My approach to research focuses on community-engaged scholarship through a participatory action research approach. Key focal areas of my research include: rural and regional development, governance, rural immigration and mobility, philanthropy, and public policy. A brief description of current engagement in this area are listed below.
Rural and Regional Development
I am interested in the changing dynamics of rural and regional development, both in Canada and internationally. I am engaged in a number of research initiatives identifying and analyzing development initiatives.
- Rural Policy Learning Commons
- Canadian Regional Development: A Critical Review of Theory, Practice and Potentials
- Place Peripheral: Place Based Development in Rural, Island, and Remote Regions
- Network Weaving for Regional Development on the Tip of the Great Northern Peninsula
- Sustainable Drinking Water in Newfoundland and Labrador
Governance
I have been actively examining how models of collaborative and multi-level governance apply in peripheral areas of Canada and Ireland. My interest in governance focus on understanding the influence of people on governance, the influence of regional boundaries on governance, and the influence of relationships between governance and government.
- Examination of Collaborative Governance in Rural Regions
- Canadian Regional Development: A Critical Review of Theory, Practice and Potentials
Philanthropy and Regional Development
Philanthropy, through agents such as community foundations, can influence and participate in regional development in rural areas to support revitalization and sustainability. The extent to which community foundations are engaged in rural and regional development within Canada is poorly understood.
Rural Immigration and Mobility
Due to demographic changes and the strain on rural communities many communities and governments are looking to immigration as an approach for sustainability.