Building Respectful Relationships: Graduate Student Biographies
Last Updated on April 9th, 2008
Building Respectful Relationships: Conducting Community-Based Research
Workshop for Graduate Students Studying the Social Economy
Monday, May 28th – 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Location: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Room: Arts 217
- Colin Anderson, 1st year Masters student, University of Manitoba
Current research work: Harvest Moon Society Marketing Co-operative: Building Social Capital Through an Alternative Food Economy
Rural areas in Canada are currently facing a myriad of issues contributing to rural decline and are in the process of redefining themselves to adjust to a changing rural landscape. While the economic dynamics of community development are important, it is clear that social and environmental components are necessary as well. The role of the voluntary sector and co-operatives in simultaneously building social and economic capital are increasingly recognized and play a central role in rural rejuvenation, however, most studies of this nature have focused on urban communities. The Harvest Moon Society (HMS) and the University of Manitoba Environmental Conservation Laboratory are working collaboratively with a group of producers in South-western Manitoba who are in the early stages of developing a producer-driven collective marketing co-operative. The producer group has self-identified as a social enterprise committed to increasing the profitability of production, building healthy communities and environment, and working towards a just and sustainable food system. The proposed community-based research project will identify how new generation co-operatives, and specifically those focused on local food systems, increase social cohesion and social capital both within the immediate marketing group, the larger communities they are nested within, and among the diverse stakeholders represented in the food system. A combination of individual interviews, focus groups and questionnaires will be used to gain insight into the social economy as it relates. This advocacy research study will employ participatory action research methods that will at once give voice to producers, benefit the community and contribute to the theoretical literature on the linkages between the social economy and risk and adaptation in rural communities.
- Juanita Bacsu, 2nd year Masters student, University of Saskatchewan
Current research work: Citizen Attitudes Toward Globalization
To date, most public opinion surveys on globalization have placed little emphasis on studying globalization as a multidimensional phenomenon. The dominant approach used in most public opinion surveys on globalization is to focus primarily on its economic aspects, particularly as change in international trade flows. However, many academics recognize that globalization has political and cultural dimensions, which raises the question: can citizen attitudes toward globalization be explained merely by studying its economic dimension? This study proposes that including definitions relating to globalization’s cultural and political aspects produces richer opinion poll data that, along with economic definitions, allows for more valid interpretation of public attitudes towards globalization. This proposition was tested in a national, SSHRC-funded public opinion survey conducted in January of 2007 among 1,505 Canadians. Drawing upon recent work by Kenichi Ohmae, Philip Cerny and others, the respondent pool was divided in half and then competing paired definitions of cultural and political globalization were tested. The results suggest that citizens possess significantly different attitudes toward the political, cultural and economic aspects of globalization, and so operationalizing the concept in terms of its economic effects alone is insufficient for most survey and public policy purposes.
- Mike Chartier, senior graduate student in the Department of Educational Foundations and is currently completing the second year of a Master of Education program at the University of Saskatchewan.
Current research work:
Mike’s research focuses on the Saskatchewan Adult Education Division, a short-lived community-based learning program initiated by Tommy Douglas during the final months of 1944. The program was headed by a charismatic and radically progress Scottish educator and philosopher named Watson Thomson. Thomson’s vision for the program went beyond simply providing information and hoped to help bring about a social, cultural, and economic revolution in the prairies. Thomson’s tenure as head of the program lasted slightly more than a year. In that time, the study groups organized by his program managed to organize more than one hundred community-based organizations and co-operatives. This same early success also made him many enemies. By late 1945, Thomson had made national news for his fiery radio addresses and his politically charged publications – accusations of him being a ‘traveling communist’ were common. By December of the same year, Thomson had become too great a liability for Tommy Douglas and Thomson was asked to resign. Mike hopes that his thesis not only helps illuminate this fascinating period in Saskatchewan’s history, but provides a useful educational framework for the organization of community-based organizations.
- Mitch Diamantopoulos, Ph.D. Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Co-op Concentration Area, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan.
Current research work: The Promise and Potential of Worker Co-operatives in Canada
My research problem is the ‘worker enterprise development gap.’ I will compare the cultural, public policy and infrastructural dimensions of sector strength in Quebec and the European Union to the sector’s ‘slow start’ in English-speaking North America. Despite the conventional wisdom of English-speaking North American business culture, there is compelling evidence that worker enterprise is more productive than traditional firms, more durable, and increasingly attractive to the emerging generation of employees. As the amazing success stories of Spain’s Mondragon region or Italy’s Bologna region demonstrate, the potential return to Canadians from a stronger domestic worker co-op sector is considerable. Further, the widespread rise of on-the-job selfactualization and worker participation values implies sustained advantage and growth for this business model in the decades ahead. On the other hand, the opportunity cost of neglecting the causes, and remedies, of the worker enterprise gap – in potential economic growth, employment and incomes lost – is significant. This study will also examine the unique potential of employee enterprise to retain youth, jobs and wealth in regions where stock options and democratic membership can potentially trump the incentive to out-migrate to higher-wage jurisdictions. I will examine the potential for rescuing retiring businesses, on which rural and remote communities’ fates frequently hinge. By mobilizing untapped human resources and social capital, including those of New Canadians and First Nations – who are frequently locked out of traditional labour markets and business circles, new standards of social participation and inclusion can be achieved. Unlike mobile capital, worker co-ops are a stabilizing force, deeply rooted in the associational life of local communities. I hope this work will help bridge the geographic, linguistic and cultural divide that slows the transfer of innovation from Quebec and Europe to English-speaking Canada, and contribute to efforts to help launch and expand more worker owned and democratically managed enterprises and create more, better jobs.
- Robert Dobrohoczki, Ph.D. Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Co-op Concentration Area, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan.
Current research work:
Having left the practice of law for academic pursuits, and with a background political studies, economics, and philosophy, his research interests look at co-operatives as social policy instruments, particularly vis-a-vis international trade agreements and international law, as well as the interplay between co-operative theory and critical, legal and democratic theory. Now finishing his third year of a four-year program, his dissertation research is tentatively titled, “Re-engaging Citizens: Co-operatives as Public Policy Instruments for Democratic Renewal.” Rob has recently published in the Journal of Rural Co-operation, and has a forthcoming chapter co-authored with Brett Fairbairn in the Centre’s proposed social cohesion book, “Imagination and Cohesion” as well as a forthcoming occasional paper from the Centre. While a graduate student, Rob has spent the past few years teaching business and public policy in the College of Commerce.
- Susan Fitzpatrick, B.A., 2nd year Candidate in Master of Social Work (MSW), University of Calgary; specialization: Leadership in Human Services
Current research work:
I am interested in researching how worker co-operatives may be a tool for facilitating the positive integration of immigrants and refugees into communities, specifically rural communities. *Please note that I am in the initial stages of thesis preparation and, therefore, my topic is still in the process of being clearly defined.
- Lois Gray, is graduating this spring with an MBA degree from the Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba.
Current research work:
She completed the General Management specialization with a minor specialty in Aboriginal Economic Development. While working on her degree over the past 4 years she has been employed part-time as the Graduate Program Assistant in the Department of Native Studies at the University of Manitoba, as well as undertaking consulting work with an Aboriginal Fishers Cooperative in northern Manitoba. Prior to returning for her graduate degree, Ms. Gray had been engaged in a number of diverse activities: as a journalist with the Country Guide Magazine, as an agriculture and silviculture field research assistant; as a partner/manager of an Internet Service Provider business in Prince George, B.C., and as a self-employed consultant in business and economic development serving small business, First Nations and the non-profit sector. Her undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (major in Crop Science, minor in Soil Science and Entomology). She has 4 children, aged 12-20 years, and resides in Winnipeg.
- Erin Hancock, 2nd year MPhil Candidate in Policy Studies, University of New Brunswick
Current research work:
I have recently completed my coursework and I am moving into the second year and the research phase of my program. I am researching the policy context for co-operative development in New Brunswick. I am conducting a policy scan of all policies that address co-operative development in New Brunswick as well as a literature review. I will also be interviewing co-operators in the province about their experiences and reflections concerning policy. I intend to assess the policy context for co-operatives in this province and make recommendations for a brighter co-operative future that necessitates developing more enabling policies. My preliminary research has revealed a policy situation that is unfavorable to co-operative development (especially in comparison to other enterprise development) and many outdated policies that do not reflect the current economic reality in New Brunswick. My supervisory team includes Luc Theriault (Sociology), Stephen Dutcher (History) and Anthony Myatt (Economics). If you have comments, questions or suggestions, please contact me at (506) 472-6003 or erin.hancock@unb.ca.
- Kim Hardy, Community Economic Development (CED) Practitioner, Yukon Territory. She has completed her course work and is now pursuing her research towards a Masters in Business Administration in CED through Cape Breton University.
Current research work:
I am examining the opportunities for co-operative development in the Yukon. There has been a gap in the Territory when it comes to co-operative development and my research will identify where there is existing capacity and how it can be built upon. Part of this research will be an examination of characteristics of regions in Canada where co-operative development has been successful and comparing these traits to the environment in the Yukon. I will also be surveying and interviewing those in the Yukon involved with or interested in co-operative development to garner a better understanding of the hurdles and opportunities. It is my intention for this research to be used as a tool to assist co-operative developers and inform policy so that the Territory can better support co-operative development. I will be working with the Social Economy Research Node for Northern Canada in pursuing this research and hope to be involved in other social economy research projects across the North.
- Jason Heit, 3rd year M.A. Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Co-op Concentration Area, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan
Current research work:
My thesis develops a conceptual model for analyzing decision-making behavior in co-operative organizations; specifically, the analysis focuses on the choice of organizational form, and the tendency of mature co-operatives to imitate the behavior of investor-owned firms. Integrating a property rights approach, my thesis argues that the selection of the co-operative form dis-identifies (works on and against) the dominant property rights conception of society – property as a private institution and a right to exclude – as it enables an alternative conception of property as common institution that includes a right not to be excluded from the use or benefits of a resource. It also argues that the tendency for mature co-operatives to imitate the behavior and form of investor-owned firms is the result of isomorphic pressures that shifts the cognitive model of the co-op’s managers, board and/or members toward an identification with the dominant property rights conception of society. Two case studies are used to illustrate the model and the arguments. The first case study examines the formation of the early retail co-operatives in Western Canada, and the second case study examines the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool’s conversion to a publicly traded co-operative in 1994. The case studies are developed from secondary sources.
- Monica Juarez Adeler, 3rd year Ph.D. Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Co-op Concentration Area, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan.
Current research work:
Monica is originally from Argentina. She completed a law degree at the Northeast National University in Corrientes before moving to Spain, where she did a Master’s of Business Administration and completed the course work for a Ph.D. in electronic commerce at the School of Law, University of Santiago de Compostela. Planning to go into practice in that country, she embarked on another law degree in Spain, which she completed in 2004 at the University of Alicante. Later that year, circumstances lured her to the University of Saskatchewan, where she is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in interdisciplinary studies (law, commerce, and co-operatives). Monica’s research interests include private law (e-commerce, e-business, software patents, consumer protection); international law (multijurisdictional complexities); commerce (economics, business management and marketing, business models); the political economy (globalization, social movements and society); and co-operatives (social cohesion, the influence of information and communication technologies on co-ops).
- Zhao Jun, Ph.D. Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Co-op Concentration Area, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan.
Current research work:
My research field is China’s farmer co-operatives and rural China. I am examining the preconditions and context enabling the small farmers to be able to organize to form their own groups, which are supposed to be engaged in the modern supply chain. Currently, the small producers are facing enormous challenges brought by trade liberalization, industrialization and urbanization. The small scale of operation determines that they are in a poor bargaining position to deal with other players in the supply chain. The farmer’s organizations are supposed to pool their resources and delivery services to the members and act in members’ best interests. However, this cannot happen naturally. There are a number of determinants for co-operative action, for instance, characteristics of the group (small group, face-to-face communication, homogeneity, power relations and social structure, etc.); characteristics of the goods and service the groups provide (common pool goods rather than public goods); and characteristics of the game they are playing (repeated, assurance game). Therefore, I am going to the rural community to look into farmers groups to test the above hypothesis and gather other data as well.
- Hopeton Louden, lives on the western urban fringe of Calgary. I have lived in Calgary and area for approximately 33 years. My career, education and volunteer work have all been in the Human Services arena. My Graduate programme is an MBA in Community Economic Development (MBA – CED). The programme is offered by Cape Breton University, which has a facilities agreement with Lakeland College in Sherwood Park Alberta. This agreement allows Saskatchewan and Alberta students to do the course work at Lakeland. Our Instructors/ Professors have come from numerous Universities from across Canada, which has taken any particular ‘Business School’ ideology or slant out of the programme. This has been wonderful!
Current research work:
My area of focus is on Aboriginal CED. I have an interest in Leadership and Governance in their relationship with ‘good governance’. I have completed all my course work and I am in the process of doing my research and paper. My research will investigate the economic impact of the Stoney Nation on the Town of Cochrane.
- Wendy MacDermott, graduate of the Applied Social Psychology program, aka Program Evaluation, University of Sasaktchewan.
Current research work:
For my thesis I evaluated the impact of complementary therapies on women who were sexually abused as children with a local community agency. I have worked extensively with community organizations and vulnerable populations conducting community based research including needs assessments, process and outcome evaluations. I am working with the Community University Institute for Social Research (CUISR) to develop resources to support students who work with communities.
- Danielle McLean, is just finishing the first year of a Masters degree in Sociology at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Current research work:
My thesis topic is based on research conducted by the Social Economy Research Node of Northern Canada (SERNNoCa), which includes the three territories, Nunavik and Labrador. Using statistical data gathered from Statistics Canada and SERNNoCa’s portraiture survey, as well as interviews with key informants working in social economy organizations my thesis will attempt to determine social factors that impact social economy development in Northern Canadian communities.
- Laurie Mook, is in her 5th and final year of a doctoral program at the University of Toronto
Current research work:
My Ph.D. dissertation applies and further advances a social accounting model I developed called the Expanded Value Added Statement. It explores the relationship between accounting and sustainability (quality of life and state of the environment), and broadens the boundaries of accounting by integrating economic, social and environmental variables. The manuscript style thesis includes three cases applying the model in different settings: a non-profit membership-based organization, a sustainable (green) building project, and a master planned community developed as an economically targeted investment.
- Dwayne Pattison, 2nd Year M.A. Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Co-op Concentration Area, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan
Current research work:
Through interviews with the delegates of the Prince Albert Co-operative Association, this study examines the roles of delegates in mediating between the different levels and interests in the decision-making and communication processes of a regional retail co-operative. The research will be a starting point for understanding how interests are mediated, communicated, and coordinated within the Prince Albert Co-operative Association.
- Janel Smith, currently completing her M.A. in Dispute Resolution at the University of Victoria. Janel is a Researcher and Student Network Coordinator for the Social Economy Student Network at the Canadian Social Economy Hub, Victoria, B.C., Canada. She is also Conference Coordinator for the Deconstructing Empire II Graduate Student Symposium, a conference organized by and for graduate students, held at the University of Victoria. Previous positions include Research Assistantships with the Centre for Global Studies and Munk Centre for International Studies; Campaign and Program Administrator with The Canadian Landmine Foundation and Co-director Civil Society and Expanded Dialogue Unit and Senior Policy Analyst with the G8 Research Group. Through her involvement with the G8 Research Group Janel has had the opportunity to attend G8 Summits in the United States, United Kingdom and Russia. At the summits Janel was able to network and liaise with policy-makers and politicians at the highest levels of government, the Directors of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), top Academics and Researchers as well as members of the international media corps.
Current research work:
Janel’s studies in the field of Dispute Resolution have spanned a number of subject areas, each sharing a continued emphasis on interpersonal communication, multi-stakeholder disputes, critical analysis and skills-based processes with an added emphasis on organizational and deep-rooted conflict. Janel’s academic interests include governance, globalization, civil society/NGO collaboration, the social economy, inter-group conflict, community-based research, peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction. Her Masters Thesis involves conducting an inter-group conflict analysis of different civil society partnerships that have organized around G8 summits with regard to exploring what these partnerships can tell us about the nature of transnational civil society coalitions and alliance-building. Janel holds an Honors B.A. in International Relations from the University of Toronto.
- Kama Soles, 1st year M.A. Candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Co-op Concentration Area, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan
Current research work:
As a person with a disability and an active member in the disability community, I see the need for capacity building in my community, and realize the potential of the co-operative model to empower people with disabilities. To this end, I played a key leadership role in creating an affordable accessible housing development co-op for people with physical disabilities, the Saskatoon Independent Living Co-operative (SILC), while working at the North Saskatchewan Independent Living Centre, a non-profit disability organization that provides individuals with disabilities the tools necessary to foster independence. SILC intended to use the co-op model to allow people with disabilities a chance at home ownership, a possibility denied to many for a number of systemic socio-cultural and economic reasons. SILC had a unique structure, partnering people with disabilities with professionals and community organizations and faced many challenges, including a lack of legislation and policy to facilitate this structure, program support among different levels of government, financial resources available, and time and energy constraints on members. SILC’s multi-stakeholder model held the potential to empower people with disabilities by building upon self-help and solidarity within the community. My experience with SILC has inspired my interdisciplinary Master’s thesis at the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, “Empowerment through Cooperation: Disability Solidarity in the Social Economy”. My research will frame such involvement in the social economy and community development in a language of empowerment, equality, and inclusion, and contribute to the literature in many areas including disability studies, community economic development, co-operative studies, social cohesion, and social capital. I will be conducting an ethnographical analysis of service organizations in the disability community, identifying barriers to inclusion in the social economy and the formation of co-operatives. With my professional networks of key informants in the disability and co-operative sectors and using qualitative analysis, I will develop a series of interview-based case studies and a comparative analysis with literature on innovative co-operatives and social economy organizations in Quebec and Europe.
- Lena Soots, 1st year Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Geography; and a Researcher/Instructor, Centre for Sustainable Community Development, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Current research work:
Although her thesis topic has not yet been fully developed, areas of research interest include: sustainable communities, “greening” the social economy and the role of transformative leadership (specifically social entrepreneurship) in social change. Lena’s academic background is in Environmental Studies and includes a B.A. from Trent University in Environmental Policy and Planning and a Masters in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo with a focus on community food security. Her professional background includes work in environmental consulting, community economic development, and community consultation and facilitation.
- Robyn Webb, Program Assistant (Prairies and Northern Territories), The Canadian CED Network in Winnipeg.
Current research work:
I am not presently part of a research project. I will be starting a Master’s City Planning program at the University of Manitoba this fall. I am applying for a researcher position with a couple of academics in Winnipeg who are undertaking a local food research project.
Research Units and Clusters
