Social Policy
The Department of Sociology's research programs on population health, work and education, and globalization and social policy are recognized as among the most vigorous and innovative in Canada. Their common goal is the critical assessment of social, trade, and industrial policies. The research has had a strong influence on public policy at provincial and national levels.
Three streams of research are currently undertaken: population health, family, and aging; work and education; and the impact of globalization trends on national and provincial policy. The Population Research Laboratory, a social science research centre with 40 years of experience in survey and demographic research, is an integral component of the research.
Major recent research projects undertaken include a study of neo-liberal globalism and its challengers, and an investigation of the social and economic dimensions of an aging population, both supported by the SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) Major Collaborative Research Initiatives program. SSHRC, along with the Alberta government, has also supported a continuing, fourteen-year longitudinal study of school-work transition. AHFMR (Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research) funded a study of the integration experiences of immigrant and refugee children and an investigation of the use of health services by residents of continuing care facilities. A study of the experiences of Kosovar refugees in Canada was funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.