Keywords
Child Poverty, Public Policy, Social Policy, Canadian Politics, Windsor, Ontario
Abstract
In 1989, the federal government mandated to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. This paper explores the political, economic, and social determinants of persistent and high rates of child poverty in the Windsor-Essex region of Ontario eighteen years after the stated deadline for this mandate. By asking the question of what social, political, and economic factors contribute to the stable and high rates of child poverty in Windsor-Essex, this paper argues that child poverty in the Windsor CMA is due to (1) a lack of political leadership and investment; (2) the lack of economic diversification; (3) a flawed support structure; (4) persistent social and economic barriers; and (5) a poverty reduction strategy that operates on a mitigation paradigm. Using a historical institutionalist framework, and by conducting six interviews with individuals working directly in the field of child poverty, this paper aims to provide a qualitative analysis to establish the political, social, and economic determinants of child poverty.
Primary Advisor
Dr. Elena Maltseva
Program Reader
Dr. Jamey Essex
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Political Science
Document Type
Major Research Paper
Convocation Year
2019