Frustrations Arise in Mongolia
SPPGA Professor Julian Dierkes penned an article in the East Asia Forum to outline the uncertainty that the country now faces.
Mongolia Speaker Expelled Amid Ongoing Battle Against Corruption
The Mongolian Parliament has been making notable efforts into fighting internal corruption. SPPGA Professor Julian Dierkes comments on the political situation as it unfolds.
Ryerson’s Faculty of Arts Launches the Institute for Future Legislators in Toronto
The Institute for Future Legislators (IFL) program is coming to Ontario, thanks to a collaboration between the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI) at the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Ryerson University’s Faculty of Arts.
Taking the National Temperature for #Elxn43
With the federal election coming up later this year, Pique Magazine takes a look at how Canadians feel about the candidates running in #Elxn43. CSDI Director and SPPGA Faculty Associate Max Cameron shares his insights.
Triple Duel: The Impact of Coalition Fragmentation and Three-Corner Fights on the 2018 Malaysian Election
SPPGA Professor Kai Ostwald, co-authors Paul Schuler and Jie Ming Chong investigate the Barisan Nasional (BN) government ‘s defeat in the 2018 Malaysian election in the Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs.
Predicting the Direction of BC’s Political Stage in 2019
Director of CSDI and SPPGA Faculty Associate, Maxwell Cameron, provided commentary in a Vancouver Star article predicting the direction of BC’s political stage in 2019 as shaped by global political trends.
Mitigating Canadian Election Interference
Professor Taylor Owen co-authors report on combating digital manipulation in politics.
Protecting Democracy in the Age of Digital Media
The spread of disinformation and hate speech on digital platforms could pose a risk to the integrity of democratic institutions. In an article he co-wrote for the Globe and Mail, SPPGA Professor Taylor Owen calls for government regulation to combat the weaponization of information.
MPPGA Student Darren Touch Weighs in on Cambodian Election
MPPGA student Darren Touch weighs in on the importance of democratic participation in the coming Cambodian election despite calls from self-exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy for Cambodians to boycott the election.
Efforts of the Opposition Party in the Coming Malaysian Election
Professor Kai Ostwald commented on the coming elections in Malaysia. Ostwald specifies the necessity for a surge in Malaysian voters for the opposition to secure a win.
Thomas Mulcair on His Career in Public Service
In this episode of Policy Roundtable Talks, Nicholas Lloyd-Kuzik and Luthfi Dhofier sit down with the Honourable Mr Tom Mulcair to discuss his career in public service, federal electoral reform in Canada, and tips for students looking to enter a career in policymaking.
MPPGA Student Interview with the Honourable Thomas Mulcair
On this episode of PRT Weekly, MPPGA students Nicholas Lloyd-Kuzik and Luthfi Dhofier sat down with the Honourable Thomas J. Mulcair, former leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, Leader of the Official Opposition under Stephen Harper’s government, and current Member of Parliament for Outremont, Quebec.
Summer Institute for Future Legislators 2018
Have you ever thought about running for public office? Do you wonder what it would be like to serve as a legislator? If you have political aspirations, but want to know more about what being a legislator means and how to be effective in that role, you should apply to UBC’s Summer Institute for Future […]
Making Sense of Competitive Authoritarianism: Lessons from the Andes
A number of Andean cases are found to fall on the spectrum of defective democracies. Given leaders’ reliance on electoral legitimacy, however, even defective democracies may prove surprisingly resilient.
Liu Fellow Mohamed Zayani Publishes Book on Digital Middle East
Liu Research Fellow and Georgetown Professor Mohamed Zayani has recently published a new book titled Digital Middle East: State and Society in the Information Age. Published by Oxford University Press and Hurst, the book sheds a critical light on ongoing changes that are deeply intertwined with the adoption of information and communication technologies in the Middle East and North […]
New Partnership between UBC’s Phil Lind Initiative and the World Economic Forum
The Global Liberal Order Under Threat The future of the liberal order hangs in the balance – but what comes next? Virtually everyone agrees that the global liberal order is in trouble. The rise of reactionary nationalism, protectionism and anti-globalization are undeniable. If current trends are any guide of what´s to come, the new world […]
The era of Big Tech self-governance has come to an end
Taylor Owen, a professor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and UBC School of Journalism, wrote an op-ed in the Globe and Mail about how Silicon Valley’s self-regulation has come to an end.
The new rules for the internet – and why deleting Facebook isn’t enough
MPPGA Professor Taylor Owen and New America Senior Advisor Ben Scott wrote an article in the Globe and Mail about ideas for future web regulation. “We urgently need new democratic rules for the internet that enhance the rights of citizens and protect the integrity of our public sphere and tackle the structural problems of our current digital economy.
Op-Ed by Robert Muggah and Steven Pinker: Is Liberal Democracy in Retreat?
Our 2018 Lind Initiative Visiting Fellow Robert Muggah and Lind Initiative speaker Steven Pinker recently collaborated on an op-ed about how democracy has experienced its share of setbacks, but remains the best form of governance today.
How Surveillance Capitalism Undermines Democracy
School of Public Policy and Global Affairs professor, Taylor Owen, spoke with the Centre for International Government Innovation about how misinformation coming from social media can threaten democracy. Watch here:
Prof. Max Cameron’s Interview: Summer Institute for Future Legislators
Professor Max Cameron, Director of for the Study of Democratic Institutions recently went on air on CFAX 1070 with host Mark Brennae to promote the Summer Institute for Future Legislators. The interview also included a testimonial from Hailey Graham, a student who completed the program. The Summer Institute for Future Legislators aims to teach aspiring […]
Interview with Professor Taylor Owen: Is it time to #DeleteFacebook?
MPPGA Professor Taylor Owen was recently interviewed on Facebook user privacy issues by Global News. Despite the “four or five platform companies that largely control the Internet and all of the economic and social activity that comes with that, we are starting to see a big push back by large political institutions with large privacy regulations and legislation.”
MPPGA student Luthfi Dhofier reflections on Francis Fukuyama talk
MPPGA student Luthfi Dhofier reflects on Francis Fukuyama’s talk on the Unravelling of the Liberal World Order and the Rise of Populism, as part of the Phil Lind Initiative 2018 speaker series at UBC on January 24, 2018.
Luthfi summarizes the highlights of the event by the world-renowned political scientist, Francis Fukuyama, answering questions such as “Why populism?” and “So how can we reform our democratic institutions?”
The Pub Weekly podcast – Policy Round Table (PRT) interview with Dr. Steve Tsang by MPPGA Graduate Students
The MPPGA Students Association interviewed Dr. Steve Tsang, Director of the China Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, to discuss China’s foreign and domestic policy.
Max Cameron on Democratic Innovation in Latin America
In this episode of Policy Roundtable Talks, Diego Bastidas sits down with Max Cameron, Professor at the University of British Columbia, to discuss Latin America as a region for democratic innovation.
Nunes Memo Release
In this episode of Policy Roundtable Talks, Aaron Nelson, Susanne Beilmann, and Ros Seibert discusses the release of the Nunes memo in the United States, the pipeline debacle emerging between British Columbia and Alberta, and the ongoing opioid crisis in Canada and the United States.
Neither Populism nor Drift: Japan’s October 2017 Election
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada | Dec 7, 2017 | Written by: Dr. Yves Tiberghien
Malaysia Ranked Near Bottom in Study on Electoral Integrity
Today Malaysia | Dec 2, 2017 | Featuring: Dr. Kai Ostwald
Liu Fellow Mohamed Zayani Wins NCA Book Award
Liu Institute Research Fellow and Georgetown University Professor Mohamed Zayani has been awarded the 2017 “Sue DeWine Distinguished Scholarly Book Award” from the US National Communication Association (NCA) for his book Networked Publics and Digital Contention (Oxford UP, 2015). The accolade is the fourth prize the book received. Professor Zayani was previously awarded the “Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology Book Award,” from the American […]
Malaysia’s Electoral Process: The Methods and Costs of Perpetuating UMNO Rule
Professor Kai Ostwald evaluates Malasya’s electoral process. His analysis asseses the excessively manipulated electoral process, juxtaposed against its successful developmental record and relative social stability.
Mongolia Lurches Between Opportunity and Crisis
East Asia Forum | Nov 10, 2017 | Written by: Dr. Julian Dierkes and Mendee Jargalsaikhan
Is Facebook a threat to democracy?
In his latest Globe and Mail op-ed, Professor Taylor Owen argues that Facebook threatens the integrity of Canadian democracy. With Facebook’s recent announcement of the Canadian Election Integrity Initiative, Professor Owen argues that we are heading into new and immensely challenging public policy terrain and what is certain is that the easy and politically expedient […]
Liu Fellow Mohamed Zayani Awarded an ASA Book Prize
Liu Fellow and Georgetown University Professor Mohamed Zayani has been awarded the 2017 “Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology Book Award” from the American Sociological Association (ASA). Zayani’s Book is titled Networked Publics and Digital Contention (Oxford University Press, 2015). The award was conferred by the Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology (CITAMS) section of the ASA at the Association’s […]
Five Takeaways from the French Election: Between Anger and Transformative Hope
The French Presidential election, especially its first Round on April 23, has shaped up as one of those truly seminal world events that will resonate for decades. Professor Yves Tiberghien, Director of the Institute of Asian Research, sees five major takeaways from this dramatic election.
Brexit Divorce Papers
In this episode of Policy Roundtable Talks, Joanna Fensome, Mitch Hulse, and Raphaël Roman cover the latest developments on the divorce papers pertaining to Brexit, as well as a quick update on the Dutch elections and the anti-corruption protests in Russia.
Dutch Election Recap
In this episode of Policy Roundtable Talks, Joanna Fensome, Mitch Hulse, and Nathan Seef discuss what was at stake in the election in the Netherlands earlier this week, the impeachment of South Korea’s president and implications of the installation of a THAAD system in the country, as well as some applications of the idea of access to Internet as a human right.
Multilateral Meetings on Syrian De-Escalation
Joanna Fensome, Mitch Hulse, and Nathan Seef discuss a recent meeting between Turkey, Russia, and the USA on developments and strategies in the Syrian conflict before moving on to the implications of a recent diplomatic spat between Malaysia and North Korea following the murder of Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother last month.
Max Cameron on the Fair Elections Act
In this episode of Policy Roundtable Talks, Guilherme Rosales interviews UBC Professor Max Cameron on the provisions of the revised Fair Elections Act in Canada, and its implications on provincial and municipal elections.
The power and polarization of the rural vote
Featured in The Atlantic, MPPGA Assistant Professor Kai Ostwald provides a comparison of America’s rural voting power to that of Malaysia’s in 2013, where urban voters were unable to unseat the ruling party despite garnering the popular vote.
Discussing the success of far right political parties
CBC’s On the Coast | Nov 15, 2016 | Featuring: Dr. Yves Tiberghien (segment begins at 2:06:00)
A Closer Look at Nine Canadians Recommended to Senate by Justin Trudeau
CTV News | Oct 27, 2016 | Featuring: Yuen Pau Woo
IAR Senior Fellow, Yuen Pau Woo, Appointed to the Senate
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has named nine new, non-partisan senators, one of which is IAR’s very own Yuen Pau Woo. Yuen Pau Woo has served as the former president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and is currently a senior fellow in public policy at the Institute of Asian Research at the University of […]
Liquid subjects: News media and public political pedagogy
Liu Scholar Marcelina Piotrowski has co-published a paper with Dr. Claudia Ruitenberg titled Liquid subjects: News media and public political pedagogy, in the journal Critical Studies in Education. Please find the article here.