The Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions is currently focused on two research themes: platforms and media, and health.
Our projects are generously supported by sources including the Canada Research Chair programme, Canada Foundation for Innovation, and multiple grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Platforms and Media
Over the last decade, social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok have played a major role in shaping public discourse and politics. We take an interdisciplinary approach to examine how the rise of platforms and other trends in online communication affect democracy, and to consider potential paths for policy reform.
We use qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how online platforms affect citizens and democratic functioning. This work includes our investigations of online abuse targeting politicians, health communicators, and other public figures. We are also building partnerships to understand the global effects of platforms on democratic participation and institutions, for example during elections.
Health
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted again the importance of politics and democratic institutions for public health responses. We investigate possibilities for democratic communication in public health, and challenges such as misinformation, and social inequities. We are particularly interested in communications during pandemics, though we are also pursuing projects on worker protests and post-viral syndromes. Our work on health also includes developing teaching case studies on COVID-19.