Message from the Director

Dear Public Policy Students,

It is with great excitement that I welcome you to our vibrant and growing Public Policy and Governance (PPG) Program at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. I am honoured to be the Director of the program and look forward to working closely with you as you deepen your understanding of today’s policy challenges—and build the skills to shape meaningful, evidence-informed solutions.

By way of introduction, I am an Associate Professor of Economics here at the University of Toronto. My research sits at the intersection of economics, development, conflict, and political economy, and focuses on how violence, inequality, and institutional structures impact people's lives, especially in post-conflict societies. I’ve led and collaborated on field-based research in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, and have worked with organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank, UN Women, and the World Bank. In the classroom, I teach undergraduate and graduate courses that centre on applied microeconomics, data analysis, research methods, and issues of justice and inequality.

We are living through a period of profound transformation—climate change, social unrest, economic inequality, migration, and technological disruption—all of which call for bold, inclusive, and innovative policy thinking. With the breadth of expertise at the Munk School and our faculty’s commitment to public engagement, we are uniquely positioned to equip you with the tools and perspectives needed to respond to these challenges.

As you prepare for the year ahead, I want to highlight four exciting course opportunities within the PPG program:

• PPG310H1 S – Special Topics in Public Policy: Economic Lives of the Poor
  Instructor: Professor Moussa Blimpo
  This course explores the daily lives, struggles, and resilience of people living in poverty, and how policies can better address global poverty.
• PPG310H1 S – Special Topics in Public Policy: Surveillance and Society
  Instructor: Professor Aaron Gluck-Thaler
  This course examines how surveillance has shaped modern society, with a focus on the political, social, and economic contexts of data-intensive surveillance.
• PPG410H1 F – Advanced Topics in Public Policy: Inequality and Growth
  Instructor: Professor Jonathan Ostry
  This course explores the relationship between inequality and long-term growth, and considers how to design policies that promote growth without triggering political backlash.
• PPG410H1 S – Advanced Topics in Public Policy: Causes and Consequences of Civil Conflict and Violence
  Instructor: Professor Paola Salardi
  This course examines the links between violent conflict and socio-economic development, and how these micro-level effects connect to broader governance and institutional issues.

I also encourage you to consider enrolling in MUN200H1 – Understanding Global Controversies, taught this year by Professor Jason Stanley. With a new focus on the power of language, the course explores how communication reinforces ideologies, obscures reality, and upholds hierarchies of value. This course will count toward your PPG electives.

In addition to core PPG offerings, we’re excited to open up a wider range of electives from across Munk undergraduate programs—such as Peace, Conflict and Justice Studies, European Studies, American Studies, and Contemporary Asian Studies. These courses may not yet be officially cross-listed, but we will support your enrollment where possible. Highlights this year include:

• EUR301H1 S: Modernity and its Discontents (Prof. Marci Shore)
• AMS402H1 F: Topics in American Studies – Asian-American Tech Dynamics: Interfacing Cultures (Prof. Jason Lau)
• CAS460H1 F: Global China and Its Growing Footprints in Asia and Around the World (Prof. Lynette Ong)
• EUR498H1 S: Special Topics in European Affairs – The European Union (Prof. Robert Austin)
• PCJ460H1 F: Advanced Topics in Peace, Conflict and Justice – Antisemitism (Profs. Sol Goldberg and Ron Levi)
• PCJ460H1 S: Advanced Topics in Peace, Conflict and Justice – Indigenous People’s Rights in Practice: Political Dynamics and Implementation Challenges (Prof. Sheryl Lightfoot)

For a full list of this year’s undergraduate courses at the Munk School, please visit:
👉 https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/undergraduate-courses

The PPG Program is proudly interdisciplinary, drawing on political science, economics, and the broader social sciences to help you build strong analytical foundations. We aim not only to deliver a rigorous academic program but also to support students in building personalized pathways that reflect their passions—whether related to social justice, global development, urban affairs, or beyond.

Just as importantly, the PPG program is a community. Our student society plays a vital role in fostering connection through academic events, student-led initiatives, social activities, and our annual student conference. Many of the most meaningful learning experiences happen outside the classroom—in conversation with peers, mentors, and faculty who share your drive to make a difference.

To our new students: welcome!
To our returning students: welcome back!

I encourage each of you to take risks, push boundaries, and fully engage with all this program has to offer. We are here to support you every step of the way, and I look forward to seeing where this journey takes you.

Warm regards,
Paola Salardi
Director, Undergraduate Public Policy and Governance Program
Associate Professor of Economics, Teaching Stream
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy