UBC Home
  • News
  • Events
  • Directories
  • Search UBC
  • myUBC Login
 

Kathryn Harrison

Professor

Office: Buch C422
Office Phone: 604-822-4922
Email: harrison(at)politics.ubc.ca

Kathryn Harrison (Ph.D, UBC) studies public policy and Canadian politics. To date, Dr. Harrison has examined the influence of institutions on public policy using comparative case studies of environmental policy-making. However, she is also interested in comparisons across policy areas, and would welcome an opportunity to work with students with other substantive policy interests. Her current research projects include a comparative study of the impact of trans-national communities on environmental regulation in five countries, evaluation of alternative environmental policy instruments (voluntary programs, certification, and information dissemination), and a collaborative project with other scholars comparing several countries decisions with respect to the Kyoto Protocol. Dr. Harrison is the author of the book Passing the Buck: Federalism and Canadian Environmental Policy, co-author (with George Hoberg) of Risk, Science, and Politics, co-editor (with Patrick Fafard) of Managing the Environmental Union, and editor of Racing to the Bottom: Provincial Interdependence in the Canadian Federation (UBC Press: 2005). She has published recent articles in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Canadian Journal of Economics, Governance, Policy Sciences, and Environmental Politics.






Currently Teaching

Poli 351 Environmental Politics and Policy, both terms.

Poli 533A Public Policy, term 1.

Poli 404A Policy Analysis, term 2.

Graduate Supervision

I am currently or have supervised graduate student research on a variety of topics including comparative pharmaceutical policy, drinking water policy, children's environmental health, trans-national environmental organizations, endangered species legislation, welfare policy, earthquake preparedness policy, agricultural policy, and land management.

Recent Publications (last 5 years)

(Full list of publications here)

Books

Journal Articles

Book Chapters

  • "Challenges and Opportunities in Canadian Climate Policy," in Steven Bernstein, Jutta Brunnee, David G. Duff, and Andrew Green, eds., A Globally Integrated Climate Policy for Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, forthcoming).
  • "Intergovernmental Regulation and Municipal Drinking Water," in Bruce Doern and Robert Johnson eds., Rules, Rules, Rules: Multilevel Regulatory Governance in Canada, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006), coauthored with Carey Anne Hill.
  • "Provincial Interdepence: Concepts and Theories" in Kathryn Harrison, ed., Racing to the Bottom? Provincial Interdependence in the Canadian Federation, (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2005).
  • "Follow the Leader and Dominoes: Games Provinces Play in Tobacco Taxation," in Kathryn Harrison, ed., Racing to the Bottom? Provincial Interdependence in the Canadian Federation, (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2005).
  • "Races to the Bottom vs. Races to the Middle: Minimum Wage Setting in Canada," in Kathryn Harrison, ed., Racing to the Bottom? Provincial Interdependence in the Canadian Federation, (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2005), coauthored with David Green.
  • "Are Canadian Provinces Engaged in a Race to the Bottom? Evidence and Implications," in Kathryn Harrison, ed., Racing to the Bottom? Provincial Interdependence in the Canadian Federation, (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2005).
  • "Promoting Environmental Protection through Eco-Labelling: An Evaluation of Canada's Environmental Choice Program," in Kernaghan Webb, ed., Exploring Voluntary Codes in the Marketplace, (Ottawa: Carlton University Press, 2004)
  • "Passing the Environmental Buck," in Miriam Smith and Francois Rocher, eds., New Trends in Canadian Federalism, 2d ed., (Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2003).  
  • "Evolving Patterns of Environmental Governance," in Janine Brodie and Linda Trimble, eds., Reinventing Canada: Politics of the 21st Century, (Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2003).
  • "Challenges in Evaluating Voluntary Programs," in Paul Stern, ed., New Tools for Environmental Protection: Education, Information, and Voluntary Programs, (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2002).


Selected Work in Progress

  • "The Influence of Institutions on Issue Framing: Children’s Environmental Health Policy in the United States and Canada," accepted for publication in Journal of Comparative Public Policy, coauthored with Katherine Boothe. 
  • "The Struggle of Ideas and Self Interest: Canada's Ratification and Implementation of the Kyoto Protocol," presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Studies Association, San Diego, March 2006.
  • "Racing to the Middle: Minimum Wage Setting and Standards of Fairness," presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Political Science Association, London ON, June 2005, with David Green, under review.
  • "Do National Styles of Regulation Matter? Evidence from Canada and the United States," presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Chicago, September 2004, with Werner Antweiler.