Watch: “We are Family: Political Dynasties in Canada” Dr. Alex Rivard
Using a unique dataset of legislators’ electoral and biographic data in the Canadian federal and provincial parliaments, UBC Political Science PhD Graduate Alex Rivard analyzes the extent to which family dynasties affect the career development of legislators since the late 1700s.
We’re Hiring: Merilees Chair for the Study of Democracy (Professor)
The Department of Political Science invites applications for the Harold and Dorrie Merilees Chair for the Study of Democracy.
UBC Political Science is looking to fill up to two Lecturer positions
The Department of Political Science is seeking to hire up to two full-time Lecturers, who will teach courses at the undergraduate level including Introduction to Politics, other lower-level survey courses, and courses in their field of specialization based on the teaching needs of the Department.
In light of King Charles’ coronation, Prof. Emeritus Philip Resnick asks: should Canada retain a British monarch as our official head of state?
“Were Canada to go the republican route, we would need to do so through a long constitutional process. The Canadian constitution states that there must be unanimity of the provinces for changing the head of state. In addition, treaties between First Nations and the Crown would have to be carried forward into a Canadian republic.”
Prof. Yves Tiberghien, Prof. Heidi Tworek and MA Candidate Panthea Pourmalek call global data governance “fragmented and inadequate”
“Many economic frameworks and partnerships try to address small slices of the issue. But only very few people and companies, or even governments, can keep up with that many agreements and efforts… Ultimately, it is citizens who lose out — in their privacy, their human rights and their share of any potential benefits.”
Prof. Max Cameron discusses the tumultuous state of democracy in Peru
Prof. Cameron specifically mentioned Alberto Fujimori, who he says “had sold some property and bought a tractor, and drove around in this tractor with a trailer behind it, called it the Fujimobile, drove around the shantytowns of Peru, gathering popular support.”
Prof. Paul Quirk comments on Republican reelection of Chair Ronna McDaniel
“McDaniel has held the position by the grace of Donald Trump’s support,” says Prof. Quirk. “She has catered to his preferences on rules for delegate selection, the sharing of campaign funds, and other issues.”
Watch: Dr. Dan Slater’s COMP-CAN Colloquium lecture, “From Development to Democracy: The Transformation of Modern Asia”
Dr. Dan Slater’s COMP-CAN Colloquium lecture, “From Development to Democracy: The Transformation of Modern Asia” is now available to watch on our YouTube channel.
Op-Ed: Prof. Yves Tiberghien & MA Candidate Panthea Pourmalek ask, can elections survive the digital age?
“Studying the role of social media in elections in Brazil, the Philippines, South Korea and Kenya offers important lessons — among them, that policy makers should develop tailored solutions for these problems based on individual states’ contexts, rather than assuming one size fits all.”
“The conditions are ripe for this kind of violence,” says Prof. Max Cameron about recent unrest in Peru
“Increasingly, politics has been conducted by candidates who use parties as vehicles — parties allow you to get registration with the electoral authority and run for office, but they’re not real parties,” Prof. Cameron said.