Research & Impact

Looking back at the last twenty months, our understanding of Covid has increased exponentially, yet pandemic communications have changed far less than we hoped. Professor Heidi Tworek (SPPGA; History) explores the idea of mütend, or helpless frustration, that many feel at this time.

Professor Paul Evans was featured as a panelist in this virtual Q&A Town Hall event hosted by the Munk School of Public Policy, questioning whats next for Canada-China relations following the return of the two Micheals.

MPPGA alumni ’21 Daniel Park discusses his experiences interning at the Starling Labs at Stanford where he worked on building and deploying prototype designs to help document attacks against civilian infrastructure. Read more about Daniels’s accomplishments, and what lies in his future.

While candidates of the 2021 Canadian election have taken to social media to promote their campaigns, they often receive hostile responses. Professor Heidi Tworek and Chris Tenove discuss the impact that negative social media posts are having on political candidates, and states that all Canadians need to be part of the strategy to combat incivility.

East Asian countries aced the COVID-19 battle in 2020 through strategies of implementing strict measures rapidly and effectively. Professor Yves Tiberghien (SPPGA Faculty Associate; Political Science) discusses how the largely successful East Asia COVID-19 model has partially fragmented since the summer of 2021 in the face of the Delta variant and growing socio-economic costs.

With a federal election on the horizon, Professor Paul Evans remarks on, what he dubs, a “febrile moment in Canada–China relations.” Canada’s strategic silence on several controversial issues may be forced to an end, he writes in East Asia Forum.

How do current discussions around disinformation leave out or misinterpret history, and why should policymakers care? Professor Heidi Tworek (SPPGA; History) delves into how to better inform conversations around disinformation and misinformation.

The Mongolia Focus Blog is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. With over 700 posts from 70 contributors, Mongolia Focus will continue sharing observations on current developments in Mongolia with readers across the globe.

“The pollution in Mpumalanga is just one example of the devastating impact of air pollution on children.” Professor David Boyd (SPPGA; IRES; UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment) intervenes in a landmark legal case in South Africa as a friend of the court.

Professor Paul Evans appeared in a Special Committee on Canada-China Relations hosted this week by the House of Commons. He spoke on Canadian universities being a foundation of engagement between the two nations. Segment starts at 19:30.

Three independent UN human rights experts, including Professor David Boyd (SPPGA; IRES) expressed deep regret over Japan’s decision to discharge potentially radioactive Fukushima nuclear plant water into the ocean, impacting millions across the Pacific.

Professor Kristen Hopewell’s research on global trade politics suggests that the dichotomy between American “free-market capitalism” and “state capitalism” is not so clear cut – and tied to a strategic narrative deployed for legitimizing US economic interest.

What can research collaboration mean in settings of incommensurable inequality? Lead author Omer Aijazi, (former Liu Scholar), Professor Sara Shneiderman (SPPGA & UBC Anthropology) and other researchers explore the question of power dynamics and inequities.

In a briefing on the two proposed nuclear reactors for New Brunswick, SPPGA Prof Ramana and other experts discuss the cost-analysis of SMRs.

In recent months, public reports detailing potential human rights abuses in Tibet have come to light. Now Canada must determine its position on Tibet, says MPPGA student Nicolas Jensen, despite the existing strain on the Canadian-Chinese relationship.

Professor Maxwell Cameron (former SPPGA Acting Director; Political Science) speaks on why this idea may not be as crazy as it sounds.

Read the latest series of publications co-edited by SPPGA and Institute of Asian Research Senior Fellow Phil Calvert on the reflection of diplomatic relations between Canada and China, with a focus on each country’s political, economic, and global decisions. More at The Canadian International Council.

Professor Rashid Sumaila (SPPGA & Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries) and others have published a Blue Paper on how we can transition towards a more sustainable ocean economy. The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy report features 14 sitting heads of states and government, including Prime Minister Trudeau.

On October 27, David Boyd presented a report to the United Nations General Assembly. He looks at the link between human rights and a healthy environment, and how the right to a healthy environment can hold governments and businesses accountable.

Working closely with the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), SPPGA Professor Ramana spearheads a submission to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in regards to an Environmental Assessment for a Micro Modular Reactor project in New Brunswick.