The Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) is the research arm of the School of Public Policy. The CPPR promotes interdisciplinary research, education, and dialogue on on a broad range of public policy issues in Canada. The Centre supports and initiates research, publications, colloquia, conferences, visiting researchers and speakers, and international relationships.
CPPR associates produce a wide-range of policy research that has impact within and outside the academy, influencing the ‘real world’ of policy. Their work, which intersects with all areas of the University Strategic Plan, creates knowledge that makes significant contributions to academic literature and importantly, directly informs public debates and policy discussions on critical social, economic, political, environmental and health issues.
Canada Research Chair Jonathan Rhys Kesselman work on tax-prepaid savings accounts laid the foundation for the federal government's introduction of Tax Free Savings Accounts at the start of 2009. His research has influenced the abolition of mandatory retirement in Ontario and BC, contributed to important reforms of Canada's personal income tax and informed recent debates on income splitting and taxation of couples as well as the harmonized sales tax. His more current work is examining consumption-based personal taxes, income security and social programs, and the basic income guarantee.
Dominique M. Gross has published extensively on international issues. Presently, she is focusing on the temporary foreign worker program and its impact on the Canadian labour market. Another project she is involved in is about the movements of skilled workers between North America and Europe to identify the nature of brain circulation and the role of skilled-oriented policies. She is also examining the impact of domestic business and labour market on the attractiveness of countries for foreign investment.
MPP Director Nancy Olewiler is an internationally recognized expert on environmental policy. Her work has focused on climate change policies and the need for policy development on adaptation to the impacts of climate change on the economy and our communities. She has worked with NGOs in Southeast Asia and Latin America to increase capacity in the area of environmental economics policy research and has advised all levels of government on policy development in the areas of carbon pricing and valuation of natural capital and payment for ecosystem services.
John Richards’ work on Aboriginal policy has been instrumental in the Canadian context – both at the federal and provincial levels, especially in terms of educational reform. He has published significant articles and monographs on the subject, in particular through the C.D. Howe Institute, where he holds the Roger Phillips Chair in Social Policy. Additionally, he has produced research on poverty policy, childcare and developmental policy. He has established a "virtual" policy institute at a Bangladesh university (see http://www.iubat.edu/cpr) where he works on a variety of Bangladesh policy issues.
Doug McArthur has just completed a multi-year project providing advice and research on treaties, including the Tsawwassen First Nation treaty. He also completed a major review of governance and constitutional developments in Northern Canada, the results of which are contained in a comprehensive book on Canada's north published in 2009 by the IRPP. He has published extensively over the past three years on Pakistan and Afghanistan and done governance advisory work in these countries. He is also the author of regular posts on policycentre.ca, his web site devoted to public policy and political analysis in Canada.
Kennedy Stewart has published academic and policy documents in the fields of public participation and municipal governance. He stood for Parliament in 2004 and participated in over 250 media interviews. Kennedy frequently speaks to local community groups, blogs for the Vancouver Sun and advises the Abu Dhabi government about affordable housing policy.
Olena Hankivsky, (Co-Director of the Institute of Critical Studies in Gender and Health) is recognized as an international leader in the field of gender and health. She has published seminal works in the areas of women’s health, gender mainstreaming and intersectionality. Through her affiliation with Columbia University, she recently established a Canada-USA gender and health research group. She regularly consults with government, including internationally, on gender and diversity analyses in public policy and health reform. In 2008, Dr. Hankivsky was awarded a Research Chair in New Perspectives in Gender and Health by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and a Senior Scholar Career Award by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.
Royce Koop has published academic and policy documents in the fields of representation and public participation, intergovernmental relations, and E-government. He has recently completed a large-scale project on grassroots policy responsiveness in Canada, and is beginning a similarly large-scale project on representation, policy-making, and policy responsiveness in Canada's cities. He is also a member of a five-person research team beginning a multi-year project on E-government and government communication in Canada. He has held three postdoctoral fellowships, regularly speaks to the media, and has engaged in policy study and development at several research centres.