Development And Implementation Of Ridesharing Regulations In Four Canadian Municipalities, Lisa Shields

MPA Major Research Papers

Throughout the world, ridesharing services compete with the highly regulated taxicab industry and governments have been compelled by various interest groups to address the regulatory uncertainty that has resulted from the emergence of the sharing economy. This paper examines the literature on policy diffusion and applies the relevant concepts to explain the proliferation of ridesharing regulations in Canada. It chronicles the experiences of four large Canadian municipalities – Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, and Toronto – and it documents the similarities in the regulatory frameworks adopted by these municipalities and other North American jurisdictions where transportation network companies are regulated. The research …


Housing First In Canada: A New Approach To Homelessness And Best Practices For Municipal Implementation, Shelly Steffler Jul 2016

Housing First In Canada: A New Approach To Homelessness And Best Practices For Municipal Implementation, Shelly Steffler

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper assesses the Housing First approach to homelessness, which provides people living on the street with permanent homes before offering them optional support, as opposed to the traditional approach to housing, where people need to meet certain conditions, such as sobriety, before being assisted to obtain housing. It uses case studies from Medicine Hat, Alberta and Toronto to explore the implementation of Housing First in two Canadian cities. The paper concludes by providing best practices and offering cautions for municipalities considering this approach. The case studies indicate that data collection, stakeholder engagement, a systems approach, and support from all …


Brexit Vote Could Allow For Nuclear Weapons Rethink, Erika Simpson, Bill Kidd Jun 2016

Brexit Vote Could Allow For Nuclear Weapons Rethink, Erika Simpson, Bill Kidd

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.


Toward Regional Resilience In Toronto: From Diagnosis To Action, Zack Taylor, Leah Birnbaum Jun 2016

Toward Regional Resilience In Toronto: From Diagnosis To Action, Zack Taylor, Leah Birnbaum

Western Urban and Local Governance Working Papers

Greater Toronto is recognized as a high-performing urban region. Over the past decade, however, negative social, economic, and environmental trends have emerged that threaten the region’s future. On the basis of documentary research and four focus group workshops with a diverse array of professional practitioners, this paper assesses the Toronto region’s current assets and vulnerabilities in relation to future risks.The discussion is framed by the concept of resilience—an increasingly popular, yet abstract, concept in urban planning and public administration. This paper proposes, first, that planning and policymaking be directed toward increasing the region’s resilience, understood as the diversity and redundancy …


The Contributions Of Anatol Rapoport To Game Theory, Erika Simpson May 2016

The Contributions Of Anatol Rapoport To Game Theory, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

Game theory is used to rationally and dispassionately examine the strategic behaviour of nations, especially superpower behaviour. This article explains how basic game theory - at its simplest level - was used by Anatol Rapoport to generate ideas about how to enhance world peace. Rapoport was at the forefront of the game theoreticians who sought to conceptualize strategies that could promote international cooperation. Accordingly, the basic logic of game theory is explained using the game models of ‘Chicken’ and ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma’. These models were used by Rapoport in his books and lectures in simple and complex ways. Then Rapoport’s revolutionary …


Girls(') Speak: Criticality As Agency, Annalise Trudell Apr 2016

Girls(') Speak: Criticality As Agency, Annalise Trudell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

I seek to contribute knowledge about girls’ embodied sense of agency, as well as to provide empirical insights into anti-violence community programming. Rather than a focus on girls as victims, I want to illuminate the conditions of possibility for girls’ exercise of agency. Working with a feminist post-structuralist framework, and drawing heavily on Judith Butler (1990; 1997), I ask: How does anti-violence programming impact girls’ sense of themselves as agential subjects rather than victims, and, hence, as capable of exercising agency in their subjectivization? Which conceptions of agency do girls mobilize, and how do certain identity categories come to bear …


The Euthanasia Debate: International Experience And Canadian Policy Proposals, Lorna M. Fratschko Apr 2016

The Euthanasia Debate: International Experience And Canadian Policy Proposals, Lorna M. Fratschko

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examines the problematic prospect of the introduction of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide into Canadian society. The thesis argues that euthanasia is too simplistic an approach to address the complexities of end of life issues. The policy proposal under active discussion is profoundly mistaken. The language of euthanasia is examined in relation to the choice of words used, drawing attention to how words, when used loosely, can distort reality in this matter. Historical experience from other jurisdictions is presented to provide a context for this discussion. A "slippery slope" argument emerges via the claim that, in practice and in …


The Impact Of Prior Experience Employees’ Perceptions And Beliefs About Workplace Policies And Practices, Michael D. Saxton Apr 2016

The Impact Of Prior Experience Employees’ Perceptions And Beliefs About Workplace Policies And Practices, Michael D. Saxton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Domestic violence (DV) is associated with negative consequences for victims, children, families, and even national economies. More recently, research has demonstrated that DV also has a serious impact on workers and workplaces. Less is known about Canadians’ beliefs toward the impact DV has on workers or the extent to which individuals are able to identify co-workers’ experiences of DV. Using data from a pan-Canadian sample of 7,834 men and women, the current study examined: 1) how prior experiences with DV relates to beliefs toward the impact DV has on workers, 2) how gender and age relates to beliefs toward DV’s …


Federal Minister Delays Decision On Nuclear Waste Depository, Erika Simpson Apr 2016

Federal Minister Delays Decision On Nuclear Waste Depository, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The federal minister of the environment, Catherine McKenna, has dealt a setback to the proposal put forward by government-owned Ontario Power Generation (OPG), for the underground storage of nuclear waste. The proposed Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) would be located in Kincardine, Ontario, approximately 1.2 kilometres away from the shore of Lake Huron, and constructed underneath the world's largest operating nuclear power plant.


An Exploration Of Service Needs For Adults Who Live With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Armush Salahadin Apr 2016

An Exploration Of Service Needs For Adults Who Live With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Armush Salahadin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Families who care for children with disabilities feel that supports are essential. However, little is known about the support needs of adults who live with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and few specialized services exist to meet their needs. This study examined caregivers' perceived support needs for their children when they grow into adults. Sixteen caregivers of children aged 10 years or older with FASD participated in telephone interviews. Participants provided responses to the following two questions: “What do caregivers need to help young adults live as independently as possible?” and “What services would help young adults live as independently as …


Sustainable Development Goals Worth Sharing, Erika Simpson Mar 2016

Sustainable Development Goals Worth Sharing, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The international community has agreed upon another set of goals for the next 15 years. On the table are no less than 169 objectives and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new aspirations are summarized and the merits and demerits of further elaboration and measurement including country-specific deadlines and targets are discussed. The hefty budget to achieve all 17 goals is estimated at more than $4 trillion US a year. North American policy-makers need to be aware of humankind’s shared aspirations as they consider the new and expensive SDGs. Foreign aid is one of the instruments of North American foreign …


Peace Dividend: The War Assets Corporation And The Disposal Of Canada's Munitions And Supplies, 1943-1948, Alex Souchen Mar 2016

Peace Dividend: The War Assets Corporation And The Disposal Of Canada's Munitions And Supplies, 1943-1948, Alex Souchen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation is the first full-length study to explore how the Canadian government and military disposed of surplus munitions and supplies after the Second World War. By investigating how the state planned and implemented its disposal program from 1943 to 1948, this thesis places objects at the centre of attention and demonstrates their profound political, social, and economic significance. By examining the extended social lives of munitions and supplies in relationship to their postwar impact on civilian life, this study offers a new and innovative perspective that links material culture with postwar reconstruction, rehabilitation, and demobilization. What follows is a …


The Permanence Of The Sustainable Development Complex, Christopher Ginou Jan 2016

The Permanence Of The Sustainable Development Complex, Christopher Ginou

2016 Undergraduate Awards

Conventional wisdom tells us that sustainable development is the most effective solution to ecological protection, so what has this wisdom led to? Supporters of environmental sustainability have created a permanent sustainable development complex that is embedded within our business culture and the economy. This paper will reveal reasons why this permanence of sustainability has continued and why liberal environmentalism is used indefinitely. Some of these reasons being that sustainable development provides economic growth along with more efficient practices that can be utilized longer than before, and that sustainable development has been argued to produce substantial results that liberal environmentalist theorists …


Transwomen And The Prison Industrial Complex, Naciza Masikini Jan 2016

Transwomen And The Prison Industrial Complex, Naciza Masikini

2016 Undergraduate Awards

As one of the fastest growing populations in the prison system, transwomen have a unique relationship with the prison system and the Prison Industrial Complex. These systems work to further the marginalization of transwomen by subjecting them to psychological and sexual violence. Transwomen’s bodies are criminalized in ways that naturalizes the violence they experience both in the prisons and in the court systems. This paper aims to provide an overview of the ways in which transwomen are dehumanized in their encounters with the criminal justice system (i.e. mis-gendering, the physical and sexual abuse they experience) by contextualizing their experiences. Through …


The Uber Effect, Richard William Kelly Jan 2016

The Uber Effect, Richard William Kelly

2016 Undergraduate Awards

Taxi industries across the world have been affected by a new trend in transportation; ridesharing services. It is suggested that this effect has been demonstrated through falling taxi medallion prices. This recent decline in taxi medallion prices has been coined the term “The Uber Effect”. This paper analyzes the effect that Uber has had on the taxi industry’s medallion prices since UberX has entered three different markets: New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia. The price of a taxi medallion is modeled against a variable of interest: number of Uber drivers in a city, and control variables: unemployment rate, long term …


Questioning The Global Scaling Up Of Low-Fee Private Schooling: The Nexus Between Business, Philanthropy And Ppps, Prachi Srivastava Jan 2016

Questioning The Global Scaling Up Of Low-Fee Private Schooling: The Nexus Between Business, Philanthropy And Ppps, Prachi Srivastava

Education Publications

No abstract provided.