Munk School Staff / en Meet four of 91Թ’s latest global affairs and public policy grads /news/meet-four-u-of-t-latest-public-policy-grads <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Meet four of 91Թ’s latest global affairs and public policy grads</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-06/munk-grad-group-2023.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=MffxpAFn 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2023-06/munk-grad-group-2023.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=6tq5EW5f 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2023-06/munk-grad-group-2023.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=S9hN6L0u 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-06/munk-grad-group-2023.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=MffxpAFn" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>siddiq22</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-19T16:14:30-04:00" title="Monday, June 19, 2023 - 16:14" class="datetime">Mon, 06/19/2023 - 16:14</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Clockwise from top left: Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy graduates Joaquin Espinosa Alarcón,&nbsp;Sara Duodu, Vedant Puthran and Hilda-Matilda Idegwu (supplied images)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/munk-school-staff" hreflang="en">Munk School Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6899" hreflang="en">Convocation 2023</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-stories" hreflang="en">Graduate Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy-0" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/public-policy" hreflang="en">Public Policy</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Graduates from the 91Թ’s <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a> celebrated their convocation last week – a milestone as they look toward future careers on the international stage.</p> <p>The Munk School spoke with four new graduates about what they learned in their programs and how they plan to draw on their experiences at 91Թ as they prepare for further education and new roles in the global policy space.</p> <hr> <h3><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Joaquin Espinosa Alarcón</strong></span></h3> <div class="align-left"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_150_width_/public/2023-06/headshot_-_joaquin-square.jpg?itok=4RTyaLUM" width="150" height="150" alt="Joaquin Espinosa Alarcón" class="image-style-scale-image-150-width-"> </div> </div> <p><em>Up next: Research with the Citizen Lab</em></p> <p><strong>Joaquin Espinosa Alarcón</strong>’s journey to the Munk School’s <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/mga">Master of Global Affairs</a> (MGA) program had many stops along the way.</p> <p>Born in Quito, Ecuador, Espinosa Alarcón immigrated to the U.S. after finishing high school. He completed a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science at Bates College in Lewiston, ME, before moving to Washington, D.C. and working at the World Bank under the advisor on sexual orientation and gender identity as a point of contact for Latin American countries.</p> <p>“I didn't plan on doing this. But because I have been an immigrant since I was 18, I know there are geographic limitations or legal constraints as to what you can do. That experience, and my job at the World Bank, helped me realize that I am interested in global affairs,” he says.</p> <p>Espinosa Alarcón’s interest in 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and gender identity informed his time in the MGA program, where he was the director of <a href="https://sgdo.utoronto.ca/resource/spectrum-munk-school-of-global-affairs-public-policy/">Spectrum</a>, a student-led initiative that helps with the professional and career development of LGBTQ+ students and their allies.</p> <p>This summer, Espinosa Alarcón will collaborate with the <a href="https://citizenlab.ca/">Citizen Lab</a> team to produce a report on transgender rights, which will be presented in Costa Rica.</p> <p><span style="font-size:14px;"><em>&nbsp;— Molly Gosewich</em></span></p> <h3><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Sara Duodu</strong></span></h3> <div class="align-left"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_150_width_/public/2023-06/sara_duodu-square.jpg?itok=hlRlySWl" width="150" height="150" alt="Sara Duodu" class="image-style-scale-image-150-width-"> </div> </div> <p><em>Up next:&nbsp;A career focused on environmental sustainability</em></p> <p>In starting her <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/mga">Master of Global Affairs</a> program at the Munk School, <strong>Sara Duodu</strong> knew she wanted to make an impact – during her studies and beyond.</p> <p>She credits a combination of her coursework, capstone project and leadership in student-led initiatives – including serving as co-editor of student publication <a href="https://www.munkgc.com/"><em>Global Conversations</em></a>, director of activities for the <a href="https://www.msbsa.ca/">Munk School Black Students Association</a> and coordinator for the school’s career exploration series – for her goal to pursue a post-graduation role focused on sustainability and innovation.</p> <p>Working on her capstone project, which involved developing and presenting recommendations for a more inclusive strategy to Sustainable Development Technology Canada, underscored Duodu’s interest in making ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) a key component of her future career.</p> <p>“I think there's a lot of room for working in the sustainability space and actually trying to have an impact there," she says.</p> <p><span style="font-size:14px;"><em>&nbsp;— Claire Porter Robbins</em></span></p> <h3><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Hilda-Matilda Idegwu</strong></span></h3> <div class="align-left"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_150_width_/public/2023-06/hilda_idegwu-square.jpg?itok=ZTLNo_qj" width="150" height="150" alt="Hilda-Matilda Idegwu " class="image-style-scale-image-150-width-"> </div> </div> <p><em>Up next:&nbsp;Taking part in the federal Recruitment of Policy Leaders program</em></p> <p>At 16, <strong>Hilda-Matilda Idegwu</strong> came to the Munk School’s <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/gii">Global Ideas Institute</a> (GII) aspiring to change the world. After moving to Canada from the U.K. 11 years ago and growing up in a priority neighbourhood in Toronto, she became interested in community advocacy.</p> <p>After receiving a bachelor’s degree in international development studies from York University, Idegwu started the <a href="https://www.diasporalearningcentre.com/">Diaspora Learning Centre</a>, which provides affordable tutoring and mentorship to Black children and youth.</p> <p>Founding the organization gave her the confidence to apply to the Munk School, where she has kept busy as president of the <a href="https://www.msbsa.ca/">Munk School Black Students Association</a>, handling internal relations and operations for the <a href="https://www.publicgoodinitiative.ca/">Public Good Initiative</a>, contributing to the <em><a href="https://ppgreview.ca/">Public Policy and Governance Review</a></em> and participating in the Munk School’s Anti-Racism Working Group.</p> <p>Now the <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/mpp">Master of Public Policy</a> graduate is one of only a handful of people selected from thousands of applicants for Canada’s <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/recruitment/graduates/recruitment-policy-leaders.html">Recruitment of Policy Leaders</a> program, which trains participants for a career in the federal public service.</p> <p>Idegwu advises fellow graduates to remember the potential impact of their work.</p> <p>“It's important to remember that we do end up changing many lives,” she says. “We have to remember to serve people with all we have, and that what we have to offer is so valuable.”&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size:14px;"><em>&nbsp;— Adrienne Harry</em></span></p> <h3><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Vedant Puthran</strong></span></h3> <div class="align-left"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_150_width_/public/2023-06/picture1-crop.jpg?itok=If1Mzg0y" width="150" height="150" alt="Vedant Puthran" class="image-style-scale-image-150-width-"> </div> </div> <p><em>Up next:&nbsp;Working as an analyst with the RCMP</em></p> <p>Initially intending to become a lawyer, <strong>Vedant Puthran</strong> attended 91Թ's Faculty of Arts &amp; Science for his undergraduate degree in criminology with a focus on criminal justice policy before joining the Munk School.</p> <p>“For me, a career in policy seemed like the better fit for my goal of helping the public, rather than pursuing a career in law,” says Puthran, a <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/mpp">Master of Public Policy</a> graduate whose studies at the Munk School centred around immigration.</p> <p>During his two years at the Munk School, Puthran won <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/news/mpp-and-mga-students-compete-2021-policy-munk-fall-case-competition">public policy case competitions</a>, participated in a networking trip to Ottawa and landed an internship with the RCMP, where he hopes to keep working as an analyst after graduation.</p> <p>“My top advice for students and graduates is to take advantage of available resources and seek out opportunities on your own,” he says.</p> <p><span style="font-size:14px;"><em>&nbsp;— Molly Gosewich</em></span></p> <h3><a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/news">Read the grads’ full stories at the Munk School</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 19 Jun 2023 20:14:30 +0000 siddiq22 302050 at Margaret Atwood and Timothy Snyder to headline Ukraine benefit conference /news/margaret-atwood-and-timothy-snyder-headline-ukraine-benefit-conference <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Margaret Atwood and Timothy Snyder to headline Ukraine benefit conference </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/ukraine-fundraiser.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=MKMAqWX3 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/ukraine-fundraiser.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=oU8MVkB0 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/ukraine-fundraiser.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=WwsnifKP 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/ukraine-fundraiser.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=MKMAqWX3" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-03-16T15:19:30-04:00" title="Thursday, March 16, 2023 - 15:19" class="datetime">Thu, 03/16/2023 - 15:19</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Yale historian Timothy Snyder&nbsp;and author Margaret Atwood are among the keynote speakers at a Ukraine benefit conference hosted by 91Թ's Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy (photos by Gary Leonard, dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/munk-school-staff" hreflang="en">Munk School Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy-0" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ukraine" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>More than a year after Russia invaded&nbsp;Ukraine, universities around the world are taking steps to support scholars affected by the fighting in their country.</p> <p class="xx">To date, more&nbsp;170 Ukrainian institutions of higher education <a href="http://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrive.google.com%2Ffile%2Fd%2F1EWkRpho55tAcmIhdewmnZDsnNgqxTmjf%2Fview&amp;data=05%7C01%7Clani.krantz%40utoronto.ca%7Ca43ad5174c554d5bba5b08db2567c723%7C78aac2262f034b4d9037b46d56c55210%7C0%7C0%7C638144899866816659%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=HKUjkly%2BU%2F60eatVOBZe7c7RvjYidwcMoEuWrF6zC%2FY%3D&amp;reserved=0">have been&nbsp;damaged&nbsp;and more than 20 have been&nbsp;completely destroyed</a>. Academics who remain in Ukraine now conduct their research, teaching, and public service in&nbsp;<a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsaveschools.in.ua%2Fen%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Clani.krantz%40utoronto.ca%7Ca43ad5174c554d5bba5b08db2567c723%7C78aac2262f034b4d9037b46d56c55210%7C0%7C0%7C638144899866816659%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=au38Up1%2FLOl3oLanqvY95kcDVaONKTR1MyYgZ7RECBA%3D&amp;reserved=0">very challenging</a>&nbsp;circumstances.&nbsp;</p> <p class="xx">On March 17-19, the 91Թ’s Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy will host a digital benefit conference with keynote talks by&nbsp;<span style="background:white">world-renowned author and 91Թ alumna&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmargaretatwood.ca%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7Clani.krantz%40utoronto.ca%7Ca43ad5174c554d5bba5b08db2567c723%7C78aac2262f034b4d9037b46d56c55210%7C0%7C0%7C638144899866816659%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=0LfU5g5mqjaTJay6U65tGGPEm7NmVSyPfpiDV8Tef3Q%3D&amp;reserved=0">Margaret Atwood</a></strong>, acclaimed historian&nbsp;<a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.yale.edu%2Fpeople%2Ftimothy-snyder&amp;data=05%7C01%7Clani.krantz%40utoronto.ca%7Ca43ad5174c554d5bba5b08db2567c723%7C78aac2262f034b4d9037b46d56c55210%7C0%7C0%7C638144899866816659%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=wck1928IlRmVKv7ilQsCRaL3BRK6qbp6IB3SmZF4nDM%3D&amp;reserved=0">Timothy Snyder</a>&nbsp;and two of Ukraine’s leading public intellectuals:&nbsp;<a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdfc.ukma.edu.ua%2Fcoming-to-naukma%2Flectureres%2Fmychailo-wynnyckyj&amp;data=05%7C01%7Clani.krantz%40utoronto.ca%7Ca43ad5174c554d5bba5b08db2567c723%7C78aac2262f034b4d9037b46d56c55210%7C0%7C0%7C638144899866816659%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=cWkzdvNl8iJV89q25wZ5hUnw8nOGfpQLsNGrbMmtLCw%3D&amp;reserved=0">Mychailo Wynnyckyj</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fyermolenko_v&amp;data=05%7C01%7Clani.krantz%40utoronto.ca%7Ca43ad5174c554d5bba5b08db2567c723%7C78aac2262f034b4d9037b46d56c55210%7C0%7C0%7C638144899866816659%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=ko7K%2BCLNrUWI77aYWgHlvpYHPto1RNJI54c03N2dHM8%3D&amp;reserved=0">Volodymyr Yermolenko</a>.</span></p> <p class="xx"><span style="background:white">All money raised by the event, titled </span><a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/kma-conference">‘What Good Is Philosophy? – A Benefit Conference for Ukraine,’</a>&nbsp;<span style="background:white">will support the&nbsp;<a href="https://civic.ukma.edu.ua/">Centre for Civic Engagement</a>&nbsp;at Ukraine’s National University of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ukma.edu.ua/eng/">Kyiv Mohyla Academy</a>.</span></p> <p class="xx"><span style="background:white">“By assisting Ukrainian students and scholars today, this Centre will help pave the way for a vibrant and engaged post-war Ukraine,” says principal organizer and 91Թ alumnus&nbsp;<strong>Aaron Wendland</strong>, a Vision Fellow in Public Philosophy at King’s College, London and a senior research fellow at Massey College.</span></p> <p class="xx">The conference will examine the role of academia during times of crisis, with participants&nbsp;analyzing the public impact of their academic research and exploring the relationship between the academy and civil society. It’s<span style="background:white">&nbsp;designed to provide individual academics, members of the public, colleges and universities, professional associations, charitable foundations, and private companies with a way to support Ukrainian students, scholars, and civic institutions. </span></p> <p class="xx"><span style="background:white"><img alt="What good is philosophy? The role of the academy in a time of crisis" src="/sites/default/files/ukraine_benefit_conference_-_banner_1.jpg.webp" style="width: 750px; height: 563px;"></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:24px"><span style="background:white">Many philosophers from around the world will be participating. Those speaking will include&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/peter-adamson">Peter Adamson</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/philosophy/people/faculty/eandersn.html">Elizabeth Anderson</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://politicalscience.yale.edu/people/seyla-benhabib">Seyla Benhabib</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/judith-butler">Judith Butler</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://philosophy.uchicago.edu/faculty/a-callard">Agnes Callard</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/philosophy/people/cassam/">Quassim Cassam</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://people.ceu.edu/tim_crane">Tim Crane</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newschool.edu/nssr/faculty/simon-critchley/">Simon Critchley</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://en.philosophy.huji.ac.il/people/david-enoch">David Enoch</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/about/our-people/academic-staff/peter-godfrey-smith.html">Peter Godfrey-Smith</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://philosophy.mit.edu/haslanger/">Sally Haslanger</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/philosophy/people/academic-staff/angie-hobbs">Angie Hobbs</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vassar.edu/faculty/balam">Barry Lam</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://melissalane.princeton.edu/">Melissa Lane</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://philosophy.ubc.ca/profile/dominic-lopes/">Dominic Lopes</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://philosophy.cornell.edu/kate-manne">Kate Manne</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/people/jeff-mcmahan">Jeff McMahan</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://philosophy.utoronto.ca/directory/jennifer-nagel/">Jennifer Nagel</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://politics.princeton.edu/people/philip-pettit">Philip Pettit</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://philosophy.mit.edu/setiya/">Kieran Setiya</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://philosophy.yale.edu/people/jason-stanley">Jason Stanley</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/people/timothy-williamson">Timothy Williamson</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/people/jonathan-wolff">Jonathan Wolff</a>.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:24px"><span style="background:white">The hope is to build an organization that can help counteract the destabilizing impact that Russia’s invasion has had on Ukrainian higher education and civilian life.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:24px"><span style="background:white">“Universities around the world began helping Ukrainian academics in exile through a mix of publicly and privately funded&nbsp;<a href="https://allea.org/support-for-ukraine/">scholars-at-risk</a>&nbsp;initiatives, which have helped Ukrainian refugees very much,” says&nbsp;Wendland. “However, academic institutions in Ukraine still need major international assistance.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:24px"><span style="background:white">“The Centre for Civic Engagement will aim to address the needs of the Ukrainian academy by offering&nbsp;<a href="https://civic.ukma.edu.ua/initiatives/">institutional, intellectual, and financial support</a>&nbsp;for students, scholars, and publicly engaged academics in the country.”</span></p> <h3 style="margin-bottom: 24px;"><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-digital-conference-hopes-to-raise-500000-to-stabilize-academic/"><span style="background:white">Read more about the benefit conference in <em>the</em> <em>Globe and Mail</em></span></a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 16 Mar 2023 19:19:30 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 180814 at Why some countries lead – and others lag – in the race to clean energy: Study /news/why-some-countries-lead-and-others-lag-race-clean-energy-study <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Why some countries lead – and others lag – in the race to clean energy: Study</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-solar%26windcalifornia1140x760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=r-1VFwu_ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-solar%26windcalifornia1140x760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=2p28YXdy 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-solar%26windcalifornia1140x760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=v1TNcF07 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-solar%26windcalifornia1140x760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=r-1VFwu_" alt="Wind turbines and solar panels - Palm Springs, California"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-10-07T13:18:47-04:00" title="Friday, October 7, 2022 - 13:18" class="datetime">Fri, 10/07/2022 - 13:18</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">California is often considered a leader in limiting emissions thanks to relatively autonomous agencies such as the California Air Resources Board, which helps insulate politicians from unpopular policies (photo by Murat Taner via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/munk-school-staff" hreflang="en">Munk School Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy-0" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/climate-change" hreflang="en">Climate Change</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/political-science" hreflang="en">Political Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new analysis&nbsp;<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adc9973">published in the journal&nbsp;<em>Science</em></a>&nbsp;explores the politics that influence some countries to adopt cleaner sources of energy while others resist change, revealing what hinders many governments from reducing greenhouse gas emissions.&nbsp;<br> <br> Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in spring 2022, oil and gas prices skyrocketed, creating a global energy crisis similar to the oil crisis of the 1970s. While some countries used the price shock to accelerate the transition to cleaner sources of energy, including wind, solar and geothermal, others have expanded the production of fossil fuels.</p> <p>“Policy prescriptions on climate change and energy transitions often tend to assume countries are very similar or comparable,” said study author&nbsp;<strong>Phillip Y. Lipscy</strong>, a professor at the 91Թ’s Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy and the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science.&nbsp;</p> <p>“The thing that really stands out from our work is that the same policy that works in one country context might not work in another.”</p> <div class="image-with-caption right"> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/PhillipLipscy.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 450px;"></p> <p><em>Phillip Lipscy</em></p> </div> <p>Lipscy partnered with researchers at institutions around the world to examine how different countries have reacted to the current energy crisis as well as the oil crisis of the 1970s. Their report illustrates how the structure of political institutions can support the shift to clean energy – or pose a barrier to it. The co-authors of the study include Jonas Meckling of University of California, Berkeley, Jared J. Finnegan of University College London&nbsp;and Florence Metz of the University of Twente&nbsp;in the Netherlands.</p> <p>The analysis found that the countries that were most successful at pioneering cleaner energy technologies had political institutions that helped to cushion some of the consumer and corporate resistance to high short-term costs – either by insulating policymakers from political opposition or by compensating consumers and corporations for the extra costs associated with adopting new technologies.</p> <p>For example, many countries in continental and northern Europe have institutions that allow policymakers to insulate themselves from pushback by voters or lobbyists, or to compensate constituencies impacted by the transition. As a result, many of these countries have been more successful at absorbing the costs associated with transitioning to a clean energy system, such as investing in greater wind capacity or upgrading transmission grids.</p> <p>Meanwhile, countries that lack such institutions, such as the United States, Australia and Canada, often follow market-driven transitions, waiting for the price of new technologies to drop before adopting them.</p> <p>“We describe this as a path without government involvement,” said Lipscy. “It’s in some senses&nbsp;a failure of government intervention to accelerate a transition. And the government essentially allows the markets to determine what kind of energy transition occurs.”</p> <p>Japan is an example of a country that underwent institutional changes that made it less effective in this regard. While Japanese policymakers responded effectively to the oil shocks of the 1970s, the country has struggled to accelerate its energy transition in response to climate change and the war in Ukraine. Lipscy attributes this to electoral and administrative changes implemented starting in the 1990s.</p> <p>One way to help insulate policymakers from political pushback is to hand over regulatory power to independent agencies that are less subject to the demands of voters or lobbyists. The authors cite the California Air Resources Board (CARB), a relatively autonomous agency that has been tasked with implementing many of California’s climate goals, as providing a buffer for policymakers because the agency can take the blame for unpopular policies. Thanks in part to CARB, California is often considered a leader in limiting greenhouse gas emissions, despite being a state within the U.S.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AHFDI-KBglg" title="YouTube video player" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>Countries such as Canada and the U.S. lack strong institutions to absorb political opposition to costly energy policies. However, Lipscy said that policymakers can still drive the energy transition forward by supporting energy research and development and removing barriers to clean technologies, which have become increasingly cost competitive with traditional energy sources.</p> <p>“It’s impossible to think about issues like climate change and energy transitions without accounting for the politics,” Lipscy said. “I hope this piece serves a mechanism to connect some of the great work coming out of the field of political science to scholars who are interested in climate change in other fields.”</p> <p><em>–&nbsp;with files from the University of California, Berkeley</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 07 Oct 2022 17:18:47 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 177275 at Highway death toll signs associated with more crashes, researchers find /news/highway-death-toll-signs-associated-more-crashes-researchers-find <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Highway death toll signs associated with more crashes, researchers find</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/HighwayMessageBoard-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=0NOO3L7T 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/HighwayMessageBoard-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=iQlnVHVZ 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/HighwayMessageBoard-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=SY2wD29d 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/HighwayMessageBoard-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=0NOO3L7T" alt="Highway sign in texas reads &quot;1669 deaths this year on texas roads&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>geoff.vendeville</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-04-22T12:49:53-04:00" title="Friday, April 22, 2022 - 12:49" class="datetime">Fri, 04/22/2022 - 12:49</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">A recent study co-written by 91Թ's Jonathan Hall suggests that death toll messages on highways can have the opposite of their desired effect (photo courtesy of Jonathan Hall)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/munk-school-staff" hreflang="en">Munk School Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy-0" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/economics" hreflang="en">Economics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty" hreflang="en">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/international-collaboration-0" hreflang="en">International Collaboration</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Electronic billboards displaying traffic fatalities to encourage safer driving may actually contribute to an increase in crashes, <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3633014">a recent study</a> co-authored by the 91Թ's <strong>Jonathan Hall</strong> suggests.&nbsp;</p> <div class="image-with-caption left"> <div><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Jonathan_Hall-crop.jpg" alt><em><span style="font-size:12px;">Jonathan Hall</span></em></div> </div> <p>Using years of highway data from Texas, Hall – an assistant professor in the department of economics in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science and the Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy – teamed up with Joshua Madsen, of the University of Minnesota, to test the effectiveness of this strategy to reduce accidents.&nbsp;</p> <p>They found that a message advertising the number of traffic deaths was linked with a 4.5 per cent uptick in crashes over the next 10 kilometres. That’s an increase comparable to raising the speed limit by between roughly 5 and 8 kilometres per hour or reducing the number of highway troopers by 6 to 14 per cent.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Our back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that fatality messages cause an additional 2,600 crashes and 16 fatalities per year in Texas alone, with a toal social cost&nbsp;of (US) $377 million per year,” the researchers said.&nbsp;</p> <p>Extrapolating to a nationwide figure, the researchers say safety messaging causes an extra 17,000 crashes across the U.S. and 104 deaths per year, with a social cost of US$2.5 billion.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/highway-death-toll-messages-linked-to-rise-in-car-crashes-study-says/ar-AAWswsn?li=BBnb7Kz">In an interview with the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>,</a> Hall said he and Madsen were surprised by their findings.&nbsp;"We did not start this project thinking these signs hurt, we thought they helped," he told the paper. "I think a reasonable takeaway would be that state departments of transportation should test their messages and track which of these messages are too distracting and which are helpful."</p> <p>The researchers suggest that efforts to reduce traffic fatalities by way of electronic messaging may be backfiring because they are temporarily distracting and lead drivers to make mistakes.&nbsp;</p> <p>Hall and Madsen took their data from Texas because messages there were consistently displayed one week a month. They compared highway data from the time of the campaign, from 2012 to 2017, to the two years prior, comparing weekly differences within each month.</p> <p>“The messages increased the number of multi-vehicle crashes, but not single-vehicle crashes,” Hall said.&nbsp;“This is in line with drivers with increased cognitive loads making smaller errors due to distraction, like drifting out of a lane, rather than driving off the road.”</p> <p>Moreover, the researchers found that the effect is worse as the year progresses and the traffic fatality count displayed on message boards increases. The largest number of additional crashes was recorded in January, when the fatality number was the highest. Hall and Madsen suggest that more sobering, in-your-face messaging could be even more distracting and harmful.</p> <p>“Driving on a busy highway [and] having to navigate lane changes is more cognitively demanding than driving down a straight stretch of empty highway,” said Madsen, who teaches at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. “People have limited attention. When a driver’s cognitive load is already maxed out, adding on an attention-grabbing, sobering reminder of highway deaths [can] become a dangerous distraction.”</p> <p>But the researchers did find that the safety messages fulfilled their intended purpose when the number of displayed deaths was low and when the interventions occurred on less busy highways. Madsen says this may be because these messages were not as taxing on drivers' attention.</p> <p>While safety campaigns vary from place to place, the researchers say authorities should consider other ways to promote road safety.&nbsp;</p> <p>“One of the key takeaways from this research was that fatality message campaigns increase the number of crashes, so stopping these campaigns is a low-cost way to improve traffic safety,” Hall says.</p> <p>“This study illustrates why it is so important to study the effects of ‘nudges’ and other behavioural interventions. Just because a policy is well-intentioned doesn’t mean that it will result in a good outcome.”</p> <p>This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2022-04-21/reminders-to-drive-safely-led-to-more-car-crashes-in-texas-study-finds">Read more about the study in the <em>Los Angeles Times</em></a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 22 Apr 2022 16:49:53 +0000 geoff.vendeville 174248 at With $4 million in funding, 91Թ-based program aims to improve local taxation in lower-income countries /news/4-million-funding-u-t-based-program-aims-strengthen-local-taxation-lower-income-countries <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">With $4 million in funding, 91Թ-based program aims to improve local taxation in lower-income countries</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/abdul-karim-jalloh-6MjnWakPi4g-unsplash-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=kgV_JYEA 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/abdul-karim-jalloh-6MjnWakPi4g-unsplash-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=jkbK8xdb 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/abdul-karim-jalloh-6MjnWakPi4g-unsplash-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=3OGzPvnO 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/abdul-karim-jalloh-6MjnWakPi4g-unsplash-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=kgV_JYEA" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-04-08T11:41:37-04:00" title="Friday, April 8, 2022 - 11:41" class="datetime">Fri, 04/08/2022 - 11:41</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Building on a pilot project in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the&nbsp;Local Government Revenue Initiative seeks to help local governments in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia collect more local revenue equitably and fairly (photo Abdul Karim Jalloh/Unsplash)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/munk-school-staff" hreflang="en">Munk School Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy-0" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-art-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Art &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/political-science" hreflang="en">Political Science</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>An&nbsp;applied research initiative based at the 91Թ’s Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy&nbsp;aims to improve public services and governance in lower-income countries through more effective local taxation.</p> <p>The&nbsp;Local Government Revenue Initiative (LoGRI)&nbsp;– which has drawn more than $4 million from funders including the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation and the French Ministry of Economics, Finance and Recovery – is developing policy-relevant research and tools to help local governments in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia collect more local revenue, more equitably and fairly, and in ways that promote trust, transparency and accountability.</p> <p>LoGRI is an initiative of the&nbsp;International Centre for Tax and Development&nbsp;(ICTD), a leading global policy research network dedicated to improving the quality of tax policy and administration in lower-income countries.&nbsp;The ICTD is based at the Institute of Development Studies in Brighton, U.K., with a large hub at 91Թ.</p> <p>“Our goal is to improve people’s lives by helping local governments raise the revenue they need to provide better local public services and strengthen local governance,” said&nbsp;<strong>Wilson Prichard</strong>, an associate professor at the Munk School and the&nbsp;department of political science&nbsp;in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, and chief executive officer of the ICTD. “We are especially focused on supporting stronger property taxes, which can provide the stable source of income cities need to provide key services like sanitation, critical small-scale infrastructure and environmental services. Yet in practice property taxes are the least effectively collected major tax in lower-income countries due to significant barriers such as incomplete property tax rolls, inconsistent ways of valuing properties&nbsp;and mistrust and low compliance among taxpayers.”</p> <p>LoGRI works at the intersection of research and practice to overcome both technical and political challenges to reform and support the construction of more effective systems of local revenue raising. This includes building research-informed tools and resources to support reforms&nbsp;and partnering with local governments and international development agencies on property tax reform programs. It extends and expands the previous work of the&nbsp;African Property Tax Initiative&nbsp;(APTI), which counts among its achievements a highly successful pilot project in Freetown, Sierra Leone. That project tested a fairer, simpler and more consistent way of valuing properties in lower-capacity environments, led the design of a new IT system for property tax administration, supported the introduction of automated payments at banks and introduced and led a process of participatory budgeting for allocating a share of property tax revenues.</p> <p>LoGRI has attracted support from the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, the French Ministry of Economics, Finance and Recovery&nbsp;and German Development Cooperation implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Several international development agencies have already contracted LoGRI to provide property tax reform expertise for their country programs&nbsp;and LoGRI is in discussions with additional donors to further expand the initiative.</p> <p>“One of the exciting things about LoGRI is that it bridges the gap between traditional academic research, policy and practice,” said Titilola Akindeinde, executive director of LoGRI. “Our research is informing more effective approaches to property tax administration, while partnering with local governments across multiple countries to design and pilot reform programs that provide&nbsp;unique insights and experience that we can incorporate into our research. We believe this mutually reinforcing approach will enable us to develop robust tools and resources that will demonstrably improve property tax systems and quality of life in lower-income countries.”</p> <p>Key to LoGRI’s success is engaging its project teams’ local tax experts and researchers to ensure its findings reflect a deep understanding of the complex legal, political and social contexts in the countries where it works. LoGRI is focusing initially on both francophone and anglophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with future plans to engage in south Asia. Projects are already planned in Zambia, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Malawi, with more expected to be developed as LoGRI expands its networks.</p> <p>“LoGRI is part of the Munk School’s strategy to shape global conversations about major challenges of the future of democratic and democratizing societies,” said&nbsp;<strong>Peter Loewen</strong>, director of the Munk School and a professor at both the Munk School and the&nbsp;department of political science in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science. “As many countries grapple with uneven economic growth, rapid increases in population, poverty and inequality, we see a tremendous opportunity to learn from and collaborate with partners in these regions to address these pressing issues through better governance. We also look forward to deepening our engagement and networks in Africa.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 08 Apr 2022 15:41:37 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 174039 at False claims about COVID-19 must be repeatedly debunked, study finds /news/false-claims-about-covid-19-must-be-repeatedly-debunked-study-finds <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">False claims about COVID-19 must be repeatedly debunked, study finds</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1229468236-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=A6Xrmvj_ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-1229468236-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=peY_GRx2 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-1229468236-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=EYXVwMw6 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1229468236-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=A6Xrmvj_" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-02-04T14:03:47-05:00" title="Friday, February 4, 2022 - 14:03" class="datetime">Fri, 02/04/2022 - 14:03</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">A study involving 91Թ researchers found that COVID-19 "fact checks" can be effective, but that frequent exposure is necessary for addressing misinformation during the pandemic (photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/munk-school-staff" hreflang="en">Munk School Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/coronavirus" hreflang="en">Coronavirus</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/covid-19" hreflang="en">COVID-19</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy-0" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p style="margin-bottom:20px">R<span style="background:white">esearchers&nbsp;at the 91Թ, Dartmouth College, the University of Exeter and the University of Kent have found&nbsp;that&nbsp;fact checking can quickly correct misperceptions about COVID-19&nbsp;– but that beliefs in wrong information often return.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">The study, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01278-3">published in the journal&nbsp;<i>Nature Human Behaviour</i></a>, asked respondents from the United States, Great Britain and Canada&nbsp;to rate the perceived accuracy of four claims on COVID-19 that have been debunked by scientific and public health authorities: that the Chinese government created the coronavirus as a bioweapon; that a group funded by Bill Gates patented the coronavirus; that antibiotics are effective in preventing and treating COVID-19; and that the medication hydroxychloroquine is proven to cure or prevent COVID-19.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">They found that fact checks did indeed reduce people’s misperceptions, but that the changes&nbsp;did not persist over time.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px">“Our findings suggest that fact checks can successfully reduce misperceptions about COVID-19 immediately after people read them,” said study co-author <b>Peter Loewen</b>, director of 91Թ’s Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy and a professor in the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">“Now that we know those misperceptions often return, we can expect that convincing someone to adopt new understanding about COVID-19 may include setbacks. We also know that frequent exposure helps so what this tells us is that the best approach is a long term strategy.”</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">Study participants shared political and demographic information about themselves and rated the accuracy of both true and false claims about COVID-19. They were then randomly assigned to receive fact-checked or unrelated placebo articles. The research team then compared belief in the claims over time between respondents who were shown the fact checks and those who weren’t.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">The study’s findings&nbsp;have implications for&nbsp;how we dispel misinformation around the coronavirus pandemic.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">“Our results suggest that effectively addressing misbeliefs about COVID-19 will require repeatedly debunking false claims about the coronavirus. Otherwise, people will tend to revert back to the level of belief that they had before,” says co-author Brendan Nyhan, the James O. Freedman presidential professor in the department of government at Dartmouth.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">“Fact checks were most effective among people who are more vulnerable to misperceptions of COVID-19 at baseline,” said Nyhan. </span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">These groups included supporters of conservative leaders, those with high conspiracy predispositions and those with low trust in health institutions. However, these effects did not persist over time in follow-up surveys conducted in the U.S. and Britain.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">“By comparing U.S. data on the effects of COVID-19 fact checks to that of Great Britain and Canada, we found that our results are parallel across all three countries, which suggests that the effects are not an artifact of polarization over COVID-19 in the U.S.,” says co-author Jason Reifler, a professor of political science at University of Exeter.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">The study is the first to estimate the effects of fact checks on COVID-19 misperceptions over time and across countries. The results provide evidence that COVID-19 fact checks can be effective but that frequent exposure is necessary for addressing misinformation during the pandemic.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white">John M. Carey from Dartmouth, Andrew M. Guess from Princeton University, <strong>Eric Merkley</strong> from 91Թ, and Joseph B. Phillips from the University of Kent also contributed to the study, which was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Economic and Social Research Council, and the Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy and the dean of 91Թ’s Faculty of Arts &amp; Science .</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:20px"><span style="background:white"><i>With files from Amy Olson / Dartmouth.</i></span></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 04 Feb 2022 19:03:47 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 172546 at Peter Loewen appointed director of 91Թ’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy /news/peter-loewen-appointed-director-u-t-s-munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Peter Loewen appointed director of 91Թ’s Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Peter%20Loewen%20-%20photo%20by%20Alexis%20MacDonald-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=acxCAqci 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Peter%20Loewen%20-%20photo%20by%20Alexis%20MacDonald-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=oYGOPypY 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Peter%20Loewen%20-%20photo%20by%20Alexis%20MacDonald-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=bxpOv8FV 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Peter%20Loewen%20-%20photo%20by%20Alexis%20MacDonald-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=acxCAqci" alt="Peter Loewen"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-09-29T11:01:21-04:00" title="Wednesday, September 29, 2021 - 11:01" class="datetime">Wed, 09/29/2021 - 11:01</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(Photo by Alexis MacDonald)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/munk-school-staff" hreflang="en">Munk School Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/schwartz-reisman-institute-technology-and-society" hreflang="en">Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy-0" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/massey-college" hreflang="en">Massey College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">91Թ Mississauga</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Professor <strong>Peter Loewen</strong>, a leading political scientist, has been appointed as the new director of the 91Թ’s Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy.</p> <p>Currently the Munk School’s associate director for global engagement and director of PEARL (Policy, Elections and Representation Lab), Loewen will assume his new role on Nov. 1, 2021 for a term that ends on June 30, 2026.</p> <p>“I am honoured and humbled to be the director of the Munk School,” said Loewen. “I have a deep connection to the school and I believe that we have a vital role to play in convening important conversations, producing rigorous and relevant research, and educating students to have broad, multi-disciplinary perspectives. The Munk School’s centres have exceptional regional expertise and our labs are at the forefront of their fields.</p> <p>"We live in a time of shifting powers and great global challenges – the Munk School is generating and sharing answers for a world that wants to know how democracies will fit in&nbsp;a changing global order, how we can continue to equitably increase prosperity and how we can live in an increasingly digital world.”</p> <p>Loewen holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Mount Allison University and a PhD in political science from the Université de Montréal. He joined 91Թ Mississauga in 2010 as an assistant professor in the department of political science, receiving tenure and promotion to associate professor in 2015 and promotion to professor in 2018. He has held visiting positions at the University of Melbourne, Princeton University and Stanford University.</p> <p>He served as director of 91Թ’s School of Public Policy and Governance from 2016 until its <a href="/news/introducing-u-t-s-new-munk-school-global-affairs-and-public-policy">amalgamation with the Munk School of Global Affairs in 2018</a>. From 2013 to 2016, he was the director of the Munk School’s Centre for the Study of the United States. Loewen is a senior fellow at Massey College, a fellow of the Public Policy Forum and an associate director at 91Թ’s <a href="https://srinstitute.utoronto.ca/">Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society</a>.</p> <p>Loewen’s research focuses primarily on how politicians can make better decisions, how citizens can make better choices, how governments can address the disruption of technology and harness its opportunities, and the politics of COVID-19. He has been published in several leading journals and he is the co-editor of four books. He is a frequent contributor in Canadian and international media, providing opinion and commentary in prestigious news outlets including the <i>New York Times</i>, the&nbsp;<i>Washington Post</i> and<i>&nbsp;</i>the<i> Globe and Mail</i>.</p> <p>In his capacity as associate director, global engagement, Loewen has led discussions with leading thinkers from across the political spectrum. He chairs the David Peterson Public Sector Leadership Series and is a co-organizer of both the North American Colloquium and the <a href="https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/publicpolicy/events/the-canada-uk-colloquium/">Canada-UK Colloquium</a>.</p> <p>“Professor Loewen has distinguished himself as a leading academic and a convenor, bringing together scholars, politicians and practitioners to discuss some of the most pressing issues of our time,” said <b>Melanie Woodin,</b> dean of 91Թ’s Faculty of Arts &amp; Science. “He is an excellent choice to direct the Munk School and has been instrumental in building the school as we know it today.”</p> <p>Loewen says he looks forward to working together with students, faculty, staff and the school’s fellows to advance new initiatives and to continue to foster a strong sense of community within the school. “In addition to building on the success of our degree programs and bolstering our public engagement, one of the key priorities over the next few years will be to complete the construction of the academic wood tower,” says Loewen. “Through the tower, we have the opportunity to come together as one school and create a shared culture and sense of place.”</p> <p>Loewen assumes the role of director from <a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/">University Professor</a><b> Cheryl Misak</b>, who has served as interim director since December 2020, following the departure of <b>Michael Sabia</b>, who was appointed deputy minister of finance.</p> <p>“We are fortunate to be building on both Cheryl’s and Michael’s leadership,” said Loewen. “Through the creation of our strategic plan, the appointment of thematic leads and the hiring of new faculty to augment the school’s four areas of focus –&nbsp;the Digital World, the Political Economy of Innovation, the Changing Global Order and the Future of Democratic Societies&nbsp;– we are in an excellent position to grow the Munk School’s reputation and influence around the world.</p> <p>“At the Munk School, we have exceptional faculty from multiple disciplines, each of whom brings an important lens to the study of global affairs and public policy. Through our areas of focus and the strength of our regional expertise, we will continue to produce cutting-edge research, shape global conversations&nbsp;and contribute ideas with real-world impact.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 29 Sep 2021 15:01:21 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 170599 at Reach Alliance, first launched at 91Թ, expands to three universities outside Canada /news/u-t-s-reach-alliance-expands-three-universities-outside-canada <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Reach Alliance, first launched at 91Թ, expands to three universities outside Canada</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/reach-3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=xiHGEjRl 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/reach-3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=vulbwyBk 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/reach-3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=_p0ewEKP 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/reach-3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=xiHGEjRl" alt="composite image of university of oxford, technologico de monterrey, and university of london"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-04-30T12:11:59-04:00" title="Friday, April 30, 2021 - 12:11" class="datetime">Fri, 04/30/2021 - 12:11</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The Reach Alliance's three new international partners are (from top to bottom) University College London, Tecnológico de Monterrey&nbsp;and University of Oxford (Peter Spiro/Getty Images, Gildardo Sánchez, Clive NIchols/Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/munk-school-staff" hreflang="en">Munk School Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/reach-alliance" hreflang="en">Reach Alliance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy-0" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/joseph-wong" hreflang="en">Joseph Wong</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p style="margin-bottom:11px">The <a href="http://www.reachalliance.org/">Reach Alliance’s</a> reach just got a little longer. &nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The 91Թ research initiative&nbsp;– which&nbsp;brings together undergraduate and graduate students with faculty mentors&nbsp;to investigate how organizations are delivering services to vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations around the globe&nbsp;–&nbsp; is expanding to three leading universities: University of Oxford, University College London and&nbsp;Tecnológico de Monterrey.</p> <div class="image-with-caption left"> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT12302_20161020_JosephWong_002.jpg" alt></b>Joseph Wong (Photo by Johnny Guatto)</p> </div> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Joseph Wong</b>, 91Թ’s vice-president, international, and Reach Alliance founder, announced the three international partners Friday at the closing of the <a href="http://symposium.reachalliance.org/">2021 Reach Symposium</a>, an annual gathering of leaders from the academic, private and civil society sectors to share insights on how to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">“We have much to learn from our colleagues at the University of Oxford, Tecnológico de Monterrey and University College London,” Wong said.&nbsp;“This appetite for collaboration will guide us as we continue to scale the Reach Alliance around the world.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Based at the 91Թ’s <a href="http://www.munkschool.utoronto.ca/">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a>, the Reach Alliance began as the Reach Project in 2015. To date, it has produced 23 case studies in 16 countries, publishing findings in prestigious journals including <i>The Lancet</i>, the <i>WHO Bulletin</i>, and <i>BMJ Global Health.</i></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Reach teams work together for 12 to 18 months to conduct research, meet with stakeholders, produce case studies and share insights for policy change. Since 2015, 91Թ students have crossed the globe investigating successful interventions including polio eradication in India, vaccine delivery in Mozambique, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlyTWU6rnIc">women’s economic empowerment in Mexico</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br1PWpe2Vh4">mobile money apps in Kenya</a>&nbsp;and self-directed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXUqFcyUUk8">home-care service delivery in Ontario</a>.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Gustavo Merino, a professor at the School of Government and Public Transformation at Tecnológico de Monterrey, is enthusiastic about the Reach approach.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">“By working on the challenge of reaching the hardest to reach, increasing awareness of this challenge and promoting collaboration on these issues with universities from several countries, this initiative can go a long way in improving developmental outcomes in many countries,” he said.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Two of the three partners have begun work on their case studies. Tecnológico de Monterrey’s first case study examines the barriers faced by migrant Indigenous people in the university’s home city of Monterrey, Mexico. In the first phase of the project, student researchers will examine why Indigenous Peoples are blocked from accessing basic services, and how this perpetuates cycles of poverty.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><img alt src="/sites/default/files/Marin%20MacLeod%2C%20ED%20Reach%20Alliance%20and%20Gustavo%20Merino%2C%20Professor%2C%20School%20of%20Government%20and%20Public%20Transformation%2C%20Tecnol%C3%B3gico%20de%20Monterrey.%20-%20PC_%20Nick%20Iwanyshyn%20.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><em>Gustavo Merino, a professor at the School of Government and Public Transformation at Tecnológico de Monterrey, and Marin MacLeod, executive director of the Reach Alliance, at last year’s Reach Symposium (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The partnership with the University of Oxford includes the university’s Saïd Business School and the Blavatnik School of Government. For its first case study, researchers are examining&nbsp;an intervention in the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh that aims to improve women’s experiences in seeking assistance from police, with a focus on gender-based violence.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">“Crossing the last mile of service delivery is a global challenge facing governments, businesses and civic organizations,” said Akshay Mangla, associate professor in international business at Oxford’s Saïd Business School. “The Reach Alliance partnership offers a valuable opportunity for academic institutions to collaborate on complex questions and produce impactful research. I hope it will lead to deeper insights on how to make frontline services work for citizens across the world.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">For <b>Marin MacLeod</b>, executive director of the Reach Alliance and an alumna of the program who studied <a href="https://reachalliance.org/case-study/unhcr-jordans-biometric-cash-assistance-program-for-syrian-refugees/">biometric cash transfers to Syrian refugees in Jordan</a>, the initiative is about sharing insights that will lead to innovation and policy change.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">“As a global cross-university network of leading student researchers and faculty, the Reach Alliance shows the academy’s commitment to accelerate the impact of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Reach’s expansion is made possible through the support of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mastercardcenter.org/">Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth</a><b>,&nbsp;</b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhuWnQZnC00">its principal funder</a>. As the program grows, 91Թ will serve as the global headquarters for the Reach Alliance, while continuing to run its own research programs.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The academic network is set to expand to six universities by 2022.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 30 Apr 2021 16:11:59 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 169244 at By creating a volunteer group, 91Թ grad Adam Zivo brought food to low-income seniors during COVID-19 /news/creating-volunteer-group-u-t-grad-adam-zivo-brought-food-low-income-seniors-during-covid-19 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">By creating a volunteer group, 91Թ grad Adam Zivo brought food to low-income seniors during COVID-19 </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/LifeCrates_NoFrillsFoodRun_02%20%28Adam%2C%20Chantal%29-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=k9C7U5ME 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/LifeCrates_NoFrillsFoodRun_02%20%28Adam%2C%20Chantal%29-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=dGZIPpm0 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/LifeCrates_NoFrillsFoodRun_02%20%28Adam%2C%20Chantal%29-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=1FgJ9Ab7 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/LifeCrates_NoFrillsFoodRun_02%20%28Adam%2C%20Chantal%29-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=k9C7U5ME" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-11-19T11:59:56-05:00" title="Thursday, November 19, 2020 - 11:59" class="datetime">Thu, 11/19/2020 - 11:59</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Adam Zivo, who is graduating this week from 91Թ's Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy, created LifeCrates to address food insecurity among low-income seniors at the outset of the pandemic (photos courtesy of Adam Zivo)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/munk-school-staff" hreflang="en">Munk School Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2020" hreflang="en">Convocation 2020</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/coronavirus" hreflang="en">Coronavirus</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-stories" hreflang="en">Graduate Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school-global-affairs-public-policy" hreflang="en">Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When the pandemic forced communities into lockdown in March, <strong>Adam Zivo</strong> offered to deliver groceries to his mother as a way to help in a time of need.</p> <p>Soon after, he set out to help the broader community by creating LifeCrates, an initiative that helped to address food insecurity among low-income seniors.</p> <p>“Low-income seniors are a particularly vulnerable demographic during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Zivo, a&nbsp;master of public policy&nbsp;student at the Munk School of Global Affairs &amp; Public Policy who is graduating this week. “In the earlier stages of this health crisis, it was unclear whether it was safe for seniors to shop at grocery stores. Some were able to work around their safety concerns by to arranging for grocery delivery.</p> <p>“For some seniors, though, grocery delivery wasn’t financially feasible.”</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/LifeCrates_FounderImage%20%28Adam%20Zivo%29-crop.jpg" alt>Nearly 16 per cent of Toronto’s population are seniors aged 65 and over, according to the 2016 cenus. Out of this group of older adults, nearly half live in economically precarious conditions and 17 per cent of seniors are considered low income. The pandemic exacerbated food security issues for this group.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>“Older adults are already vulnerable in normal times&nbsp;and, as the pandemic unfolds, many have been cut off from their regular support systems, such as food banks,” says Zivo. “When I launched LifeCrates, no other organization appeared to focus on needs of low-income seniors. It simply made sense for this initiative to fill that gap.”</p> <p>LifeCrates began as way to address the acute food security crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of registered dieticians&nbsp;who vetted packages for their nutritional value and longevity, LifeCrates personnel delivered a month’s worth of food to low-income seniors. Given the critical nature of food insecurity, Zivo’s main focus was to set up quickly by “getting the simplest, market-viable product out there” and making improvements as he went.</p> <p>“In situations like these, it isn't a choice between an imperfectly equitable solution and an equitable one, but rather a choice between an imperfectly equitable solution and no solution at all,” he says.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2020/05/lifecrates-delivering-subsidized-food-toronto-households-need-it-most/">Read about LifeCrates on BlogTo</a></h3> <h3><a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-pitching-in-delivering-food-to-low-income-seniors-around-toronto/">Read about LifeCrates in the <em>Globe and Mail</em></a></h3> <p>Zivo says that peers from the MPP program contributed to the development of LifeCrates.</p> <p>“<strong>Lawrence Zhang</strong> created an initial jurisdictional scan that helped identify other organizations that were offering services that were similar to what I wanted LifeCrates to offer. <strong>Arpit Kumar</strong>&nbsp;conducted research on community engagement. Finally, <strong>Erica McLaughlin</strong>, who is finishing the joint MPP-JD program, wrote a fantastic evaluation report based on a small sample of qualitative interviews with our initial food recipients.”</p> <p>Zivo notes that formally studying program evaluation and implementation in the MPP program has been instrumental to LifeCrates’ success.</p> <p>“We managed to secure a sizeable partnership with Fred Victor, which is one of Toronto’s leading organizations servicing housing-insecure individuals. Incorporating the skills and practices I learned in the MPP program meant that I could more confidently communicate LifeCrates’ value and negotiate a deal to get food out to communities as soon as possible.”</p> <p>LifeCrates completed its final delivery in August.</p> <p>“Even post-pandemic, there will always be food insecure individuals,” Zivo says. “Our core mandate was to address an acute crisis during the early months of COVID-19, and we did that by delivering 7,500 kg of food to more than 400 individuals. We saw what the food deliveries food meant to the recipients. I’m extremely proud of what we accomplished.”</p> <p>Zivo is set to graduate from 91Թ at a&nbsp;virtual convocation ceremony on Nov. 21&nbsp;and has been working at Harbourfront Centre’s new digital transformation department since September. In addition to helping him make LifeCrates a success, Zivo credits the MPP program with helping him excel in his new job role.</p> <p>“My goal, as always, is to find new ways to add value to the people&nbsp;I work with,” he says. “My MPP degree has supported my work at Harbourfront Centre by providing me with the ability to understand the centre within a larger institutional and policy context. There are significant overlaps between what I do at Harbourfront now and what I did with LifeCrates. My work here is fundamentally about communications and innovation, which is what LifeCrates was all about.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 19 Nov 2020 16:59:56 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 166507 at