Feb. 24, 2021
U91快色 Political Science interviews our own Dr. Ian Brodie
Dr. Ian Brodie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the 91快色
Your work is broadly on Canadian political institutions and elections. Tell us a bit about how you came to devote your academic and non-academic life to this area?
Back in my undergrad days, I tried Engineering. But I found I was just a lot more interested in government, power, and the ways government power can be structured. I switched to political science and never really left. Three degrees, tenure at Western, a few years in politics and development banking. Back to U of C. Sort of sums it a career so far.]
Can you tell us about the research projects you have been working on?
I have a SSHRC grant for some work on Parliament and government. The original project was blown up by Covid and my return to politics for six months in 2020. But I鈥檓 getting it back on track. I hope, eventually, to write about a 鈥渘ormal鈥 year of legislative business in Parliament. I was working for Mr. Scheer during the Covid parliament鈥
Jason Ransom
What鈥檚 the next big thing you are planning to work on?
I鈥檓 also playing around with a project on financing election campaigns. The existing academic literature looks at how political money gets raised, but not really on how it gets spent. Having spent a few million political dollars myself, I thought I鈥檇 put pen to paper.
Finally, there are two rumours that we鈥檝e heard. First, that you are an accomplished amateur woodworker鈥攈and cutting your own dovetail joints. Second, that you鈥檝e crashed Buckingham Palace. True, not true?
I am a hack compared to my grandfather, who was an artisan. My first trip to London was on an official visit, so a bit weird. Breakfast at #10 Downing with Tony Blair, tea with Margaret Thatcher, and then cooling my heels in the Queen鈥檚 art gallery while my boss met the Queen. Accompanying staff are not allowed to meet the Queen. But it鈥檚 ok鈥擨鈥檝e watched The Crown and that鈥檚 basically the same.
Thanks to Dr. Ian Brodie for sharing with us.