Get to Know Randall Germain: Exploring Political Economy through PECO5000

For prospective students considering a deep dive into the fascinating world of political economy, Dr. Randall Germain offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage with the discipline’s foundational texts and contemporary debates. This Fall 2025, Dr. Germain will teach PECO5000, the cornerstone course in the Political Economy program. As the core course for the Fall portion, this class is where you will get your first impression of the Political Economy program and meet the small cohort you will get to spend the next 2 years with throughout the program. With a rich academic background and a passion for historical and theoretical inquiry, Dr. Germain brings a plethora of expertise and enthusiasm to the classroom.

From History to Global Finance: Dr. Germain’s Academic Journey

Dr. Germain’s academic path has been shaped by an enduring curiosity about how the world works. Beginning his academic career with a B.A. in History and Political Science at the University of Victoria, he completed his studies with a PhD in Political Science from York University. His journey into International Political Economy (IPE) began through an engagement with history, political science, and the history of political thought. After completing his PhD research on the global monetary and financial system, he spent much of his career examining how financial governance is regulated and how theoretical debates in IPE engage with historical processes. Another key area of Dr. Germain’s scholarship focuses on the disciplinary history of International Political Economy: where it comes from, how it has evolved, and how it has become institutionalized in the academy.

Currently, Dr. Germain is completing a book on how the discipline of International Political Economy has engaged with the idea of history, including a chapter that brings key thinkers such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Max Weber into conversation with one another. He has also recently published an article on Karl Polanyi and International Political Economy co-authored with a ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ PhD student in political science. This active engagement with the field makes Fall 2025 a particularly exciting time for him to teach PECO5000, as he has spent the past six months immersed in the very material students will study.

A Canonical Approach: What to Expect in PECO5000

Dr. Germain’s approach to teaching PECO5000 is rooted in engaging deeply with foundational texts. Unlike many courses that rely heavily on excerpts or secondary material, he prioritizes reading “big chunks” of original works to allow students to grapple with ideas in their full complexity. Students will delve into classics like Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and Marx’s Capital, spending two weeks on each text. The course also includes influential thinkers like Weber and Gramsci, along with sections on feminist political economy, post-structural, and post-colonial approaches.

The semester culminates with an examination of a contemporary work in political economy, published within the last few years. This structure not only provides students with a strong grounding in the field’s intellectual traditions but also shows how these traditions continue to inform modern scholarship.

A Collaborative and Challenging Environment

Dr. Germain is particularly excited about the interdisciplinary nature of the Political Economy program and the highly engaged community at the Institute of Political Economy. He emphasizes that students come to the Political Economy program for two reasons: a curiosity about how the world works and a desire to explore how political economy helps explain it.

Embrace your curiosity! The academic achievements of students in this program demonstrate your readiness to engage with these texts. Most of the thinkers we study are approachable and fascinating to explore. Even with Marx, we make the material accessible by breaking it down and incorporating engaging resources like news articles to bring his ideas to life.

Learning and Growing Together

For Dr. Germain, teaching PECO5000 is as much about his own intellectual growth as it is about his students’. “Every time I re-read one of these works, I learn something new,” he says. “I’m excited to see how students bring their own interests and questions to these thinkers, we create the best discussions from our interdisciplinary background and collective grounding.”

By the end of the course, students will have engaged deeply with some of the most foundational texts in political economy, gaining not only theoretical knowledge but also developing critical tools to analyze how the world works. Dr. Germain’s mantra for success? “Embrace your curiosity, and don’t be afraid to dive deep.”

If you’re looking for an intellectually rigorous course that challenges you to think critically about the intersections of history, politics, and economics, Dr. Germain’s PECO5000 promises an enriching and transformative experience.

The post Randall Germain appeared first on Institute of Political Economy.

The Institute of Political Economy (IPE) is delighted to share that its current Director, Dr. Justin Paulson, is one of this year’s recipients of the .

Sponsored by the  and the , this student-nominated award recognizes faculty who “render exceptional service to graduate students as supervisors and research mentors”. Dr. Paulson received this honour alongside seven other exceptional faculty from across ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, who have had a profound impact on graduate student experience and success.

Dr. Paulson, who is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, has been at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University since 2008. His research, lectures, and writings address questions of critical theory and intellectual history, social change, and political economy. In January 2021, he followed Dr. Cristina Rojas (another recipient of the award) as Director of the Institute of Political Economy. Within the Institute he has taught both PECO 5000: Theories of Political Economy and PECO 6000: Core Concepts in Political Economy, the mandatory core theory courses of the Institute’s flagship MA program and  , respectively. He is a friendly, familiar face to all IPE students—present and future, as those who submitted thoughtful, candid nomination letters in Dr. Paulson’s favour recognized.

Professor Paulson was nominated by 4 ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University alumni—three of whom graduated from the Institute’s MA or Collaborative PhD programs (and in one case, both).

Among faculty teaching awards, the Faculty Graduate Mentoring Award is unique in that it does not accept self-nominations.  It recognizes successful and often lasting mentorship, initiated by students who have experienced it. In their nomination letters,  Dr. Paulson’s former students speak to his rigour as an educator, and the supportive guidance and mentorship he provides his students inside and outside the classroom.   As Professor Paulson remarks, “this is the most personally meaningful of ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s teaching awards, and I’m honoured to join a long list of previous recipients who teach in or supervise students for the Institute.”

Indeed, Prof. Paulson is only the latest of the Faculty Graduate Mentoring Award winners who is cross-appointed to the Institute.  Eleven of IPE’s faculty from across ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s Faculties of Public Affairs and Arts and Social Sciences, including two former IPE Directors, have received this honour since 2010—an impressive showing for the Institute, and an indication of its merit as a one-of-a-kind learning environment.

Dr. Susan Braedley was the last faculty member from the Institute of Political Economy faculty to receive the award in 2019. A cross-appointed faculty member from the Department of Social Work,  that Dr. Braedley “enacts with students as much as with colleagues a practice of intellectual collaboration and sharing, and an ethic of care and rigor”.

Of Paulson’s recent award, Dr. Braedley says she’s not surprised so many faculty from IPE have received this award. “The culture of the Institute is one of ensuring we encourage, challenge, and support each other,” she says. “For me, teaching/learning relationships are intrinsically important—they are the foundation for a vibrant, politically engaged intellectual community. For the amazing students who nominate us, I expect it is the same.”

Dr. Marie-Eve Carrier-Moisan, who is cross-appointed with The Department of Sociology and Anthropology, was presented the Faculty Graduate Mentoring Award in 2018, only a few years after arriving to ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University in 2012, and the Institute shortly thereafter. She echoes Dr. Braedley, citing its strong culture of mentorship: “This award reflects what we collectively value, both as students and as faculty members.”

Past recipients of the Faculty Graduate Mentoring Award from the Institute of Political Economy are as follows:

• Susan Braedley, Social Work (2019)
• Marie-Eve Carrier-Moisan, Sociology & Anthropology (2018)
• Irena Knezevic, Communication Studies (2017)
• Dwayne Winseck, Communication Studies (2016)
• Janet Siltanen, Sociology (2016)
• Patricia Ballamingie, Geography & Environmental Studies (2015)
• Hans-Martin Jaeger, Political Science (2015)
• Cristina Rojas, Political Science, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (2014)
• Aaron Doyle, Sociology & Anthropology, the Institute of Criminology & Criminal Justice (2012)
• Sheryl Hamilton, School of Journalism & Communication (2010)

Prof. Paulson follows in the footsteps of these faculty—all of whom, by their dedication to student success, contribute to the supportive intellectually rigorous culture of the Institute.

“I was honoured and humbled by the nominations; but I would also want to highlight how much of graduate mentorship is a two-way street, in that I’m always learning so much from my brilliant students,” Paulson says. “It is an honour and a privilege to guide students through their research, and is far and away the most rewarding part of my job, leading in some cases to years-long friendships and collaborations.”

The post Faculty Graduate Mentoring Award appeared first on Institute of Political Economy.

Spotlight on Professor Patricia Ballamingie

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What are your research interests? What are you working on right now?

 I am a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, cross-appointed in the Institute of Political Economy, and I have been teaching at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ for almost two decades. My current program of research focuses on food policy and food systems governance, with an active set of affiliations and collaborations.

I have been involved for some time with Alison Blay-Palmer’s Nourishing Communities: Sustainable Local Food Systems Research Group at Wilfrid Laurier University. This research has allowed me to work closely with Peter AndrĂ©e and Irena Knezevic at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€”most recently on a SSHRC-funded Partnership Grant, Food: Locally Embedded, Globally Engaged (FLEdGE). We are coming to the end of seven years of fruitful collaboration, though I trust our work together will continue. We have published on , and

I am also working with , Peter AndrĂ©e, and on a SSHRC-funded Insight Grant, Participatory Food Governance. This research looks at how civil society and social movement actors seek to influence food systems governance.  Charles and I recently published an inaugural interview with food systems thinker and public intellectual, , in Canadian Food Studies. I am also conducting video interviews with food movement elders, which is work I treasure.

And finally, I am just beginning work with the First Nation of Na-Cho NyĂ k Dun in Mayo, Yukon.  I have a team of strong 4^th-year and graduate students conducting applied research in response to community-driven priorities. Projects include explorations of Indigenous food sovereignty, northern food security, and community-led farms in the circumpolar north, among others.

 What’s it like being a cross-appointed faculty member, working in the Geography department as well as the Institute of Political Economy? What intersections/overlaps do you find between political economy and geography, and how do they come about in your work?

I love the discipline of geography—specifically its core analytical lenses of place, space, scale, identity and community –which allow for the study of virtually anything related to human-environment connections. But my sub-disciplinary training is in political ecology, and I find the Institute a productive place to explore questions related to the operation of power, social construction of knowledge, and articulation of policy across scale. For the past decade or so, I have worked in the interdisciplinary realm of critical food studies—a field in which political economists play an important role.

You’re currently a Project Lead of Showing Theory to Know Theory: Understanding Social Science Concepts Through Illustrative Vignettes, a project that (if I’m understanding correctly!) aims to break down complex theories and jargon in artistic, interdisciplinary ways. What attracted you to this project? Tell us more about it!

 Yes, I am co-editing this volume with my colleague, , with funding from e-Campus Ontario. We are creating an online, open access text to help students understand complex theoretical concepts and disciplinary jargon from the critical social sciences.

By “illustrative vignettes”, we mean short, evocative stories, illustrations or infographics, poems, described photographs, or other audio-visual materials.

Our hope is that this open education resource will be of use across disciplines and community contexts, democratizing theory while linking it to practical, grounded experience.

We aim to demystify theoretical concepts, making abstract-yet-valuable ideas more accessible by “showing” (rather than “telling”) how they are meaningful and usable in day-to-day situations.

I think as scholars we need to hone our skills to communicate clearly and effectively to a broader audience, especially if we wish to effect change.

You’re teaching PECO 5001 (The Methodology of Political Economy) next semester. What about it are you most looking forward to?

 I last taught PECO 5001 in 2013, though I have taught similar courses in geography throughout. I find the political economy cohort to be an optimal size—large enough to achieve a community of scholars, but small enough to enjoy some social cohesion.  Over the years, I have supervised so many stellar students from this program. I am really looking forward to getting to know everyone—both current students and faculty affiliated with the institute.

PECO 5001 considers research design and methodology in a way the remains sensitive the construction of knowledge in the research process, power dynamics, ethical tensions, and knowledge mobilization. Students draft a tentative thesis proposal, and this is the scaffolding that helps them succeed in their degree.

 You have a long history at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€”before becoming a Full Professor, you earned your PhD at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, and have worked here in numerous roles. What’s your favourite thing about working and teaching at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´?

 I love my colleagues: my research, teaching and staff colleagues! For me, ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s strength lies in its people! It has been invaluable to connect with others beyond my department, by teaching in the Institute, serving on committees, and engaging in collaborative research projects.

The post Patricia Ballamingie appeared first on Institute of Political Economy.

Laura Macdonald: Political Science

A colourful painting of Frida Kahlo stands out among the stacks of books in Professor Laura Macdonald’s office. The former director for the Institute of Political Economy loves all things Latin American. Whenever the professor of political science gets a shred of free time, she’ll embrace the outdoors, hiking and biking Ottawa’s trails.

When it comes to South America, Macdonald knows what she’s talking about.

Right now, her gaze is focused on the trade agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada, or UMSCA, still commonly referred to as NAFTA. For trade news, it arguably dominated the latter part of the year in coverage. Macdonald has studied its political impact extensively.

Some of her past research includes looking at the impact of NGO assistance to Central America in the 1980s, including in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. She travelled to Mexico, doing fieldwork on the social and economic conditions there. Her findings reveal how social policies in Mexico can affect poverty rates in particular neighbourhoods, especially those communities on the periphery.

Her research stands in stark contrast to federal policies in the country and the militaristic cartel leaders’ different approach to street crime. Instead of looking at how crime and violence are handled through equally violent and aggressive means (prison or worse), Macdonald wants to know how they can be addressed in a more positive way.

She is also the primary investigator for the Observatory on Canada-Latin American Relations. She gathers research for the organization, focusing on how Canada influences countries in Latin America.

In 2016, Macdonald published an article on the Harper government’s foreign policy aimed at engaging with Latin American countries. The article underlines the importance of viewing class and state in the debates surrounding Canada’s role in the global political economy through a nuanced perspective, keeping in mind the changes and shifts on the international stage.

She writes, “I argue that approaches that situate Canada as either a dependent or a new imperialist actor ignore much of the complexity of contemporary changes in the political economy of the Latin American region.”

Her work also includes looking at gender’s place in a progressive trade agenda and its impact on women and workers.

For students with an international outlook, the Institute of Political Economy allows them to get involved, travel for their field research, a little bit like Macdonald. What’s great, she says, is graduates generally find careers directly related to their training.

Students can mold the program to fit their interests, and find work in what they’re passionate about.

When thinking about student research, Macdonald is reminded of two students’ fieldwork in Kenya’s urban slums. They travelled to the East African Rift and interviewed women at the marketplace in the country. In the end, the fruits of their labour resulted in an impressive project.

There’s no denying the students in the institute are a sharp bunch, led by similarly invested faculty, she explained.

It’s a small institute, one that doesn’t have the manpower or budget that other units do. And yet the cutting-edge research that it has produced has proved a force to be reckoned with, in the world of academia and beyond.

Visit Laura Macdonald’s full Faculty Profile below:

The post Laura Macdonald: Travel and get involved in your field research appeared first on Institute of Political Economy.

Randall Germain has supervised a multitude of master’s theses and research essays for students enrolled in the Institute of Political Economy. Topics have included the roles of small and medium sized enterprises in the EU; responsibilities of credit agencies; the struggle of unions versus multi-million dollar corporate agencies; and the impact of participatory budgeting policies in Brazil, California, and Ontario.

According to Professor Germain, there is a bit of everything to be found at the Institute. And they’re coming from a group of students as clever as they are close. “There’s a real sense of identity,” Germain says. They’ve got this Esprit de Corps, as he puts it, a tight-knit herd. The cohort is best described as committed and involved in a wide variety of important subjects. One may be interested in the economy of agriculture, colonialism in the Philippines, the political economy of mental health, or the U.S. dollar. Many of the students go on to do a Ph.D., and if they don’t, they get a good job. While guiding them along the way, Germain has learned a lot too. “As professors and teachers, it’s just really invigorating,” he says.

His own expertise, divided into two main categories, fits quite nicely within the scope of the institute. The first is practical, theoretical, and all about money: the organization of the global monetary system. It’s a look at regulation, how it’s implemented and why it’s stable or in crisis. Right now, Germain is focused on whether the American dollar will remain the international currency.

His second area of mastery can’t be explained so simply. Currently, his major research project delves into how history influenced International Political Economy, how scholars who have used or misused the idea of history shaped the theoretical study of the discipline. His expertise on the global monetary system is quite practical, but the other is abstract. “And I teach courses that same way,” he says.

Germain heads a class on global finance, and another on International Political Economy. He also teaches the mandatory course on the traditions of political economy. Students get to delve into classics, like Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, or Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. For the curious and globally-minded, the Institute of Political Economy offers its students an opportunity to choose their research path from a wide area of interests.

The post Professor Randall Germain: The Political Economy of Global Finance appeared first on Institute of Political Economy.

Don’t expect an easy master’s program when you walk through the doors of the Institute of Political Economy. It’s rigorous academic research requiring a high level of intellectual involvement. But once you walk out, you’ll be among the best. Sociology professor Justin Paulson can vouch for that.

He explains that political economy is a field of intellectual inquiry that has been around for a long time, eventually broken down into the official school subjects we know well today: history, political science, sociology and economics. ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s unique unit stays true to the tradition, bringing in various disciplines under a common roof.

Students who are welcomed into the program, usually about 12-15 of them each year, produce such high quality research Paulson puts it on par with the highest degree of achievement, the doctorate. Upon entrance to the program, the bonds between students are almost immediate. It’s a story best explained as a blend of hard work and camaraderie. In their first year, students receive instruction on how to complete their thesis or research essay. Once they hit second year, they focus on getting it done.

The common thread in all the projects Paulson has overseen is original research. Theory joins on-the-ground work, allowing students to both study and experience first-hand what they’ll write about. Although he will prod students in the M.A. program to continue their studies to the doctoral level, they’re often snatched up by government agencies and NGOs, and decide to go that route instead.

Paulson’s own research focuses on social theories and histories of transitions in economics. Trumpism, for example, is the topic of the hour.

In the past, Paulson has taught the M.A. core theory course. He’s been rewarded for his teaching: he was nominated for a Capital Educator’s Award and in 2013 he won the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Teaching Award. Professor Paulson currently teaches the core course (PECO 6000) for the Institute’s Collaborative PhD with a Specialization in Political Economy.

The post Professor Justin Paulson: Putting your Knowledge to Practise appeared first on Institute of Political Economy.

There is no easy way to choose the right program to carry you through your graduate school journey. You are looking for a transformative experience that you cannot find elsewhere, but perhaps unsure of what you are looking for in terms of specific academic opportunities. It is common for prospective students to be unsure of what exactly they want to study, which makes choosing where to do your research even harder. If only you could tailor your master’s degree to fit your specific interests….

The Institute of Political Economy at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University has a long history of offering students the freedom to follow their interests, and study what they are truly passionate about. The Institute is unique. It is the only program of its kind offered in Canada, says Dr. Cristina Rojas, who has been the Director of the Institute of Political Economy for the past two years.

Dr. Cristina Rojas is a professor of political science at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, specializing in political economy. Originally from Colombia, she did her undergraduate degree in philosophy as well as her master’s degree in development there, before moving to the United States to study at Harvard.

Rojas completed her doctorate here at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, preferring the Canadian approach to politics and political economy.

Much of her research has focused on Colombia’s political economy in the 19th century. Rojas studies the South’s path to development, exploring alternative political economies that differ from North American or Western understanding of development.

A few key words that might describe Rojas’s research interests are critical development, postcolonial theory, social policy, and citizenship studies.

Rojas has written extensively about citizenship, indigeneity and regimes of civilization. In the past few years, she has shifted her focus to Bolivia.

By walking alongside Indigenous Bolivian women, Rojas has studied the relationship between the meaning of territory and life-projects and how practices surrounding territory is intricately linked to the understanding of the world.

This is only a glimpse into the wide breadth of work and research possible in political economy. Touting a brilliant roster of over 50 cross-listed faculty members from over 10 different departments, an understatement is calling this master’s program diverse. Students can choose to enroll in classes in a wide-range of disciplines, and are guided through the registration process by Donna Coghill, the Administration head/guru of the Institute. It is pretty much impossible for them not to find a supervisor whose research interests align with theirs in some way, she explained.

Rojas has supervised the research projects and theses of many Political Economy students, like Daniel Tubb and Judy Meltzer. Graduates from the program find their niche and go on to work in a variety of fields: the extractive mining industry, labour policies, food systems, food sovereignty, Indigenous peoples, or even migration. Often, students are passionate about social justice. They want to understand poverty, housing, health, and the welfare state.

“Students have an identity built around political economy, but they are also able to match their own interests in the areas I mentioned, and do political economy analysis in these different areas,” said Rojas.

Next year, the program will be celebrating 30 years since its first seminar. The spirit of collaboration lives on, with great projects, conferences and a host of grant opportunities for those who choose to pursue their graduate studies at the Institute of Political Economy.

The post Dr. Cristina Rojas: Tailor Your Master’s Degree to Fit Your Interests appeared first on Institute of Political Economy.