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Alasdair Roberts (academic)
Encyclopedia
Alasdair S. Roberts is a Canadian professor at Suffolk University Law School
, Boston, Massachusetts, and author of articles and books on public policy issues, especially relating to government secrecy and the exercise of government authority.
, Roberts began his BA in politics at Queen's University
in 1979. He received a JD from the University of Toronto
Faculty of Law in 1984, a Master's degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
in 1986, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University
in 1994.
Roberts is currently the Jerome L. Rappaport Professor of Law and Public Policy at Suffolk University Law School
's Rappaport Center. Previously, he was a professor of public administration in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
at Syracuse University
, and an associate professor in the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University
. He is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration
and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the Constitution Unit, School of Public Policy, University College London
, and also co-editor of the journal Governance
.
He has been cited in publications including The Boston Globe
, The Christian Science Monitor
, The San Diego Union-Tribune
, The Times
(London), Prospect
, and the National Journal
. His essays have appeared in numerous periodicals in the United Kingdom
, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere, including The Guardian, Foreign Affairs
, Foreign Policy, Government Executive, Prospect, The Globe and Mail
(Toronto), Dnevnik
, Saturday Night
, and The Washington Post
.
In 1998 the Globe & Mail published a paper by Alasdair Roberts titled: Making Policy Behind Closed Doors which criticized the Canadian Department of Human Resources
Development (HRD) for the way it handled the Software Development Worker Pilot which allowed for the fast tracking of visa applications of foreign workers. The paper made the point that the Canadian government handed decision making to a private organization named SHRC.
, the 2007 book award from the Section on Public Administration Research of the American Society for Public Administration
, the 2007 Best Book Award of the Academy of Management
's Public and Nonprofit Division, and the 2007 Charles Levine Memorial Book Prize of the International Political Science Association's Research Committee on the Structure of Governance.
His most recent book, The Logic of Discipline: Global Capitalism and the Architecture of Government, was published in 2010. Another book, The Collapse of Fortress Bush: The Crisis of Authority in American Government was published in 2008.
Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School, also known as Suffolk Law School or SULS, is one of the professional graduate schools of Suffolk University. Suffolk University Law School is a private, non-sectarian, law school located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk University Law School was founded in...
, Boston, Massachusetts, and author of articles and books on public policy issues, especially relating to government secrecy and the exercise of government authority.
Education
A native of New Liskeard, Ontario, CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Roberts began his BA in politics at Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
in 1979. He received a JD from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
Faculty of Law in 1984, a Master's degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1986, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1994.
Academic career
Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School, also known as Suffolk Law School or SULS, is one of the professional graduate schools of Suffolk University. Suffolk University Law School is a private, non-sectarian, law school located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk University Law School was founded in...
's Rappaport Center. Previously, he was a professor of public administration in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is the public policy school of Syracuse University...
at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, and an associate professor in the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
. He is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration
National Academy of Public Administration (United States)
The National Academy of Public Administration was founded by James E. Webb, then-administrator of NASA, and other leading public administration practitioners in 1967 and chartered under Title 36 of the United States Code in 1984 under Public Law 98-257. The Academy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan...
and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the Constitution Unit, School of Public Policy, University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and also co-editor of the journal Governance
Governance (journal)
Governance is published by the Structure and Organization of Government Committee of the International Political Science Association. It covers the theoretical and practical discussion of executive politics, public policy, administration, and the organization of the state...
.
He has been cited in publications including The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
, The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(London), Prospect
Prospect (magazine)
Prospect is a monthly British general interest magazine, specialising in politics and current affairs. Frequent topics include British, European, and US politics, social issues, art, literature, cinema, science, the media, history, philosophy, and psychology...
, and the National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
. His essays have appeared in numerous periodicals in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere, including The Guardian, Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
, Foreign Policy, Government Executive, Prospect, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
(Toronto), Dnevnik
Dnevnik (Sofia)
Dnevnik is a business-oriented Bulgarian daily newspaper, that is published Monday - Friday in Sofia since 2001. Until early 2005, it was printed in broadsheet format, the last Bulgarian daily to use the large format. It adopted a compact format after research in 2005 found that more than 50% of...
, Saturday Night
Saturday Night (magazine)
Saturday Night was a Canadian general interest magazine. It was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 1887.The publication was first established as a weekly broadsheet newspaper about public affairs and the arts, which was later expanded into a general interest magazine. The editor, Edmund E. Sheppard,...
, and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
.
In 1998 the Globe & Mail published a paper by Alasdair Roberts titled: Making Policy Behind Closed Doors which criticized the Canadian Department of Human Resources
Development (HRD) for the way it handled the Software Development Worker Pilot which allowed for the fast tracking of visa applications of foreign workers. The paper made the point that the Canadian government handed decision making to a private organization named SHRC.
Books
His book Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age, received the 2006 Louis Brownlow Book Award from the National Academy of Public AdministrationNational Academy of Public Administration (United States)
The National Academy of Public Administration was founded by James E. Webb, then-administrator of NASA, and other leading public administration practitioners in 1967 and chartered under Title 36 of the United States Code in 1984 under Public Law 98-257. The Academy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan...
, the 2007 book award from the Section on Public Administration Research of the American Society for Public Administration
American Society for Public Administration
The American Society for Public Administration is a membership association in the United States sponsoring conferences and providing professional services primarily to those who study the implementation of government policy, public administration, and, to a lesser degree, programs of civil society...
, the 2007 Best Book Award of the Academy of Management
Academy of Management
The Academy of Management is a professional association for scholars dedicated to creating and disseminating knowledge about management and organizations. The Academy of Management was established in 1936...
's Public and Nonprofit Division, and the 2007 Charles Levine Memorial Book Prize of the International Political Science Association's Research Committee on the Structure of Governance.
His most recent book, The Logic of Discipline: Global Capitalism and the Architecture of Government, was published in 2010. Another book, The Collapse of Fortress Bush: The Crisis of Authority in American Government was published in 2008.
External links
- Alasdair Roberts
- Rappaport Center
- "A conversation with Rappaport Chair Alasdair Roberts," Suffolk University Law School Alumni Magazine, Fall 2008