March 1, 2021

What We Are Learning This Week with Dr. Jacqueline Peterson

This week in POLI 433 Urban Policy and Governance, Dr. Peterson is exploring issues in municipal finance and local economic development.

March 1, 2021, in POLI 433 Urban Policy and Governance

Dr. Jacqueline Peterson is digging into municipal finance—how do cities raise money and where does it go? Plus, we’re in conversation with Councillor Jeff Davison on local economic development strategies and with small business advocate Kelly Doody on property taxes!

Can you tell us a little more about this topic?

Cities receive revenue from a variety of different sources to pay for the services they provide—mostly from property taxes and user fees, but also from higher levels of government, fees, investments, and more. Cities are also often involved in trying to boost local economies through their tax and spending decisions. Naturally, these decisions can be political—how should the tax burden be distributed? Which capital investments are most likely to grow the economy? Why don’t Canadian cities have a sales tax… and should they?

What else do you cover in your course?

This course looks at how cities are governed and the policies they produce. A number of actors are involved in urban governance: municipalities, other levels of government, regional authorities, civil society, businesses. The power and influence of these groups often depend on the policy area. This course examines a number of critical urban policy areas (economic development, transportation, planning, housing, etc.) as well as urban issues that are becoming increasingly important and urgent (climate change, #BLM, “smart cities”, the impacts of COVID-19, etc.). This course focuses on the North American urban experience, with a particular emphasis on contemporary events and dynamics in the Calgary region.

What do you love about teaching this course?

“If all three levels of government were to disappear overnight, you would notice the local level first.” The bus wouldn’t come, traffic lights wouldn’t work, toilets wouldn’t flush, police wouldn’t answer the phone. I love teaching this course because urban policy is everywhere, and directly impacts our lives in so many ways. Helping students recognize the ubiquity and importance of local decision-making processes, as well as helping them critically assess and evaluate these processes and their associated outcomes, is rewarding. It is my hope that this course gives students the ability and confidence to be “city builders” and contribute to their communities—in whatever form that might be.

Finally, what other courses would you recommend for students interested this topic?

Other urban politics, public policy, provincial politics, or intergovernmental politics courses would be a great accompaniment for this course. Also, urban policy is so interdisciplinary, and deals with tons of other issue areas—check out more specialized courses on whatever your interests may be, whether planning, citizen engagement, race, public finance (and much more!)—both within the Political Science Department or the broader UCalgary community.