JSGS faculty awarded SSHRC grants

Faculty and fellows of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) have been awarded or co-awarded five research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) totalling $429,208.

Faculty and fellows of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) have been awarded or co-awarded five research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) totalling $429,208.

SSHRC awarded two standard research grants, two international opportunities fund (IOF) grants, and one post-doctoral fellowship grant.

"The high number of grants is extremely gratifying, particularly considering the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School is a new and innovative school," said Michael Atkinson, executive director of JSGS. "It indicates that our faculty are engaged in high-quality and important research, and provide leadership in their areas of expertise.

"We are very pleased with the level of support provided by SSHRC."

Murray Fulton, a professor with JSGS at the University of Saskatchewan, and Atkinson were awarded $107,900 in a standard research grant for a project entitled Executive Compensation in the Public and Quasi-Public Sectors. The study will shed new light on levels of compensation provided to senior public sector executives, and how compensation affects performance. Download Fulton/Atkinson backgrounder.

Keith Walker, a professor with JSGS and with the College of Education at the U of S, and Heather Heavin, a professor with JSGS and the College of Law, are joined by Paul Clarke of the University of Regina (U of R) in a standard research project studying the Best Interests of the Child (BIC) principle. The three researchers were awarded $100,368 to evaluate how professionals who provide services to children and youth view the BIC principle. Download Walker/Heavin/Clarke backgrounder.

Rose Olfert, a professor with JSGS and the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the U of S, received $75,000 in an IOF grant to study whether a public policy response is warranted for long-term population losses and rural poverty in resource-dependent communities. The study, entitled Identifying Candidates for Place-Based Policy, also involves five researchers from the U of S and universities in the United States and the Netherlands. Download Olfert backgrounder.

Greg Marchildon, Canada Research Chair with JSGS at the U of R, will join lead investigator Neil Guppy of the University of British Columbia and Miguel Sanchez of the U of R's Faculty of Social Work in an exploration of the relationship between social capital and social programs aimed at reducing poverty. In this $64,940 project, the researchers will conduct a case study of a Chilean social program which uses the stimulation and creation of social capital to reduce extreme poverty. Download Marchildon backgrounder.

JSGS post-doctoral fellow Michael Kpessa has been awarded $81,000 to study pension and health policies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While democratization has had a profound effect on social policy in the advanced industrialized world, social policies in SSA remain limited and social spending continues to decline. Kpessa hopes to unravel the reasons behind this issue. Download Kpessa backgrounder.