Unit 7
Globalization as Explanation: The Internationalization of Social Policy

Unit 7 aims to provide students with a deeper understanding of the political and policy consequences of globalization. Drawing on the knowledge of globalization gained in Unit 2, and what has been learned about social policy in subsequent units, Unit 7 leads students through an exploration of what has come to be called the ‘internationalization’ of Canadian social policy.

There are four assigned readings for this unit. All four examine recent changes in Canadian social policy from a perspective that emphasizes the extent to which globalization can serve as an ‘explanation’ of these changes.

Learning Objectives

When you have completed Unit 7 you should be able to achieve the following learning objectives.

1. Outline in some detail the changing character of Canadian social policy.
2. Discuss whether or not changes in the party in power in Ottawa have made a meaningful difference to the character and content of Canadian social policy.
3. Comment on the extent to which globalization can serve as an ‘explanation’ of the neo-liberal paradigm shift in Canadian social policy.
4. Relate the internationalization of public policy to the character of the ideas that animate policy discourse and policy priorities, the policy actors that influence policy formation, and the structure of the state and the character of public administration.