The central argument advanced by the dissertation is that three hereto underappreciated sources of variation are critical for understanding popular support for redistributive public policies. First, redistribution is not a single undifferentiated policy goal. This dissertation distinguishes between ‘generalized’ and ‘targeted’ redistribution, and argues that critical determinants of citizens’ redistributive policy preferences play out differently depending on whether the redistribution is generalized or targeted in nature. Second, attitudes toward redistribution vary both across space and over time. The dissertation contends that many critical macrolevel determinants of citizens’ policy preferences illuminate how and why these variations occur. Third, in exceptional cases, specific political contexts matter. The dissertation maintains that while there are several common factors that influence popular support for redistribution throughout most advanced industrial democracies, in a limited number of cases, the citizens of distinct political contexts have substantially different orientations toward redistributive public policies. The dissertation draws on both cross-national data from eighteen advanced industrial democracies as well as cross-provincial data from the Canadian case to evaluate hypotheses

The "Myth" of the Red Tory?

New Old Politics? Explaining Popular Support for Redistributive Public Policies

One of the most challenging aspects of the study of Canadian political thought is its apparent lack of a clear consensus (perhaps in the form of a “grand theory”) that provides it with more structured analytical organization and parameters. This absence can be remedied through an explicit recognition of the competing traditions that have contributed to the mosaic of Canadian philosophical and political beliefs and values. The interplay between liberal and communitarian traditions of Canadian political thought could provide the basis for this sort of model, though other contributions also need to be acknowledged and considered.

Toward a Grand Theory of the Study of Canadian Political Thought

While John Milton’s influence on the founding of the American republic is well documented, his presence in Canadian Confederation remains virtually unknown. Yet Milton is a significant figure in th...

Milton, Shakespeare, and Canadian Confederation: Thomas D’Arcy McGee as Literary Critic

This article adopts a critical theory perspective on the Constitution Act of 1867. The Act can be read as an ideological document to the degree that sections 91 to 93 reflect a structuring of power...

The Public, the Private and the Ideological Character of the Division of Powers in Sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution Act of 1867

Code politics: party system development on the canadian prairies

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The "Myth" of the Red Tory?

Citations

New Old Politics? Explaining Popular Support for Redistributive Public Policies

Toward a Grand Theory of the Study of Canadian Political Thought

Milton, Shakespeare, and Canadian Confederation: Thomas D’Arcy McGee as Literary Critic

The Public, the Private and the Ideological Character of the Division of Powers in Sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution Act of 1867

Code politics: party system development on the canadian prairies

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