Meghan Joy

My research explores: the policy and politics of population aging; urban politics, policy and theory; and changing relations between the state and nonprofit organizations.

These topics are combined in my ongoing research agenda, which examines the ways in which municipalities and nonprofit actors develop and implement age-friendly policies and programs in collaboration with older adults. I also conduct research on the social innovation agenda (including social impact bonds and social innovation labs) and its impact on the nonprofit sector (with Dr. John Shields), ‘progressive’ urban politics and policy (with Dr. Ronald K. Vogel), and the design and implementation of sanctuary city policies (with Dr. Mireille Paquet). Recent publications include my book The Right to an Age Friendly City: Redistribution, Recognition, and Senior Citizen Rights in Urban Spaces (MQUP, 2020) and article “A Future Research Agenda for Transformational Urban Policy Studies” (with Dr. Ronald K. Vogel, Policy & Politics, 2022).

I am interested in supervising students on various topics related to urban politics and policy, aging policy, and changing state-nonprofit sector relations.  

POLI 487 Issues in Urban Governance

POLI 352 Comparative Urban Politics and Government

POLI 349 Political and Social Theory and the City

POLI 636/805 Theories of Public Policy and Public Administration

POLI 683/815 Urban Policy and Public Administration

            Joy, M. and Vogel, R. 2022. “A Future Research Agenda for Transformational Urban Policy Studies.” Policy & Politics, https://doi.org/10.1332/030557321X16521053190029

Paquet, M.,Benoit, N., Atak, I., Joy. M., Hudson, G., and Shields, J. “Sanctuary Cities and COVID-19: The Case of Canada.” In Triandafyllidou, A. Ed. Migration and Pandemics: Spaces of Solidarity and Spaces of Exception. Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG. 85-102.

            Joy, M. 2021. “Neoliberal Rationality and the Age Friendly Cities and Communities Program: Reflections on the Toronto Case.” Cities,108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102982

Joy, M. and Vogel, R. 2021. “Beyond Neoliberalism: A Policy Agenda for a Progressive City” Urban Affairs Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078087420984241

            Joy, M. 2020. The Right to an Age Friendly City: Redistribution, Recognition, and Senior Citizen Rights in Urban Spaces. Montreal, Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Joy, M. and Shields, J. 2020. “The Political Economy of the Non-profit Sector” Ed. Whiteside, H. Canadian Political Economy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 215-233.

Joy, M. and Shield, J. 2020. “Debate: How do Social Impact Bonds Economize Social Policy.” Public Money & Management 40(3): 1-3.  

Joy, M. Marier, P. and Séguin, A-M. 2020. “Age Friendly Cities: A panacea for aging in place?” Eds. Billette, V., Marier, P. and Séguin, A-M. Getting Wise about Getting Old: Debunking Myths about Aging. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. 64-72

            Joy, M., Shields, J. and Cheng, S.M. 2019. “Social Innovation Labs: A Neoliberal Austerity Driven Process or Democratic Intervention?” Alternate Routes: A Journal of Critical Social Research 30 (2): 35-54.

            Joy, M. 2018. “Problematizing the AgeFriendly Cities and Communities Program in Toronto”, Journal of Aging Studies, 47: 49-56. 

Joy, M., Marier, P. and Séguin, A-M. 2018.  “La démarche villes-amies des aînés. Un remède universel pour vieillir chez soi?”. Eds. Billette, V., Marier, P. and Séguin, A-M. Les vieillissement sous la loupe :entre mythes et réalités. Laval: Presses de l'Université Laval. 75-84.  

Joy, M. and Shields, J. 2018. “Austerity in the Making: Reconfiguring Social Policythrough Social Impact Bonds”. Policy& Politics, 46 (4): 681-695.   

Joy, M. 2018. “Les Municipalités amies des ainés et l’austérité à Toronto”, Pluriâges, 8(1).  

            Joy, M. and Shields, J. 2017. “Austerity and the Non-profit Sector: The Case of Social Impact Bonds” in The Austerity State. Eds. McBride, S. and Evans, B. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 309-329.

            Joy, M. and Mustachi, J. 2016. "Equity Planning through Gender-sensitive Planning: The Case of Toronto's Safer City Guidelines". Progressive Planning: The Magazine of Planners Network, Winter(206).

            Joy, M. and Vogel, R. K. 2015. “Toronto’s Governance Crisis: A Global City Under Pressure”. Cities, 49: 35-52.

            Joy, M. and Shields, J. 2014. “Social Impact Bonds” / “Les obligations à impact social”. Public Sector Management / Management Secteur Public 25 (3): 10-13.

            Joy, M. and Shields, J. 2013. “Social Impact Bonds: The Next Phase of Third Sector Marketization?” Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research 4(2):39-55.

Interim Director, engAGE (Concordia's Centre for Research on Aging)

Co-director, L’équipe de recherche Vieillissements, exclusions sociales et solidarités (VIES)

Co-director, Next Generation Cities Institute (NGCI)