Latest Research: Articles, Papers, and Reports


Human Security in the Arctic: The Foundation of Regional Cooperation

July 17, 2012

This series seeks to stimulate deeper academic dialogue on Arctic security issues in Canada. It is supported by the Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program and the ArcticNet project on The Emerging Arctic Security Environment.

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Headshot of Steven Bernstein

Navigating the Anthropocene: Improving Earth System Governance

July 16, 2012

Science assessments indicate that human activities are moving several of Earth’s sub-systems outside the range of natural variability typical for the previous 500,000 years. Human societies must now change course and steer away from critical tipping points in the Earth system that might lead to rapid and irreversible change.

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Headshot of Michael Ignatieff

How Syria Divided the World

July 11, 2012

The Syrian conflict has triggered something more fundamental than a difference of opinion over intervention, something more than an argument about whether the Security Council should authorize the use of force.

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The Future of the Columbia River Treaty

June 28, 2012

For 48 years, the United States and Canada have cooperatively shared the management of the Columbia River under the Columbia River Treaty (CRT). The Treaty has provided both parties with significant direct benefits from flood control and power generation and indirect benefits of economic growth in the Pacific Northwest. While not without flaws, the CRT has been hailed as “one of the most successful trans-boundary water treaties based on equitable sharing of downstream benefits”.

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Headshot of Jeffrey Reitz

The Meaning of Canadian Immigration Experience for Europe

April 1, 2012

Canada’s experience with immigration has been comparatively positive, and mass immigration has considerable popular support within the country. The distinctive Canadian policy model – including large numbers with skill-based selection, multiculturalism and other policies aimed at promoting integration, and provincial autonomy – deserves international attention. However, Canada’s success with immigration is only partly related to its policies, and these may not be easily transferable to other contexts.

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How Rio+20 Can Herald a Constitutional Moment

March 15, 2012

The Rio+20 UN conference on sustainable developmentshould mark nothing less than a constitutional moment, putting the planet on a more sustainable path. But, it is in grave danger of being stillborn, lacking the political will to commit to the transformations required to collectively thrive within planetary boundaries.

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You Get What You Pay For: How Nordic Cities are Financed

November 7, 2011

The Nordic countries are small, unitary, and have largely homogeneous populations. Municipalities are the most important agents in the decentralized public sector and the middle tier (the county level) is losing importance. The expenditure of Nordic local authorities exceeds that in Canada by 10 percent of GDP. The difference represents the effect of local income taxes. Large local expenditures are for kindergartens, primary schools, social welfare, care for the elderly, and culture. These welfare functions are not, however, local public goods; local governments serve mostly as agents for the delivery of national public services.

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Financing Large Cities and Metropolitan Areas

November 5, 2011

Large cities and metropolitan areas differ from smaller urban or rural municipalities—they have much larger populations, higher concentrations of population, and populations that are more heterogeneous in terms of social and economic circumstances.

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Headshot of Jeffrey Reitz

Pro-Immigration Canada: Social and Economic Roots of Popular Views

October 1, 2011

What accounts for Canadian attitudes to immigration? To determine the answer, this study examines available Canadian public opinion data, including trend data, and offers a detailed analysis of a Focus Canada opinion survey conducted by the Environics Institute in November 2010. The study attempts to clarify the social bases of popular support for high immigration levels in Canada and considers political party cleavages and potential sources or processes of change. Such an analysis may help us to understand why the opposition to immigration seen in other countries is not more prominent in Canada, and whether there are any indications that Canadian attitudes have begun to turn in a more negative direction or might do so in the future.

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Munk Centre Monitor Spring 2011

May 13, 2011

Papers From The Munk School That Are Changing The Global Conversation Page 4 From International Relations to Global Affairs By Janice Gross Stein Page 8 Part 1 | Rethinking Stat e Power “Can Non-State Global Governance Be Legitimate?” (Bernstein and...

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