Alasdair S. Roberts

Nov 28

“The Adaptable Country” now forthcoming from MQUP

My book The Adaptable Country: How Canada Can Survive the Twenty-First Century, has been accepted for publication by McGill-Queen’s University Press, in the Canadian Essentials series edited by Professor Daniel Béland. It will be published in September 2024. ISBN 9780228022008. The cover design is by David Drummond.

Pre-order on Amazon (United States)
Pre-order on Amazon (Canada)

From the publisher:

Adaptability is the overlooked key to Canada’s survival in turbulent times.

Shifting geopolitics, regional conflicts, climate change, and technology shocks: these are just some of the factors that will make the twenty-first century dangerous for Canada. Adaptability, the capacity to anticipate and manage dangers, is essential for the country to survive and thrive. But Canada is not as adaptable as it once was.

“Superstates” now published by Polity Books

More information here.

Apr 26

Comments on “The Adaptable Country”

“While too many people in Canadian politics are focussed only on winning, Alasdair Roberts has produced a pithy guide to making Canada succeed, with an emphasis on planning, coordination, and an informed citizenry.” – Paul Wells, award-winning journalist and author of The Longer I’m Prime Minister

“Providing essential insight into Canada’s unique governance model, Alasdair Roberts urges us to face the challenges to our democratic institutions. The Adaptable Country is a must-read, opening a conversation about how the federal establishment can better work for the next generation.” – Senator Peter Harder

“A hyper-relevant call to action, as Canadians feel increasingly unsettled about our collective stability and resilience. Roberts seeks to shake us out of our complacency and think strategically about a challenging future for which we’re likely ill-prepared.” – Jennifer Ditchburn, President & CEO, Institute for Research on Public Policy

“A lively read, The Adaptable Country explores how governance has evolved in Canada. More approachable and broader in scope than much academic work in Canadian governance/public administration, it draws on key anecdotes to engage and inform a wide general readership.” – Emmett Macfarlane, coauthor of Legislating under the Charter

“The Adaptable Country offers a unique view of government and governing in Canada. Roberts examines public administration, political party, civil society, and political culture issues to assess which of these components of the system has been diminished or is currently not up to the task.” – Brooke Jeffrey, author of Road to Redemption

Pre-order on Amazon (United States).
Pre-order on Amazon (Canada)

Apr 23

Review of “Superstates” in Foreign Affairs

In the May/June 2024 issue of Foreign Affairs, Shivshankar Menon of Ashoka University reviews my book Superstates, published by Polity in 2023. Menon writes: “[Roberts] offers an insightful account of superstates’ internal governance and a thoughtful exploration of their similarities in diversity, fragility, leadership structures, and ideology.” Read the full review.

Apr 17

Short history of CAIRS/ATI database

Globe and Mail journalist Tom Cardoso recalls the Canadian government’s CAIRS database, which compiled Access to Information Act requests, in this blog post. As Tom mentions, I created a publicly accessible version of the database at Queen’s University in 2000.

Apr 15

Talk at Johnson Shoyama School

I’ll give a Zoom talk on April 18 about my book, The Adaptable Country, at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. Register here.

Apr 15

Presentation to OECD Foresight Community

I will speak to the OECD’s Government Foresight Community (GFC) on April 18 about my forthcoming book, The Adaptable Country. The talk is part of their international expert seminar series. More about the OECD’s Strategic Foresight work here. The Powerpoint for my talk is here.

Mar 31

Talk at the University of Kansas: Now on YouTube

I was a speaker in the discussion series on the future of democratic governance, at the School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Kansas, on February 15, 2024. News story here. Title of my talk: The challenge to democracy: Is American public administration ready? The talk can viewed on YouTube here:

Feb 26

Talk at Buffalo State University

I’ll give a talk on human rights and public administration at Buffalo State University on March 1. Details here.

Feb 3

Working paper on “universalization of fragility”

*Participants in the KU Leuven workshop*

I’ve written a short paper, “The universalization of fragility,” for the international seminar on future trends for the public sector, Instituut voor de Overheid, KU Leuven, February 8-9, 2024. Read the paper here. Abstract: “State fragility has been regarded as a problem found only in the developing world. In the twenty-first century, however, it will become a characteristic of states in the Global North as well. Everywhere, leaders and citizens will be preoccupied with basic problems of state cohesion and control. Fears about the decay of political stability and public order may undermine faith in democracy and encourage a shift to authoritarianism. To survive, democratic systems must improve their adaptability and resist the temptation to centralize authority in the face of crisis. Public administration scholars must also revise ideas and methods to remain relevant in this century. New ways of thinking about the field of public administration are required. Unfortunately, it is not clear that scholarly institutions have the motivation to make the necessary changes. So, academia itself faces a problem of adaptability as well.”

Feb 1

Submission to CHEA on NASPAA reaccreditation

The US Council on Higher Education Accreditation will consider NASPAA’s application for reaccreditation at a public meeting in Washington on March 11, 2024. My submission regarding NASPAA’s application is here. My view: “NASPAA should not be re-accredited unless it: stops representing itself as a global organization and standard-setter, or establishes a system for representation in decision-making appropriate for a global organization; and expresses its commitment to academic freedom and human rights, and shows how it will apply these core values consistently in accreditation and other activities.”

Jan 23

Editorial on adaptable government in APJPA

The Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Administration has published a short commentary, “Improving adaptability in democratic systems,” that is drawn from my forthcoming book, The Adaptable Country. The commentary can be read here. | More information about the book here.