From a purely utilitarian perspective, voting does not appear to be a 'rational' choice in a large electorate election if there is some opportunity cost in going to the polls, given the extremely low probability that one's decision will be pivotal (Owen and Grofman 1984; Mueller 2003). Yet most people vote, which is known as the paradox of voting (Fiorina 1989; Grofman 1993). Why, then, do many people vote?

The present research project examines how recent immigrants think and speak politics. It adopts an approach that understands the political as being constructed through individual interactions that form part of broader political and cultural systems, but which are also at least in part determined by previous experience with public institutions. The objective is to capture the political categories constructed by recent immigrants, and contrast them with categories used in political philosophy.

The project objective is to enhance the economic and social resiliency of cities in Southeast Asia, recognizing the important connections between urbanization, the effects of climate change, public awareness, and societal well-being. The Urban Climate Resilience in Southeast Asia Partnership, involving Canadian and Southeast Asia-based researchers, supports dialogue to create greater social justice and enhance opportunities for economic growth in the context of climate uncertainties.

How can public legal education and information help Canadians get justice in our legal system? With the demand for publicly-funded or low-cost legal services far exceeding the supply, public legal education and information (PLEI) is filling an increasingly larger role in meeting the legal needs of people with modest means. Yet we know relatively little about how PLEI can help people deal with their legal problems. examines the effectiveness of PLEI in helping low- and modest-income people address their legal problems.

This three-year research program investigates schools and communities in Calgary, Winnipeg, Charlottetown and St. John’s to learn about their shared and disparate approaches to career development for refugee and newcomer children. This knowledge will prepare counsellors and teachers who provide career development programs and services and it will create stronger networks between community partners, universities organizations and schools throughout Canada.

In a country which emphasizes authority and collectivism in their culture, how can an organization with strongly egalitarian and individualistic culture fit in and survive? The existing independent NGOs and government-organized NGOs (GONGOs) in China provide us a great platform to examine different cultures of these two types of organizations and their interaction with national culture. People talk about culture everyday, but as a researcher, I would unpack this whole concept into different dimensions to examine.

How can public legal education and information help Canadians get justice in our legal system? With the demand for publicly-funded or low-cost legal services far exceeding the supply, public legal education and information (PLEI) is filling an increasingly larger role in meeting the legal needs of people with modest means. Yet we know relatively little about how PLEI can help people deal with their legal problems. examines the effectiveness of PLEI in helping low- and modest-income people address their legal problems.

This project aims to provide much needed evidence to service providers and program managers working in the field of early childhood development (ECD). Early childhood programs are required to provide evidence of tangible outcomes to validate the impacts of their programs. Organizations, though, do not always have the knowledge, resources, or capacity to support such processes and the intent of gathering such evidence is interpreted differently depending on the individual sector.

The overall aim of the research is to increase the influence of citizens in governance activities in Vietnam through bilateral development assistance from Canada. The research will compare the Canadian and Vietnamese characterization of “governance” and “good governance,” notably how governance is conceptualized and measured. The research will document specific Canadian approaches to and international norms for engaging civil society organizations in governance processes, in comparison to Vietnam.