Beyond the Headlines

Digital Activism in Fourth Wave Feminism - Part 1

Following the rise of social media and digital platforms, digital activism has become a cornerstone of the most recent social movements, especially the fourth wave of feminism characterized by online movements such as Me too and Times Up. Organizing digitally has enabled these feminist movements to reach much wider audiences and led to large-scale participation the world over. This week's episode dives into what fourth wave feminism is and how digital media has contributed to its performance.
In our first segment, Dr. Zeinab Farokhi provides an overview of fourth-wave feminism. Topics discussed include: Whether digital platforms have made the fourth-wave more inclusive than past feminist movements, whether the fourth wave has been reduced to performative messaging and branding by companies, the evolving role of men in feminist movements, concerns that digitization has also lended legitimacy to anti-feminist movements, and whether measuring success ought to depend upon legislative progress. 
In the second segment, we are joined by Professor Sara Liao from Penn State University for a conversation about the impacts and significance of fourth-wave feminism for China, including: The origins of the #MeToo movement in China, techniques used by the Chinese state to silence feminist activists online, the impacts of transnational networks, whether there has been meaningful progress in terms of legislative victories and public opinion, and much more. 
 
Guests:
Dr. Zeinab Farokhi earned her PhD in Women and Gender Studies and Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto. She is currently a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at Concordia University (2022-24) and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her dissertation, "Digital Islamophobia: A Comparison of Right-Wing Extremist Groups in Canada, the United States, and India," investigated and tracked the gendered, affective, and transnational digital strategies, rhetoric, and affinities of anti-Muslim extremist actors on Twitter via qualitative discourse analysis. Building on her dissertation, Dr. Farokhi's postdoctoral research will conduct a mix-methods comparison of Hindu nationalist and white supremacist discourses on Youtube in order to further assess the affective and affinitive alignments among extremist groups and their exploitation of audio-visual affordances. Dr. Farokhi's work emphasizes feminist approaches to extremism, digital media, and transnational and diaspora studies and highlights the urgent need to better understand how national and transnational extremist rhetoric manifests, spreads, and persuades across digital ecologies.
Professor Sara Liao is a media scholar and feminist based out of Penn State University. Her research interests intersect digital labor, feminist studies, globalization, and East Asian popular culture. Her book Fashioning China (Pluto, 2020) investigates gendered digital labor in China’s maker culture and fashion industry, highlighting how social media commerce has transformed creative industries, and produced new forms of creativity, identity, and precarity in work and life. She has published in renowned academic journals such as Journal of Communication, Signs: Journal of women in Culture and Society, Communication, Culture & Critique, and Convergence. She currently works on researching and writing about the tangled relationship between digital culture of misogyny and popular nationalism in China. 
 
Producers:
Yashree Sharma
Raagini Singh Panwar
Ayesha Ali

Understanding Ontario’s ODSP & MAID programs

On today’s episode, we will be talking about ODSP and Medical assistance in dying, (MAID). There is currently inadequate funding and support for people living with disabilities in Ontario through the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). An overwhelming majority of ODSP recipients live in poverty, with access to affordable housing and affordable healthcare being out of reach for many. This problem is coupled with expansion in 2021 of the eligibility for Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), that has seen increased rates of application from those struggling under Ontario’s system, and there is concern over the potential future expansion in March of this year. Our first guest, Mike Schreiner, a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) and leader of the Ontario Green Party since 2009, speaks about the recent trend and what can be done about improving ODSP. Our second guest, Trevor Manon outlines the work done by the ODSP Action Coalition, of which he is Secretary Co-Chair, and the challenges faced by those who rely on the group and their advocacy.
 
Guests
Mike Schreiner -  Green Party of Ontario
Trevor Manson - ODSP Action Coalition 
 
Producers
Maria Cvetkova - Junior Producer
Antoine Fougere-Ramsamooj - Junior Producer
Jordan Egan - Junior Producer

Iran: Women, Life, Freedom

On September 13th of last year, 22-year-old Jina “Mahsa” Amini was arrested by Iran's morality police for violating its strict Islamic dress code. She was allegedly severely beaten and died three days later while still in police custody. This triggered protests across the nation led primarily by women who tore off their hijabs, cut their hair and adopted a rallying cry of “women, life, freedom.” Today, a full 125 days later, we take a closer look at this protest, the Iranian government’s response, and its implications for Canada, and the rest of the world. Our first guest, Professor Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi from the University of Toronto, will get us up to speed on the protests, the second guest, Lily Pourzand, will highlight the role of women in this ongoing struggle, and finally, Professor Ali Dizboni will shed a light on the broader security perspective. 
 
Guests:
 
Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi - University of Toronto
 
Lily Pourzand - Sandgate Women’s Shelter
 
Ali Ghanbarpour-Dizboni - Royal Military College of Canada
 
Producers:
 
Nikoo Tajdolat - Junior Producer
 
Ibtesaam Moosa - Junior Producer
 
Connor Fraser - Executive Producer

Diving into policy: Water management in Ontario and beyond

Canada is lucky to border on the Great lakes, which hold about 20% of the world’s freshwater. Today the show host will be talking about the importance of good policies to manage our water and delve into some of the environmental and policy challenges attached.
 
Guests:
Dr. George ArhonditsisDr. Gail Krantzberg
 
Producer:
Jordan Egan - Junior Producer
Roberto Fusciardi - Junior Producer
Antoine Fougere-Ramsamooj - Junior Producer
 

Russia’s Disinformation Campaign: Putin Fake News Out There

In spite of varying opinions on disinformation, some experts argue that its effects on our democracies and the international security landscape remain widely underestimated. In the first segment, Mina speaks to Dr. Peter Loewen about Russia's disinformation campaign as a form of hybrid warfare, how it's affecting democratic nations and its implications for policymakers. Marie then speaks to Dr. Maxim Alyukov to explore Russia's disinformation apparatus. How and why does the Kremlin spread disinformation? What are the consequences of disinformation on Russian politics and Russian society? And how has Russian disinformation affected domestic perspectives of the War in Ukraine?
 
Guests: Dr Peter Loewen, Dr. Maxim Alyukov
 
Producers: Fabian Siau, Marie Ascencio, Mina Zahine

Learning Loss: A Global Education Policy Issue

According to UNESCO, 617 million children and adolescents around the world are not reaching minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. This “learning crisis” threatens progress towards the 4th Sustainable Development Goal, which calls for action to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this crisis across the world, disproportionately affecting the most marginalized students in high-, middle-, and low-income countries. In this episode we learn about the different strategies and perspectives on the issue of the learning crisis in Canada and developing countries. Furthermore, we delve into ways the worsened learning crisis can be addressed in the post pandemic context. 
 
Further Reading:
 
UNESCO, ., UNICEF, . & World Bank. (2021). The State of the Global Education Crisis : A Path to Recovery. UNESCO, Paris, UNICEF, New York, and World Bank, Washington, DC. 
 
Guest Biographies:
 
Dr. Nina Bascia is a Professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher & Adult Education at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. She is also a Visiting Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Bascia is the founding Director of the Collaborative Program in Educational Policy. She is a leading scholar of educational policy as it intersects with schools as organizations, and particularly with teachers' work. Her research emphasizes educational policy analysis and program evaluation; organizational and social context of teaching and administration; and teacher leadership and development, teacher unions and professional associations.
 
Dr. Moussa Blimpo is an Assistant Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. He formerly served as a Senior Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist for the Africa Region at the World Bank. His work on the economics of education examines how critical demand-side features drive education quality and skills acquisition, particularly the incentives and involvement of students and parents in the educational system. He is also a member of the Intellectual Leadership Team of the Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) Programme, which seeks to understand how education systems in developing countries can raise learning outcomes.
 
Producers:
 
Anukriti Randev - Junior Producer
 
Keyi Liu - Junior Producer
 
Yunji Hwang - Junior Producer
 
Connor Fraser - Executive Producer

The “Good” Capitalism: Social Enterprises & Microfinance

Microfinance and social enterprise have seen a rise in popularity since the turn of the 21st century. But what exactly are social enterprises? And is microfinance the golden bullet that can solve the problem of poverty? Today, joined by Professor Ann Armstrong, Professor Laura Doering and Professor Moussa Blimpo, we will dive into the topic of social enterprise and microfinance and discuss their role in addressing inequality and global developmental challenges.
 
Guests:
Ann Armstrong - University of Toronto - Rotman School of ManagementLaura Doering - University of Toronto - Rotman School of ManagementMoussa Blimpo - University of Toronto - Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
Producer:
Yashree Sharma - Junior producer
Vicky Li - Junior Producer 
 

How Addressing the Supply Crisis Can Create a More Equitable, Resilient Society

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses across many sectors of the economy have found it increasingly difficult to find workers. According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio reached an historic low of 1.4 in June 2022, amidst a record tight labour market. In particular, significant impacts have been felt within the healthcare and social assistance, construction, and manufacturing sectors. Today we unpack the causes and consequences of Canada’s labour supply crisis. What, if anything, can be done to improve the situation? Moreover, our guest Sean Speer outlined in a recent white paper entitled “The Urgent Case for a Supply Rebuild: Investing in a New Economic Compact for Canada” that we are facing broader supply shortages, for example related to the supply of energy, housing, and ideas. The latter part of our discussion addresses the rationale for government involvement in a broader supply rebuild. What is the role of government, and what are the long-term consequences of inaction?
 
Guest Bio - @Sean_Speer:
 
Our guest today is Sean Speer. Sean is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, Editor-at-Large with The Hub, and a project director at Ontario 360. Additionally, Sean is the Public Policy Forum’s Scotiabank Fellow in Strategic Competitiveness and, luckily for us, the Faculty Advisor of Beyond the Headlines. He has previously served in different roles for the federal government, including as senior economic advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Sean has written extensively about federal policy issues, including taxes and government spending, retirement income security, social mobility, and economic competitiveness. Sean holds an M.A. in History from Carleton University and has studied economic history as a PhD candidate at Queen’s University.
 
Further Reading:
 
Porter, D., & Kavkic, R. (2022). Workers Wanted: Demand, Demographics and Disruption (Focus). BMO.
 
Ragan, C. (2010). Two Policy Challenges Driven by Population Aging. Policy Options, 31(9), 72–79.
 
Shingler, B., & Bruce, G. (2022, August 23). In a tight labour market, this is where Canadian workers are going. CBC.
 
Speer, S., & Greenspon, E. (2022, November 1). The Urgent Case for a Supply Rebuild: Investing in a New Economic Compact for Canada. Public Policy Forum.
 
Producers:
 
Connor Fraser - Executive Producer

66 North: Arctic Security

In the era of climate change, we’ve seen how greater and easier access to the Arctic has raised the questions of how Canada can better protect its Northern sovereignty, and contribute to relationships with its allies. In this week’s episode, we will discuss some opportunities Canada can explore to expand its security capabilities in the Arctic. We will also break down what roles Canada should play in multilateral institutions that cooperatively govern interaction in the North.
 
Guests
Andrea Charron, PhD
Colonel (Retired) Pierre Leblanc, MBA, OStJ, CD
 
Producers
Roberto Fusciardi, Maria Cvetkova, Grace Wang

The Importance of Youth in Global Politics

Youth are regularly held up as the world’s future leaders, but institutions often fail to consider their input in the present. Following the IMF/ World Bank Annual Meeting in Washington DC, Young Diplomats of Canada - Dael Vasquez and Shayaan Kaleem - explore why youth matter in global politics by interviewing guests on the impact that the IMF and World Bank have on youth around the world.
Guests:
James Clark is an Advisor in the Office of the Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean to the World Bank Group. He holds a Master's of Public Policy from University of Toronto, and previously held roles at the Canadian Ministry of Finance, and Global Affairs Canada.
Caroline Ng is a fourth year University of New South Wales Business Information Systems Co-op scholar. She is pursuing a career in cyber security, combining her passions for technology and keeping people safe.
Marko Golubovac is studying towards his Bachelor's of Commerce at The University of Melbourne, majoring in Finance and Marketing. He is passionate about strengthening sustainability practices in business and is writing a domestic policy proposal on climate change induced migration.
Producers:
Dael Vasquez-Hernandez, Head Delegate
Shayaan Ali Kaleem, Communications Coordinator
Connor Fraser - Executive Producer