Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Candidate Ideology And Positioning In The 2022 Conservative Leadership Race, Chon Kei Chen

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This project examined the role of ideology in the 2022 Conservative leadership race. The first part investigated how ideological divisions within the party, and across each candidate, were portrayed in prominent media. The second part then sought to determine how each candidate actually positioned themselves in terms of broad values, specific issues, and the other candidates. The aim was to determine the extent to which ideology helps to explain candidate positioning and coalition building.

Planning For Micromobilities In Canada: Transportation Policy Review, Nathaniel C. Frisbee Ba, Jason Gilliland Phd, Jinhyung Lee Phd

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Canadian municipalities face a complex decision on how they tackle the ‘wicked problem’ of climate change over the next decades. One form of sustainable transportation that municipalities could pursue is light electric vehicles (LEVs), commonly referred to as e-bikes and e-scooters or referred to as a Power Assisted-Bicycle by Transportation Canada. Transportation-related policies and plans of Canadian municipalities were evaluated for their consideration of LEVs. Municipalities were selected based on having a university campus within their boundaries, as this is where the highest density of Canadian population resides. The analysis spreads across all 10 provinces in Canada.  There are significant …

How Urban Outmigration From Toronto Is Going To Impact Rural Ontario, Amanda M. Gutzke

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

These articles examine the outmigration of people from urban Ontario to rural Ontario during the Covid-19 pandemic. These articles use census data from Statistics Canada to explore population growth rates across CMAs and CAs. In addition, data from Statistics Canada is used to demonstrate the impact of intraprovincial migration on small towns and rural Ontario. Moreover, these articles touch upon semi-structured interviews with local elected officials, local administrative officials, and community leaders to showcase the impact of urban outmigration on rural Ontario. These articles argue that housing affordability is one of the most salient consequences of urban outmigration. These articles …

The Development Of Conspiracy Theories During The Freedom Convoy, Srinjoyee Chakraborty Ms.

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Conspiracy theories have been prevalent throughout history, especially during periods of fear and uncertainty as people build a narrative against political elites and blame misdeeds on their malignant nature. A case study of this phenomenon can be examined in the Canadian Freedom Convoy. The Freedom Convoy began in early 2022 as a protest against COVID-19 mandates, attracting significant political attention as an unprecedented event that eventually forced Trudeau to invoke the Emergencies Act. As political tensions and opinions arose on social media, conspiracist groups began to develop conspiracy theories about the Truck Convoy in order to attract attention from potential …

The Data Science Of Predicting Elections, Kenn S. Mcdonald

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Psephology is the statistical study of election data, often used by data journalists and political operatives to predict the results of elections before they occur. In a Canadian context, this new field of data science has been notably used by CBC and Maclean's to create prediction models for federal and provincial elections.

This project created one such model to predict the 2022 Ontario General Election. It ran under the conventional Uniform Swing method with regional poll averages from CBC News used as inputs.

Welfare And Welfare Statism, Christopher Adepoju

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

As was famously stated by Margaret Mead, “Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts”. The contemporary discourse surrounding welfare and welfare statismis the fruit of a long history whose roots can be traced back through different societies in addressing the universal questions of care and provision. This article is an account of the diverse origins of modern Welfare discourse, as well as a normative overview of the varying arguments in favour of, and against it

Hostile, Benevolent, Implicit: How Different Shades Of Sexism Impact Gendered Policy Attitudes, Claire Gothreau, Kevin Arceneaux, Amanda Friesen

Political Science Publications

Advances in gender equality and progressive policies are often stymied by cultural sexist systems and individual-level sexist attitudes. These attitudes are pervasive but vary in type—from benevolent to hostile and implicit to explicit. Understanding the types of sexism and their foundations are important for identifying connections to specific social and political attitudes and behaviors. The current study examines the impact of various manifestations of sexism on attitudes regarding policies and public opinion issues that involve gender equality or have gendered implications. More specifically, we look at attitudes on reproductive rights, support for the #MeToo Movement, equal pay, and paid leave …

Policy Momentum And Transgender Policy Inclusion: Explaining National Policy Change, Nicole Mcmahon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Western democracies are experiencing a widespread shift towards greater recognition of transgender rights in public policy, yet the timing of policy change differs across states. This dissertation asks: What explains the timing of transgender-inclusive public policy change? To explain this variation, I develop an original theoretical framework called “policy momentum.” Unlike existing work on policy diffusion, which typically emphasizes either domestic or international processes, I theorize how the combined pressure from each level creates the conditions for policy change to occur. Empirically, I contrast two policy areas in Canada and Australia. First, I analyze the creation of national antidiscrimination policies …

Canadians' Views About The 2021 Federal Election Process, Consortium On Electoral Democracy

Reports

The 2021 Canadian Election Study (CES) included several questions in its post-election wave (fielded between September 23rd and October 4th, 2021) that relate to Canadians’ experience with and attitudes toward the electoral process. These questions covered five topics: 1) electoral administration, 2) electoral registration, 3) electoral information, 4) electoral experience, and 5) general opinion about elections.

This summary report outlines some of the highlights that emerged from the data.

Agenda - Survey Design Under Constraints: Best Practices, Laura Stephenson

Workshop: Survey Design Under Constraints

No abstract provided.

Agenda - Survey Design Under Constraints: Best Practices, Laura Stephenson

Workshop: Survey Design Under Constraints

No abstract provided.

C-Dem 2022 Annual Forum Program, Laura Stephenson, Allison Harell

C-Dem Forum 2022

No abstract provided.

Do Question Topic And Placement Shape Breakoff Rates, Luke Plutowski, Elizabeth Zechmeister

Workshop: Survey Design Under Constraints

No abstract provided.

How Worried Should We Be? The Implications Of Fabricated Survey Data For Political Science, Oscar Castorena, Mollie Cohen, Noam Lupu, Elizabeth Zechmeister

Workshop: Survey Design Under Constraints

No abstract provided.

International Law 3201g: Cycle Link - Singapore, Tushar P. Nair

Community Engaged Learning Final Projects

No abstract provided.

C-Dem Annual Report 2022, Allison Harell, Laura Stephenson

Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Pluralism In Canada: Black Canadian Lives Matter? Attitudes On Racial Inequalities In Canada, Ruth Dassonneville, Nadjim Fréchet

C-Dem Forum 2022

No abstract provided.

Electoral Democracy In A Post-Pandemic World: Centring The Citizen C-Dem Forum Presentation, Sabreena Delhon

C-Dem Forum 2022

No abstract provided.

Coding Appendix 1: Code Method And Code Lists, Cristine De Clercy, Alex Marland

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

Ukraine Crisis, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis Share Disturbing Similarities, Erika Vg Simpson Prof.

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

How Can Local Transitional Justice Mechanisms Work Towards Measures Of Non-Recurrence?, Isaac Bayor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines questions of local agency and inclusion. It develops a conceptual understanding of whether, and if so how, local customary justice mechanisms could serve as guarantees of non-recurrence. It looks at how grassroots practices of “justice” could be utilized at the community level to deter the commission of future abuses and prevent the repetition of violent conflict, especially where the state has been completely absent. It specifically explores Acholi indigenous and customary practices of peacemaking and justice in Northern Uganda to understand how local practices could secure a lasting peace and cement communities’ commitment to peaceful coexistence.

While …

Racial Limitations On The Gender, Risk, Religion & Politics Model, Amanda Friesen

Political Science Publications

Risk aversion dampens political participation and heightens religiosity, with concentrated effects among women. Yet, little is known about how intersecting identities moderate these psychological correlates of religiosity and political engagement. In this paper, we theorize that the risk-religion-politics relationship is gendered and racialized. Using a nationally representative survey, we show that political participation is more strongly correlated with risk for Black women than for any other race-gender group. For religiosity, however, we find little evidence that risk is related to religiosity among Black women, while highly correlated with white women's religious engagement. For men—whether Black or white—risk exhibits a modest, …

An Epidemic Amidst A Pandemic: A Critical Policy Analysis Of Supervised Consumption Sites, Vanisa Ezukuse

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study's primary purpose is to critically appraise current federal and provincial policies regarding supervised consumption sites (SCS), noting intended and unintended consequences; and how these policies could impact SCS users. This study's secondary goal is to compare current policies related to SCS in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec to provide critical insight and suggestions for ongoing policy development. Carol Bacchi’s (2009) “What is the Problem Represented to Be?” framework was applied to the Canadian policy document with a focus on SCS. Four themes are proposed: Public Health versus Criminality, Presumptions versus Assumptions, Policy Unaccountability, and Policy Duality. It …

Election Campaign Finance Rules In Canadian Municipalities: An Overview, Brittany L. Bouteiller

Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance – Publications

The Money and Local Democracy Project explores the effects of campaign finance rules on municipal election campaigns and election outcomes in Canada. Governments around the world regulate election campaign financing to ensure that elections are fair and competitive, although they do so in different ways. Funded by a Western University Undergraduate Student Research Internship (UWO) grant, research assistant Brittany Bouteiller was tasked with conducting preliminary research on 65 municipalities across Canada to determine the availability of campaign finance data from local and provincial governments and to identify clusters or trends. This research bulletin summarizes her findings.

A Plea To Heed The Chorus Of Afghans Urging Canadian Aid, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

No abstract provided.

The Social Identity Approach To Leadership: The Case Of Alberta, Samuel Routley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The study of political leadership within the discipline of the political science has recently grown into a large, complex, and insightful literature. However, the extensive number of concepts, theories, and frameworks developed by international leadership scholars have been underutilized when it comes to developing further understanding of political leadership in the Canadian context. This thesis attempts to address this gap by focusing on the process by which individuals are selected to be leaders. I utilizes social psychology and Identity Leadership Theory to theorize that leaders are successful to the extent that are able to cohere with broader group processes by …

Addressing First Nations' Concerns In Water Sharing Agreements, Cynthia Huo

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Water sharing agreements are a potential solution to the issue of ongoing water insecurity in First Nations' communities. They involve a First Nation connecting their water system to that of a nearby municipality, and paying that municipality a fee for water provision. However, some First Nations have been reluctant to enter into these types of agreements. We identified 3 categories of concerns that First Nations may have: capacity, cultural protection, and sovereignty. We analyzed and coded 54 existing water sharing agreements to see how well they responded to these concerns, and conclude with recommendations about how agreements might be amended …

Star Political Candidates In Canada, Mateo Larrazabal

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

A brief overview of the work that I completed over the Summer of 2021. I examined star political candidates in Canada, a field in political science that has not been researched thoroughly nationally. I discuss a few of the key findings in my blog post and offer a brief overview of everything in my video.

Expanding Horizons: China’S Perception And Management Of Globalization, Xiaofan Mu

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

Political Taste: Exploring How Perception Of Bitter Substances May Reveal Risk Tolerance And Political Preferences, Amanda Friesen

Political Science Publications

Risk is endemic to the political arena and influences citizen engagement. We explore this connection by suggesting that risk-taking may be biologically instantiated in sensory systems. With specific attention to gender and gender identity, we investigate the connections between self-reported bitter taste reception, risk tolerance, and both of their associations with political participation. In three U.S. samples collected in 2019 and 2020, participants were asked to rate their preferences from lists of foods as well as whether they detected the taste of the substance N-Propylthiouracil (PROP) and, if so, the strength of the taste. In this registered report, we find …