This paper examines the exposure of Canada's regulatory systems to the non-transparent use of non... more This paper examines the exposure of Canada's regulatory systems to the non-transparent use of non-profit and charitable organizations to achieve political goals. It argues that unlike the US, a more robust constitutional jurisprudence and functioning elections and tax regulators mean Canada is better protected. However, major blindspots still exist outside of elections. The paper argues that policy changes geared towards transparency best leverage the strengths of both the regulator and civil society without drawing the regulator into difficult political controversies as much as possible.
Graduate student Benjamin Miller believes that non-profit organizations (NPOs) and Canada’s non-p... more Graduate student Benjamin Miller believes that non-profit organizations (NPOs) and Canada’s non-profit sector as a whole could benefit from recognizing campus clubs as unique members of the non-profit sector, and by engaging, supporting, and learning from them. Working with campus clubs may help to unlock important areas of common interest among students, post-secondary institutions, and NPOs, most significantly in the areas of increased capacity, skill building, training, and succession. Among the benefits NPOs can reap by working with campus clubs are unique visibility on campus, increased access to infrastructure and funding, powerful and self-motivating recruitment tools, and unmatched leadership development potential. NPOs, for their part, have much to offer students. The article concludes with suggestions for NPOs who wish to develop these ties.
In this brief commentary, I propose to take the issue of low political knowledge in Canada as a s... more In this brief commentary, I propose to take the issue of low political knowledge in Canada as a starting point to frame the related and less studied issue of policy knowledge. I begin by grounding the discussion in democratic theory, and move on to explore the meanings of political knowledge and its observed impact on political behaviours. I then argue for the need to conceive of policy knowledge as a distinct issue from both political knowledge and issue-specific awareness, and for the democratization of policy knowledge tools through the use of community radio. I conclude by offering some practical advice and resources for how individuals could implement such a democratizing project.
Care ethics is primarily about responding to needs. Yet, surprisingly, attempts to apply the ethi... more Care ethics is primarily about responding to needs. Yet, surprisingly, attempts to apply the ethics of care in the domain of law have paid almost no attention to the concept of legal needs. This study fills that gap by systematically defining legal needs. It does this by revising current understandings of legal need through a unified conceptual framework for the philosophy of needs and a comparative analysis of legal action, and its major alternatives in dispute resolution and prevention. The conception of legal need that results is both more sensitive to preventative functions of the law and opens the door to a much wider range of policy options beyond legal aid. Legal needs are found to be a special case of institutional needs, i.e. needs that cannot be satisfied without an institution. I argue that the existence of institutional needs means institutions, rather than any particular actor within them, can be caregivers, but not all conceptions of the ethics of care are compatible with this kind of need. Joan Tronto’s conception of care is found to be the most accommodating and is used as a framework for a series of policy recommendations to move us towards a caring legal system.
This paper examines the exposure of Canada's regulatory systems to the non-transparent use of non... more This paper examines the exposure of Canada's regulatory systems to the non-transparent use of non-profit and charitable organizations to achieve political goals. It argues that unlike the US, a more robust constitutional jurisprudence and functioning elections and tax regulators mean Canada is better protected. However, major blindspots still exist outside of elections. The paper argues that policy changes geared towards transparency best leverage the strengths of both the regulator and civil society without drawing the regulator into difficult political controversies as much as possible.
Graduate student Benjamin Miller believes that non-profit organizations (NPOs) and Canada’s non-p... more Graduate student Benjamin Miller believes that non-profit organizations (NPOs) and Canada’s non-profit sector as a whole could benefit from recognizing campus clubs as unique members of the non-profit sector, and by engaging, supporting, and learning from them. Working with campus clubs may help to unlock important areas of common interest among students, post-secondary institutions, and NPOs, most significantly in the areas of increased capacity, skill building, training, and succession. Among the benefits NPOs can reap by working with campus clubs are unique visibility on campus, increased access to infrastructure and funding, powerful and self-motivating recruitment tools, and unmatched leadership development potential. NPOs, for their part, have much to offer students. The article concludes with suggestions for NPOs who wish to develop these ties.
In this brief commentary, I propose to take the issue of low political knowledge in Canada as a s... more In this brief commentary, I propose to take the issue of low political knowledge in Canada as a starting point to frame the related and less studied issue of policy knowledge. I begin by grounding the discussion in democratic theory, and move on to explore the meanings of political knowledge and its observed impact on political behaviours. I then argue for the need to conceive of policy knowledge as a distinct issue from both political knowledge and issue-specific awareness, and for the democratization of policy knowledge tools through the use of community radio. I conclude by offering some practical advice and resources for how individuals could implement such a democratizing project.
Care ethics is primarily about responding to needs. Yet, surprisingly, attempts to apply the ethi... more Care ethics is primarily about responding to needs. Yet, surprisingly, attempts to apply the ethics of care in the domain of law have paid almost no attention to the concept of legal needs. This study fills that gap by systematically defining legal needs. It does this by revising current understandings of legal need through a unified conceptual framework for the philosophy of needs and a comparative analysis of legal action, and its major alternatives in dispute resolution and prevention. The conception of legal need that results is both more sensitive to preventative functions of the law and opens the door to a much wider range of policy options beyond legal aid. Legal needs are found to be a special case of institutional needs, i.e. needs that cannot be satisfied without an institution. I argue that the existence of institutional needs means institutions, rather than any particular actor within them, can be caregivers, but not all conceptions of the ethics of care are compatible with this kind of need. Joan Tronto’s conception of care is found to be the most accommodating and is used as a framework for a series of policy recommendations to move us towards a caring legal system.
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Papers by Benjamin M.
post-secondary institutions, and NPOs, most significantly in the areas of increased capacity, skill building, training, and succession. Among the benefits NPOs can reap by working with campus clubs are unique visibility on campus, increased access to infrastructure and funding, powerful and self-motivating recruitment tools, and unmatched leadership development potential. NPOs, for their part, have much to offer students. The article concludes with suggestions for NPOs who wish to develop these ties.
the need to conceive of policy knowledge as a distinct issue from both political knowledge and issue-specific awareness, and for the democratization of policy knowledge tools through the use of community radio. I conclude by offering some practical advice and resources for how individuals could implement such a democratizing project.
Thesis Chapters by Benjamin M.
post-secondary institutions, and NPOs, most significantly in the areas of increased capacity, skill building, training, and succession. Among the benefits NPOs can reap by working with campus clubs are unique visibility on campus, increased access to infrastructure and funding, powerful and self-motivating recruitment tools, and unmatched leadership development potential. NPOs, for their part, have much to offer students. The article concludes with suggestions for NPOs who wish to develop these ties.
the need to conceive of policy knowledge as a distinct issue from both political knowledge and issue-specific awareness, and for the democratization of policy knowledge tools through the use of community radio. I conclude by offering some practical advice and resources for how individuals could implement such a democratizing project.