posted on Feb. 7: Canada Research Chair leads $5M international project on globalization, autonomy

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BY Lori Dillon

February 7, 2002

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Coleman.William.final.jpg” caption=”William Coleman”]Political science professor William Coleman, the Canada Research Chair in Global Governance and Public Policy, will lead a $5-million international research project examining globalization and autonomy.

Coleman and his team of researchers were awarded $2.5 million from the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for the new project. The remaining $2.5 million comes from partnering
universities, primarily McMaster University and the University of Toronto.

The five-year project involves 13 Canadian universities and 16 international organizations including experts from China, Taiwan, Europe and the United States.

Eighteen McMaster researchers from the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences join a group of 56 scholars in bringing expertise to the project. Their disciplines include history, sociology, anthropology, political science and literary and cultural studies.

Coleman says that over the past several decades, processes now termed globalization have been restructuring the way many people live and how they relate to others. The impact of globalization on countries and their economies is a serious issue in international politics.

“Who would have thought 10 years ago that a small Canadian business or a Mexican peasant would require knowledge of NAFTA trading rules or World Trade Organization (WTO) subsidy definitions to
earn a living?” said Coleman.

“We are living in an increasingly complex global village and our research findings will help Canadians negotiate the challenges ahead.”

Findings from this study will help guide policy makers and scholars in dealing with questions like:

  • Do the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the G-8 or G-20 summits destabilize national governments by shifting policy making to the international level?

  • Does globalization marginalize developing countries?

  • Is globalization reducing cultural diversity?

  • Is globalization increasing the possibilities for creating high technology industries in developing countries?

  • Do international human rights agreements help marginalized groups?

Along with the impact the study will have on global policies, Coleman points out the benefits to students, the next generation of leaders.

He estimates that the SSHRC funding will provide for
about 120 student years of training, allowing students to develop their research skills.

When the study is completed, Coleman and his research team will have produced seven books, all of which will be translated into Chinese, and will have created a multimedia compendium on globalization that will make their findings available to the general public, both in CD-rom format and on the internet.

SSHRC is an independent federal government agency that funds university based research and graduate training in the social sciences and humanities.
SSHRC grants are awarded through highly rigorous peer-review competitions.