The spread of democracy has been driven by a struggle for freedom and opportunities for human flourishing, and yet democratic institutions based on full and inclusive citizenship face a variety of global challenges.
Research Collaborators:
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International and interdisciplinary group of practitioners and scholars, including UBC faculty in the Department of Political Science associated with the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions
Research Excellence Cluster:
- Research Excellence Cluster on Global Challenges to Democracy: Rights, Freedoms, and Human Development
- Max Cameron, Professor, Political Science, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions
- Sheryl Lightfoot, Associate Professor, Political Science and First Nations and Indigenous Studies, Canada Research Chair of Global Indigenous Rights and Politics
- Lisa Sundstrom, Associate Professor, Political Science
In 2016, Max, Sheryl, and Lisa were awarded a prestigious VPR Research Excellence Cluster to further their respective research programs and to engage in future collaborative research on the Global Challenges to Democracy. The workshops featured in the video above were one of their first undertakings as a Research Excellence Cluster, and now they are working towards an application for a wider SSHRC Partnership Grant on “Global Challenges to Democracy”. In aiming to develop a ‘cluster of expertise’ on democratization in Political Science – and in bringing together colleagues within the Department and researchers from other institutions – they seek to confront the major challenges and problems facing democracies around the world.
About the Workshops:
On May 15 and 16, 2017, workshops on indigenous rights and self-determination, global rights and democracy, and human development and the quality of democracy were held at the Liu Institute for Global Issues at UBC – thanks to the generous support from UBC’s Office of the Vice President Research (VPR). The workshops were attended by an international and interdisciplinary group of scholars and practitioners.
On May 17, 2017, at the Liu Institute, a workshop on legal mobilization and International Courts was held with leading academics and practitioners whose work on international human rights courts is generating ground-breaking research. This workshop was funded by a SHRCC Connection Grant. To read more about the workshop and the emerging network, click here.
