The primary objective of Governance 403/Global Studies 403: Public Policy in a Global Era is to introduce students to a range of competing theoretical approaches to explaining and understanding Canadian public policy, including the global processes currently underpinning public policy. It is hoped that students will develop the conceptual, theoretical and analytical tools necessary for rigorous studies and critical assessments of public policy. As a secondary objective, the readings have been selected to familiarize students with Canadian social policy. It is hoped that students will come away from the course with a sufficient depth of understanding of social policy to evaluate the nature and extent of the social policy change that is occurring in the context of globalization. When you have completed the course you should be able to achieve the following objectives.

  1. Outline the essential features of the Canadian policy-making process.
  2. Discuss the globalized context of Canadian public policy.
  3. Compare and discuss competing approaches to explaining and understanding Canadian public policy.
  4. Define and discuss the internationalization of Canadian public policy, with specific reference to trends in Canadian social policy.