Trevor Harrison
Trevor W. Harrison is a professor of sociology at the University of Lethbridge and director of Parkland Institute, an Alberta-wide research organization, of which he was a founding member and first research director. Dr. Harrison is best known for his studies in political sociology, political economy and public policy. He is the author, co-author or co-editor of nine books, numerous journal articles, chapters, and reports, and a frequent contributor to public media, including radio and television.
For Harper government, bad policy is great politics
media | Jul 02, 2014The Harper government’s recently proposed prostitution law has been widely condemned as unworkable, unconstitutional and hazardous to those working in the sex trade; that it is, in short, bad policy. To criticize the Harper government on policy grounds, however, is to miss the point that it is not actually interested in sound, rational policy. Its sole interest is staying in power.
Less Exclusion, More Engagement: Addressing Declining Voter Turnout in Alberta
research | Apr 23, 2014A survey-based study looking at who doesn't vote in Alberta elections and why.
Beware the wealthy bearing gifts: Altruism of the wealthy is sometimes done for less saintly reasons
media | Mar 29, 2014Everyone loves people who give unstintingly to charity. But a little skepticism might be in order before saluting too much the ballyhooed generosity of the rich.
Who controls knowledge?
media | Nov 15, 2013Since last spring’s budget, which saw cuts across Alberta’s post-secondary institutions of more than seven per cent (on top of a two-per-cent cut in already promised money), the province’s universities and colleges have been in panic mode. The panic isn’t only about funding.
Alberta a throwback to Medicis' Florence
media | Sep 16, 2013Alberta is arguably the wealthiest jurisdiction in all North America and perhaps the world. Yet there is never enough money in the public coffers to sustain Alberta as a functioning society.
Amidst manifest opulence, the province's minimum wage is the lowest in the country, and real wages for the bottom 90 per cent are scarcely higher than they were three decades ago, eaten away by inflation. Homelessness, spousal abuse and suicide blight the social landscape. The daily news carries repeated stories of over-crowded schools and hospitals, strained universities and of seniors living in sub-standard care facilities; and of underpaid and over-worked child-care and day home workers, correctional officers, nurses, public school teachers, social workers and on and on.
Governing Alberta: Citizens' Views
research | May 09, 2013This report uses public opinion data to examine citizens’ views on governance in Alberta. It addresses respondents' opinions on popular democracy, political alienation, and the workings of government.
Stabilizing Alberta’s Revenues: A Common Sense Approach
research | Feb 28, 2013This report shows that the only workable solution to Alberta's fiscal woes is an increase in corporate taxation and a return to a progressive income tax regime in the province, and that Albertans would support such a move.
The Return of the Trojan Horse: Alberta in the New World (Dis)Order
research | Jun 01, 2005A right-wing populist in an oil-rich province, Ralph Klein has been a one-man wrecking crew, dismantling Alberta's public sector and remaking the province into a freewheeling, capitalist paradise. This book re-examines Klein's Alberta after a decade of deficit-slashing, tax-cutting conservatism.
Trouble in Paradise?: Citizen's Views on Democracy in Alberta
research | Dec 15, 2003This report examines Albertans’ attitudes regarding the state of democracy in the province. The findings suggest Albertans are very concerned about the health of democracy in the province, but disagree in fundamental ways with political leaders and much of the mainstream media regarding the causes for concern and means of improving democracy.
Reclaiming Medicare: A Response to the Mazankowski Misdiagnosis
research | May 20, 2002In the fall of 2001, the Alberta government was about to release its long-awaited Mazankowski Report on health care in Alberta.