DATE: Friday, January 21, 2022
TIME: 11:00 a.m. - 12 noon
LOCATION: Please email [email protected] for the Zoom link
Daniel Hiebert is a Professor of Geography at UBC who specializes in issues of public policy. Professor Hiebert’s research interests focus on immigration policy, the integration of newcomers into the housing and labour markets of Canadian cities, and the consequences of the growing ‘super-diversity’ of Canadian society. He has participated in a number of public advisory roles at a various scales of government. For example, he served as a Co-Chair of the City of Vancouver Mayor’s Working Group on Immigration, has worked closely with the British Columbia government, and is currently ‘Academic in Residence’ in the Department of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. He is also engaged in international collaborative projects on migration and diversity policies with scholars in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the USA.
Most significant research projects begin with the belief that something is wrong and that research might contribute to improving the situation. Research, in these cases, involves two steps: identifying a problem and its causes, and framing solutions. Generally speaking, academic work is more attuned to the former than the latter; our world is focused on critical thinking and, only rarely, turns to problem-solving. Most of the social issues that animate critical research are tied, one way or another, to state policies -- such as the nature of social programs, immigration systems, limits on carbon emissions, and even the amount of money allocated to research. There are a number of pathways to influence these policies but perhaps the most productive means is through direct engagement between researchers and policy officials. There is nothing simple or easy about this process, though, since the modes of work, and understanding, differ quite profoundly between academic and policy environments. In this presentation Dr. Hiebert will discuss some steps that may be taken to bridge this gap, which may help researchers reach out more effectively to government officials who are charged with policy development.
We would love to see you all there! RSVP to [email protected] for Zoom link.
Contact [email protected] if you require information in an alternate format, or if any other arrangements can make these events accessible to you.
Comments