A newly established institute at The University of Western Ontario will hold a mirror up to the social, economic and political linkages between Canada and the United States.
Those shared and conflicting values and policies on issues such as health care, border security and domestic and foreign policy, and how they affect both countries, will be at the heart of work at Western’s Canada-U.S. Institute. It is the first Canadian institute/think tank dedicated solely to the study of the relationship between these two countries.
“The problem is in our country, because we take for granted we know everything there is to know about the United States, we don’t bother studying it in any systematic fashion,” says Don Abelson, who is director of Western’s Centre for American Studies and Chair of the Department of Political Science. He has been co-ordinating the formation of the institute.
In Canada there is “still a strong current of anti-Americanism,” he adds, noting many Canadians feel their lives are inundated by American culture and politics.
The goal is to create a non-partisan, policy-neutral research institute that will help enrich both countries’ understanding of each other and increase national interests amongst Canadians.
“What is never going to change is the fact that we live beside the world’s remaining superpower,” says Abelson.
“I think the work that could be generated from this institute will be of great interest to policy makers on both sides of the border as they struggle to deal with some very important issues like global warming, border security and health care.”
The institute will have several interdisciplinary research teams focusing on important domestic and foreign policy issues that are of concern to Canadians and Americans.
It encompasses three existing Western research centres and five faculties:
· The Centre for American Studies (Faculty of Social Science)
· The Canada-U.S. Law Institute (Faculty of Law)
· The Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management (Richard Ivey School of Business)
· The faculties of Arts and Humanities, and Information and Media Studies
Research, policy and education are the goals of the institute, with a focus on the political, economic, legal, cultural and historical dimensions of the Canada-U.S. relationship. A centre for public opinion and voting behaviour will also be developed at the Institute.
“What we have going for us at Western is a critical number of academics whose primary area of research is the United States or the relationship between our two countries … When you combine that with an insatiable appetite on the part of our students for courses dealing with the United States, you’ve created a perfect synergy,” says Abelson.
Experts from other universities in Canada and the U.S., as well as abroad, will be invited to join the institute as visiting fellows or contributors. The institute will create opportunities for graduate students to work on different research teams.
“Although it will be based at Western, our hope is to reach out and identify the best people in particular policy areas and to bring them into our research programs.”
Abelson credits Western President Amit Chakma for his vision for the institute. Chakma believes there are great opportunities for Western to place its stamp on the world, beginning with internal, national and international collaboration.
Approvals are in place and in the coming days and months, the institute will begin the search for a location, go live with a website, explore funding opportunities, and building research teams based on already strong relationships and partnerships.
“It’s not just about academics speaking to each other. It’s about us reaching out and talking about issues that are relevant and important to a lot of people.
“If we are successful … this could serve as a model for other centres and institutes on campus to build an interdisciplinary profile,” say Abelson.
The first research under the auspices of the institute is already under way. Researchers Laura Stephenson and Cameron Anderson have begun a study focusing on the perceptions and attitudes of Canadians toward the U.S., and American attitudes toward Canada.