Citizen Politics: Research and Theory in Canadian Political Behaviour

Joanna Everitt and Brenda O'Neill (2002)

The study of political behaviour in Canada has often focused largely on parties and voting; Citizen Politics seeks to expand that definition of political behaviour to encompass behaviouralsim as a method of inquiry, as well as a focus of inquiry which includes; political culture, public opinion, voting and elections, political participation, leaders and activists, and interest groups and social movements. In the past fifteen years since a Canadian political behaviour text was last published, the field has changed immensely, and this collection reflects these changes. Women are examined as independent political actors, the importance of the media to voting and elections is investigated; the uniqueness of immigrant and ethnic minority participation in Canadian politics is discussed, and new social movements are examined.

Each section begins with an essay that synthesizes the important research and arguments that inform each subfield. These are followed by two or more essays of original, contemporary research which inform students of critical new approaches and provide examples of how research in the field of political behaviour is conducted. The editors, Joanna Everitt and Brenda O'Neill, begin the volume with an essay that discusses what political behaviour is, how the study is done, and why it is important as a field of study, and they end the book with an examination of the state of the field in Canada today and an assessment of tomorrow's challenges.

(Don Mills: Oxford University Press)

Advocacy Groups: A Democratic Audit
Lisa Young and Joanna Everitt(forthcoming)

This book uses the concepts of participation, inclusion and responsiveness to examine advocacy groups in Canada and assess the ways that they contribute to, or detract from, Canadian democracy. It argues that group activity represents an important form of political participation and that despite the fact that some interests face greater organizational challenges than others, advocacy groups can play critical compensatory roles for interests that are often unrepresented in traditional political institutions. It also finds that while Canadian advocacy groups employ a wide range of strategies to draw attention to their concerns, those with greater financial resources generally have greater access to government decision makers. This has been accentuated by recent trends in the reduction of government funding to advocacy groups. The book concludes with several recommendations for "best practices" that groups can follow in their
internal organization and efforts to influence public policy and for actions that governments can take to engage in constructive consultation with groups and to create an environment that fosters desirable qualities in group activity.