Programs

Globalization and Governance

The Globalization and Governance Program was established in 2000 to conduct critical examination of the role of international institutions in the globalization process. In the present environment of accelerating interdependence, policy-makers face a hard dilemma: on the one hand is the widely recognized need for improved international mechanisms to guide the globalized system toward more equitable and sustainable ends; on the other, are the practical problems associated with achieving the inclusiveness and accountability necessary for ensuring legitimate and effective global institutions. Few would dispute the shortcomings of the current status quo, in which the World Bank and International Monetary Fund - whose voting models and constitutive arrangements are among the least democratic of the international institutions - maintain a dominant and ever expanding sphere of influence over the global economic system. At the same time, a review of governance models across the broader spectrum of international organizations reveals widely divergent practices and approaches to the question of what constitutes good governance at the global level.

Technology and International Development

The mission of the Technology and International Development Program is to encourage the participation of University of Victoria faculty in international development projects dealing with global issues of governance, security and sustainability, and to provide technical services and assistance to members of the University community engaged in the implementation of international development projects.

International Women's Rights Project

The International Women's Rights Project (IWRP) was founded in 1998 to strengthen the capacity of women's NGOs and to influence the implementation of international human rights standards, for the benefit of women, through research and evidence-based advocacy. The IWRP is currently affiliated with the Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. We operate on a project-by-project basis, with funding from private and governmental sources.

International Institute for Child Rights & Development

International Institute for Child Rights and Develoment (IICRD) is a Canadian leader in community-based, national, regional and international applications of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). These applications are unique in that they provide a "culturally grounded" approach to children's rights that build on children's natural resiliency (strengths) as well as the strengths of families, communities and culture.

The POLIS Project

The POLIS Project on Ecological Governance is a centre for transdisciplinary research that investigates and promotes sustainability. POLIS was established in 2000 by the Eco-Research Chair of Environmental Law and Policy at the University of Victoria and and became part of the Centre for Global Studies in 2011. POLIS fills a unique niche on campus as a place where academic and policy research meets community action. As POLIS researchers, we work together with a diversity of people in different ways – urban and rural communities, First Nations, Aboriginal organizations, businesses, co-operatives, public officials and the non-profit sector -- to foster healthy and sustainable communities.

Digital Fishers/MITACS

The Neptune Canada project at the University of Victoria recently received a $1M funding award from CANARIE Inc., Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network, in response to its “Data from the Deep, Judgment from the Crowd” proposal. eBriefings.ca is a partner in this project, leading the “Digital Fishers” crowdsourcing component under the direction of UVic’s Centre for Global Studies Senior Associate Dr. Rod Dobell. eBriefings.ca (a division of Whitehall Policy Inc.) brings leading-edge depth of experience in deploying Web2.0 principles and technologies in corporate, academic, civil society and civic society environments to facilitate social networking, data capture and collaborative knowledge creation.