Munk School International Institute on Social Policy: Social Policy in Unsettled Times

On October 24–25, 2024, the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto hosted the 27th annual International Institute on Social Policy: Social Policy in Unsettled Times. We were proud to become the new home of the Institute and to continue the long-standing tradition of Canada’s premier social policy conference, as established by our colleagues at Queen’s University.

 

We convened this conference at a time of profound social, economic, cultural, and ecological change. Inflation had sharply increased the cost of essential needs—housing, food, and energy—while rapid technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence, disrupted established communities and ways of life. Other destabilizing forces, including climate change, migration pressures, and geopolitical threats, added to a broader sense of unease and insecurity. While none of these trends were new, their speed and intensity appeared unprecedented.

 

The Munk School brought together leading international and Canadian experts to explore the role of social policy in this context. Throughout the sessions, we examined how Canada compared to other countries and what lessons could be drawn from international experiences.