Political Science Commons^™

More Than A Game: Sports Branding In Canadian Politics And The Canadian-American Relationship, Tyler Joseph Rohleder

Major Papers

The topic of sports and politics is extremely relevant in today's world. This paper looks at how sports branding within Canadian politics provides a tangible advantage to former athletes turned politicians, while these branding efforts also provide politicians who associate themselves with the phenomenon of sport a strategic advantage, termed the “Athlete Advantage.” These advantages are in a multitude of areas such as name recognition, higher approval ratings, and further political aspirations. This “athlete advantage” of sports branding is then expanded on in the form of sport diplomacy. With sport diplomacy and branding the concept of the “Athlete Advantage” is …

The Unique Challenges Of The Carbon Offsetting And Reduction Scheme For International Aviation (Corsia), Olajumoke Abisola Rosemary Oginni

Major Papers

Air transportation is a particularly contentious issue in climate disputes. This concern is because they emit emissions like those produced by the combustion of fossil fuels. Consequently, the aviation industry is recognized as one of the top ten emitters in the world, with emissions expected to soar. As the emissions from the industry begin to rise, the increase raises serious environmental concerns about its global impact and influence on people on the ground. When non-CO2 effects are excluded, aviation emissions began to account for 2.1% of global emissions, leading the aviation industry, national governments, civil society, and international organizations to …

Cuban Embargo: An Insufficient Measure To Encourage Us Foreign Policy Interests, Esme Jm Prowse

Major Papers

This major paper examines the Cuban embargo as an ineffective hard power policy and explores the potential of soft, hard, and smart power as alternative approaches to resolve the failures of the 60-year-old blockade. The paper analyzes the historical context and rationale behind the embargo and assesses its impact on Cuban-American relations, regional stability, and U.S. national interests. The study argues that the embargo has failed to achieve its intended goals and has instead perpetuated a cycle of hostility, isolation, and human rights abuses. By drawing on the theoretical frameworks of soft, hard, and smart power, the paper presents policy …

Covid-19, Digitization, And The "New Normal" For Municipal Government: A Study Of Three Ontario Cities, Justin Lee Grainger

Major Papers

The COVID-19 pandemic is viewed as both an unprecedented challenge and an impetus for digital transformation. During the pandemic, a “new normal” discourse emerged predicting a surge in digitization that would radically and permanently change organizations. This paper examines how the pandemic has affected municipal governments through case studies of the City of Windsor, City of Kitchener, and City of Burlington. It compares how each city adapted to the pandemic through digitization and investigates if such changes have transformed citizen participation and governance in the cities under study. The paper focuses on two ways citizens engage with local government: voting …

Decolonizing Municipal Policing: Indigenous Discrimination And Institutional Approaches, Terran Morris

Major Papers

For decades, there have been growing calls to address systemic Indigenous racism in Canadian police institutions. However, progress in this area has remained troublingly slow as recent movements have had little impact on institutional reform. Indigenous Peoples are left disproportionately victimized and overrepresented in the criminal justice system due to discriminatory policing practices. In recent years calls for institutional reforms have been amplified with the completion of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls as well as countless other scathing reports from oversight bodies into racism within municipal police services. Given this newfound urgency, municipal police …

The Effectiveness Of Body Cameras In Reduction Of Police Brutality/Misconduct Against African Americans, Osediegbeyen Ediale

Major Papers

Police brutality against Black people remains a critical subject matter among scholars in the international society. However, because of the broad nature of the subject of police brutality, this study focused on the United States which is rated as one of the countries with the highest police violence cases in the world. With the rising number of Black-led protests against this menace, the US government, in response, provided the solution of body cameras to mitigate the rise of police violence against ordinary citizens. However, as this study indicates, this solution is limited in its effectiveness.

This study sought to perform …

Elder Abuse In Canada: Dimensions And Policy Responses, Taylor Marekovic

Major Papers

Elder abuse and neglect continues to be a gray area when it comes to convicting perpetrators such as family, friends, strangers, and caregivers who commit any form of physical, psychological, financial, neglect, or sexual abuse towards an elder. This is due to the legal definition being vague and non-transparent. The legal and health systems rely on two different definitions of what is deemed to be elder abuse and neglect in Canada when reviewing or assessing allegations of such abuse. Elder abuse and neglect increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Ontario and the rest of Canada experienced staffing shortages in …

In The Eye Of The Storm: A Discourse Analysis Of Disproval And The Internet's Effects On Qanon, Cameron Bortolon

Major Papers

The role of conspiracy theories as a political force has recently attracted the attention of scholars and commentators, but little work exists on the ways in which the internet affects these unique sociopolitical phenomena. Especially noteworthy is the fact that these theories’ proponents are not even remotely bound to rational responses to real-world events, making them political forces that are uniquely difficult to predict and understand. The uncanny case of QAnon, a now-infamous pro-Trump conspiracy theory that developed for years on internet messageboards before manifesting in the January 6th 2021 assault on the US Capitol, has the potential to illuminate …

The Impact Of Local Government Action On Climate Change : The City Of Athens And The Town Of Tecumseh, Jesse Antwi-Kusi

Major Papers

Climate change is undoubtedly one of the biggest environmental threats of the twenty-first century. Recent developments have shown that we are highly vulnerable to climate change. Climate change is predicted to have harmful, and permanent consequences on the planet and the entire environment. Yet federal and national governments around the world are struggling to formulate policy initiatives to slow down or become resilient against the changes in the climate. The research goal of this paper is to understand the impact of local governments/municipalities on climate change and why their inclusion in the conversation on climate change response is important. Local …

Seniors Active Living Centers: Promoting Quality Of Life Through Active Living For Long-Term Care Residents In Ontario, Shahd Ghunim Ma

Major Papers

This paper demonstrates ideas and initiatives that seek to prove how a Seniors Active Living Center model can take part in ending the long-term care crisis in Ontario in parallel to long-term care facilities. Seniors who are 65 years and older are the fastest growing age group in Ontario, and with such a big number of older adults in need of health care, more pressure is reflected on Ontario’s economy to provide them the proper care that they need; this in turn has led to the long-term care crisis. This crisis is exacerbated by ageism, alleged abuse and mistreatment of …

The Resurgence Of The Basic Income And Migration Dilemma: Subsuming The Canadian Migrant Worker In The Basic Income Discourse, Elizabeth Nunoo

Major Papers

Undeniably, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to economic hardships for Canadians and has highlighted the loopholes in existing welfare programs. As a result, there have been calls for implementing a universal basic income policy that is anticipated to better lift Canadians out of poverty. Amid the arguments for a basic income, it is essential to point out that the labour force does not only consist of Canadian citizens. Available research has been silent on how a basic income policy would involve migrant workers in Canada and rely on the definition that basic income will be for ‘all persons’ in Canada. …

Ghana's Petroleum Industry: Expectations, Frustrations And Anger In Coastal Communities, Jesse Salah Ovadia, Jasper Abembia Ayelazuno, James Van Alstine

Political Science Publications

With much fanfare, Ghana's Jubilee Oil Field was discovered in 2007 and began producing oil in 2010. In the six coastal districts nearest the offshore fields, expectations of oil-backed development have been raised. However, there is growing concern over what locals perceive to be negative impacts of oil and gas production. Based on field research conducted in 2010 and 2015 in the same communities in each district, this paper presents a longitudinal study of the impacts (real and perceived) of oil and gas production in Ghana. With few identifiable benefits beyond corporate social responsibility projects often disconnected from local development …

Development Finance Institutions As Tools For Foreign Aid Distribution: A Comparative Analysis Of The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Findev Canada And Deutsche Investitions – Und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, Kamal Mann

Major Papers

An understanding of how foreign aid has changed requires a thorough examination of the efforts taken in aid to address the widening finance gap in development, alongside the often-contested issue of aid effectiveness. This is particularly the case when looking at how aid should be paid for. Yet the question of how to best program and deliver foreign aid remains unanswered.

Aid remains one of the largest aspects of international transfers of resources that occur in the world, as such it is important to study it. The rise of Development Finance Institutions, which are publicly owned, private lending institutions helps …

The Democracy Defibrillator: The Decline Of Canadian Voter Turnout In Federal Elections, And Suggestions For Revitalisation, Andre Real Ouellet

Major Papers

This Major Research Paper analyses the decline of voter turnout in Canadian federal elections since 1988, looking at some of the reasoning for this and discussing some solutions for the growth of turnout in the future. As well as analyzing the issue of youth voting in particular, the paper discusses several possibilities to fix the system, utilising case study to find concepts that worked elsewhere.

Specifically, the extension of the minimum voting age to 16 years old, changes to the voting system (in terms of moving away from First Past The Post) and mandatory voting laws are discussed as possible …

Reconceptualizing City Branding To Account For Talent Attraction: Cities As A Place To Work And Live, Lauren Marie Robinet

Major Papers

With thousands of local governments implementing city branding since the late 1990s, the leading question has become how to brand in the competitive 21^st century environment. The growth in the global labour pool and increased freedom of movement has led to increased competition for talent. The increased competition for talent, coupled with a global scale of inter-city competition, has pushed local governments to seek initiatives that will sustain and enhance economic development. Globalization has indeed marked a change in employment trends, wherein a competitive employment environment continues to increase due to a shortage of appropriate applicants and high turnover. …

A Tale Of Two Ftzs: Reforming Canada's Foreign Trade Zone Program, Kyle Sousa

Major Papers

Foreign Trade Zones are a means of importing and exporting goods while avoiding the payment of tariffs on goods. This is done though the institution of zones that are solely relegated for this purpose which are operated outside of the government. The ultimate goal of FTZs is the abatement of tariffs and excise taxes within the zone, thus stimulating economic growth in the area that the zone is located by attracting foreign business interests. FTZs offer a level of flexibility to those who wish to make use of them, as they allow for money to be free rather than in …

A Study Of Electronic Logging Devices And Mandatory Entry Level Training In Ontario And Their Effects On The Shortage Of Truck Drivers In Windsor-Essex, Corey Isaac Shenken

Major Papers

North America, and more specifically, Windsor-Essex are currently in the midst of a truck driver shortage. This is happening in a time when more drivers are needed for today’s increased capacity and necessity of trucks on the road. Both the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Ontario have introduced recent legislation that will have negative effects on the current shortage of truck drivers.

The federal government of Canada is introducing a mandatory Electronic Logging Device mandate to take place in December 2019, that will require all commercial transport truck drivers to install an electronic log that will …

Seniors Living With Alzheimer's Disease And Dementia: The Promise Of App Technology, Angelica Lu

Major Papers

The purpose of this paper considers the potential of seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia using “apps” on Mobile Application Technology that may assist their daily issues. Based on the Ontario 2017 budget, the government’s plan to improve health care services by providing additional funding will significantly impact citizens who use these services on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the number of Canadian citizens that will develop Alzheimer’s and dementia are projected to double in the next decade. Because of this projection, the Dementia Strategy is meant to assist those affected by the illness as well as ensuring their quality of …

Social Return On Investment As A Common Approach To Impact Measurement, Robert Michael Moore

Major Papers

Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis is an outcome based approach that Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) can use to evaluate the social value created by their investments and to forecast the potential value created by those investments. It is used to demonstrate how social value can be measured using concrete indicators (monetary values). The process is sequential and formulaic – the researcher needs to follow the steps and input the applicable data before moving to the next steps. It is necessary to develop the simpler, overarching process of social impact measurement before evolving the analysis further. SROI transcends Social Impact Measurement …