Alasdair Roberts

New podcast from @bcfipa.bsky.social:

fipa.bc.ca/research-res...

Carmichael: Canada needs to bring back royal commissions. Yes, really - The Logic They used to help the country build consensus, but it’s been more than four decades since the last one

In @thelogic.co, @kevincarmichael.bsky.social outlines the case for reviving royal commissions in Canada: "Good leaders recognize that sometimes you have to slow down and think."

thelogic.co/commentary/k...

Queen’s University Corry Lecture in 2026 I’ll present the J.A. Corry Lecture in Political Studies at Queen’s University on March 5, 2026. The title is Why Great States Fail. The lecture will be held from 2:30PM to 4:00PM in Ro…

I'm looking forward to visiting Queen's University on March 5 to give the 2026 James Corry Lecture in Political Studies. My talk is titled "Why Great States Fail." I've prepared a background manuscript which you can download here. Comments welcomed!

alasdairroberts.ca/2025/11/15/c...

The book has the spelling of my name right, but the original version of this review spelled it incorrectly, in two different ways. I contacted the journal and the spelling was corrected in the online version of the review.

Volume 5, Number 2, Autumn 2025​ Editor’s Introduction Rahul Mukherji RESEARCH What Checks and Balances? Explaining the Supreme Court’s Complacency in Modi’s India Christophe Jaffrelot and Prannv Dhawan The Recolonization of Hindus...

A new issue of Indian Policy & Politics, edited by Rahul Mukherji, is now available:

www.ippjournal.org/volume-5-num...

Himanshu Jha and J. Tochukwu Omenma Appointed as Governance Review Co-Editors We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professors Himanshu Jha and J. Tochukwu Omenma as Co-Editors of IPSA’s new journal Governance Review.

Congratulations to Himanshu Jha and Tochukwu Omenma on their appointment as co-editors of Governance Review!

www.ipsa.org/na/news/hima...

I've written a short brief on centralization for the Center for Governance and Markets (CGM) at the University of Pittsburgh. You can download the PDF here:

alasdairroberts.ca/wp-content/u...

Meet the American Educational Organization Accrediting CCP Bureaucrats In 2018, the sole accrediting body for public service programs in the United States held a workshop for schools seeking accreditation. Diversity and inclusion were all the rage in higher education, an...

"If NASPAA isn't motivated by democracy, it is certainly motivated by money . . . Forty percent of the growth in NASPAA accreditation since 2013 has come from foreign programs—the bulk of them in non-democracies."

freebeacon.com/campus/meet-...

Weaponization of the Openness Agenda Debated; What's the Diagnosis, Solution? · Eye on Global Transparency By Toby McIntosh “Dark Openness,” a recent article by a Swedish professor raised a provocative question – whether “our toolbox of openness and participation” is being…

Contributed to this piece by Toby Mcintosh on fears about "weaponization of the openness agenda"

eyeonglobaltransparency.net/2025/10/30/w...

Looking forward to this event with @evertlindquistuvic.bsky.social at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social on Tuesday

Stickhandling Canada’s place in a new world order Queen’s-affiliated policy experts weigh in

@kimnossal.bsky.social and I contributed to this piece in The Kingston Crow

thekingstoncrow.substack.com/p/stickhandl...

Trade war live updates: Ford to pull tariff ads, White House says Canada playing ‘games’ Trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. have erupted after President Donald Trump abruptly called off negotiations because of an Ontario anti-tariff ad campaign.

Yes, the challenge is huge, but *Team Canada* looks very disorganized. Not surprisingly, as I have been arguing for quite some time.

Tactics without strategy, and if there are signs of strategy, it is contradictory.

www.cp24.com/news/canada/...

Enough of Tactics to Deal with Trump. What Canada Needs Is a Strategy | The Walrus The emphasis on making deals and showing quick results is coming at the cost of a long-term vision

I just published this piece in @thewalrus.ca

thewalrus.ca/enough-of-ta...

Panel: Understanding Post-Trudeau Canadian Politics and Policies Since 2024, Canada has entered into an era of uncertainty amid rising domestic and international tensions. What do we need to know to understand Ca...

Details about my upcoming panel discussion with @evertlindquist.bsky.social at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social on November 4

events.berkeley.edu/can/event/30...

Four American empires The United States has always been an empire, but the form of empire has changed over time. For scholars of public administration, the task is understanding how the architecture of empire changed.

On November 13, I'll participate in a symposium on imperial administration organized by the American Society for Legal History. I've written a note as background for my panel comments. This is very drafty and feedback is appreciated.

alasdairroberts179720.substack.com/p/four-phase...

The US and Canada: Two crises of federalism The United States is in crisis because of an outmoded federal system. As a result, Canada needs a new grand strategy. That will not be easy to achieve in Canada's more decentralized federation.

I'll participate in a panel discussion at the Canadian Studies Program of @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social on November 4. Here's a note to support my comments. Feedback and corrections appreciated!

alasdairroberts179720.substack.com/p/the-us-and...

In the EU, all of this has been, and is, unfolding within a multilayered public discourse - at the member state and the European level. Political elites, parliaments, the media...

Whereas in Canada, to quote @alasdairroberts.bsky.social excellent op-ed from September in the Globe and Mail...

A line graph titled "Most Americans Think the Country's Divisions Cannot Be Overcome, Poll Says." It shows 64% of respondents saying that America's political system is too politically divided to solve the nation's problems, and 33% saying the system can still address the nation's problems.

Americans have less faith in the ability of the country’s political system to solve problems than they had five years ago, with a large majority now believing that the U.S. is incapable of overcoming its deep divisions, according to a poll by The New York Times and Siena University. nyti.ms/476StrS

The organizers of a proposed section on #HumanRights within the American Society for Public Administration are looking for expressions of interest -- 300 names are needed to make the proposal go (as I understand it). If you are interested, fill out this survey.

pace.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

How Does This Look to the Neighbors? International Insights on America with Governance Scholars Alasdair Roberts and Andrew Podger - Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood This week's episode of Management Matters features an external view on what's happening in American governance, and the quest to learn more about how international observers are thinking about America...

I joined Professor Andrew Podger for a discussion on the Management Matters podcast, hosted by James-Christian Blockwood, president of the US National Academy of Public Administration

www.buzzsprout.com/1073332/epis...

We are so honoured to be on this list! Congrats and good luck to all the shortlisted authors and publishers. @alasdairroberts.bsky.social

Be part of shaping ASPA’s potential new Administration and Human Rights Section—take the quick survey today

pace.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

It is 20 years since Conor Gearty gave the Hamlyn Lectures on Can Human Rights Survive?
As a mark of respect following the dreadful news of his, Cambridge University Press & Assessment has made these lectures Open Access for the remainder of the year. You can find them here:
lnkd.in/e5Xrt2G5

We're missing a vision for Canada

I spoke with Shaye Ganam of QR770AM Calgary this morning about yesterday's op-ed in @theglobeandmail.com

open.spotify.com/episode/6zf2...

Text reads The temptation and danger of centralisation, Professor Alasdair Roberts, University of Massachusetts Amherst, EGPA 2025 conference, Blog series. Includes a photo of Alasdair Roberts at the conference and the University of Glasgow and Centre for Public Policy logos

New blog from @alasdairroberts.bsky.social, part of our #EGPA2025 series.

📝 Prof. Alasdair Roberts writes about the temptation of centralisation in times of crisis, warning however that it "may be a formula for fragility, not resilience."

Read 🔗 www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

I wrote this short piece for the @uofglasgow.bsky.social Centre for Public Policy blog, to accompany my comments in a plenary session at the EGPA conference on August 28.

www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

Opinion: We’re missing a vision for Canada We are living in a different world, and we need to talk about what that means for all of us

My op-ed in today's @theglobeandmail.com, based on my book from @mcgillqueensup.bsky.social

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Opinion: We’re missing a vision for Canada We are living in a different world, and we need to talk about what that means for all of us

"Canada today is suffering from the vision thing. This is not a criticism of any one person. It is a criticism of an entire political system that is incapable of generating a vision of where we are trying to go as a country."

By @alasdairroberts.bsky.social

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

I'm looking forward to giving a presentation by Zoom to public policy faculty at the American University in Cairo next Wednesday, September 17. Zoom link here if you are interested.

The crisis of design in American government The American political system confronts two distinct crises. The first is the crisis of the moment, stemming from President Trump’s controversial actions since January 2025. The second is the deepe...

The Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration @apjournalpa.bsky.social has embedded the short explainer video for my article, "The Crisis of Design in American Government," in the article abstract itself -- a neat innovation:

www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/...