Munk School International Institute on Social Policy

Hope, Despair, and Divided Futures in America and Beyond:

Can Wellbeing Science Save us from Despair?

Much attention has been paid to the despair that has been wrought by the disruptive social and economic changes of the past few decades. But less attention has been paid to its inverse: the essential role of hope in engendering resilience in both individuals and communities. Carol Graham brings the tools of economics together with a close exploration of reported experience to addressing the “power of hope” and the role of social policy in providing the resources to support and sustain confidence that a belief that “one can make one’s life better."

Carol Graham, Senior Fellow, Economics, Brookings Institution and College Park Professor at the University of Maryland

Moderator: Dan Zuberi, Professor of Social Policy, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto

followed by a reception 

Breakfast

Well-being and Social Protection in Times of Change

• Stefano Scarpetta, Director, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD

Inequality in Canada Across (Multiple) Unsettled Times

• Kelly Foley, Associate Professor, Economics, University of Saskatchewan

The Public Outlook in “Unsettled Times”

• Andrew Parkin, Executive Director, Environics Institute

Moderator: Paul Thompson, Deputy Minister, Employment and Social Development Canada

No Country for Young Children

• Mike Moffatt, Senior Director of Policy and Innovation, Smart Prosperity Institute and Assistant Professor, Ivey Business School, Western University

It’s Time to Think More Seriously About the Care Economy

• Ito Peng, Director, Centre for Global Social Policy and Professor, Department of Sociology and Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto

Long-term Trends, Recent Policy Developments, and Poverty Among Families with Children in the United States

• Christopher T. Wimer, Co-Director, Center on Poverty and Social Policy, Columbia University

Moderator: Catherine Adam, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Employment and Social Development Canada

Coffee break

Adjusting to New Labour Market Realities: Global Trends in Workforce Development Strategy and the Lessons for Canada

• Josh Hjartarson, Global Leader for the Human and Social Services, Deloitte 

Who Will be Included in the Future of Work? Understanding Labour Market Trends and Emerging Inequities

• Arif Jehta, Associate Scientific Director and Scientist, Institute for Work & Health and Associate Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

After Inequality: Policy Lessons from Recent US Wage Growth

• Nathan Wilmers, Sarofim Family Career Development Associate Professor and Associate Professor of Work and Organization Studies, MIT Sloan School of Management

Moderator: Karen Myers, President and CEO, Blueprint

Lunch break.

Protecting the Health of Children with Child Cash Transfers: Evidence from Around the World and in the United States

• Luke Shaefer, Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy and Professor of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan

What does the Social and Spatial Distribution of Disadvantage Tell us About Social Policy? Lessons from Social Epidemiological Research

• Arjumand Siddiqi, Canada Research Chair in Population Health Equity and Associate Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto

Where is Our Safety Net? Understanding the Breadth of How Social Policy Shapes Risk and Security

• Michael Stepner, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Toronto and a Research Principal at Opportunity Insights, Harvard University

Moderator: Anita Stellinga, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Public Policy and Corporate Secretary, United Way of Greater Toronto

Coffee Break

How Inequality Undermines Collective Provision

• Alan M. Jacobs, Head of Department and Professor, Political Science, University of British Columbia

Imagine if We Really Wanted People to Use These Things: Rethinking Policy Delivery and Administrative Burdens

• Jennifer Robson, Associate Professor, Political Management, Carleton University

Social Policy Preferences in Canada

• Michael Donnelly, Associate Professor, Political Science and Munk School, and Director, Professional Master's Programs, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto

Moderator: Carolyn Tuohy, Professor Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow, Department of Political Science and Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

Summary of the day's proceedings.