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Progressives and conservatives are failing to find common ground in communities across the West. Citizens appear to have lost the shared sense of purpose and values necessary to debate matters of the public good respectfully, without alienating or disparaging their neighbours.

These developments raise important questions about the common ground that exists among various political communities. Those commonalities constitute political culture -- a set of often unspoken norms and values that provide stability and guide politics in a given community.

Our research employs innovative methods to study the state of political culture across the West, combining conventional surveys with community-based focus groups, school-based youth engagement, public opinion surveys, and coffeehouse conversations.

We are recruiting students and postdoctoral fellows.

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  • FOCUS GROUPS

    We’re engaging hundreds of westerners in activities and conversations to better understand the values underpinning politics in their communities.

  • VIEWPOINT ALBERTA

    We’re surveying thousands of westerners every year to take the political pulse of the region.

  • BECOMING ALBERTAN

    We’re working with hundreds of teachers and thousands of students to trace the roots of western political culture.

  • PUBLIC SERVANTS' ROLE

    Our research explores the position, function, and value of public servants to Canadian democracy.

Want to join our team?

We’re recruiting post-doctoral fellows, graduate students (MA, PhD), and undergraduate students.