| Program Overview
The International Comparative Rural Policy Studies (ICRPS)
Consortium, comprising 11 universities in Canada, Europe and the USA,
has developed an advanced program to enhance policy formulation and
analysis in the rural context. The ICRPS program is the first of its kind that enables students to examine and compare the role of rural policy in different cultural, political and administrative contexts in Europe and North America, as well as in the South.
Designed for graduate students and mid-career professionals, the ICRPS program will introduce the skills to analyze and compare policies at the international, national, state, regional and local levels. It will also provide the opportunity to study the nature and implications of new forms of governance in rural contexts.
The key elements of the ICRPS program are: two-week international summer institute, comparative rural policy research project,
online distance learning courses.
The Summer School
The summer school rotates among partner countries and involves staff from all partner institutions. Participation is limited
and priority is given to students registered in relevant programs at partner institutions.
Places are available to participants from non-partner institutions for professional development.
The summer school includes: field visits to observe rural policy in action at local, regional and federal levels. Participants complete group work, assignments and simulation exercises for which they receive grades.
Further information on Summer Schools.
Comparative Rural Policy Research Project
While at the summer school, participants also develop a proposal for a comparative rural policy research project. This is normally undertaken during the next 12 months of study or as their PhD.
Online Courses
The ICRPS consortium plans to develop a suite of online courses over the next few years and also plan to introduce an optional program of research internships.
The following distance learning courses are available online from the
University of Guelph: Policy Analysis, Policy for Community Economic Development,
and Policy and Program Evaluation.
Toward the Future
In the face of rapid globalization and the internationalization of many decision-making processes, comparative rural policy has become an area of growing importance. Particularly in the rural sphere, issues of the relationship between
trade, development and agriculture have come to the fore during the current round of international trade talks. The implications for national policy goals, management of rural resources and sustainability of rural communities cannot be disputed.
Future policies towards trade, environment and development will all have profound effects on rural areas and peoples; as such, there is a need to improve the “tool kit” that policy makers can use to deal with national and trans-national issues. There is also a need to build a global link between educators and students about rural policy issues. The ICRPS program will examine a variety of these issues, including:
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“How can we define and measure ‘healthy and sustainable rural communities’ and do our current
policies in Canada, the USA and Europe ‘produce’ these, or not?
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“How do the agricultural policies of the richer countries of the EU, USA and Canada impact on development
prospects of the ‘third world’, and can we devise rural development policies for our rural communities that do not harm development prospects in the wider world?”
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“Will environmental, economic or social policy take care of the rural world
or will new rural policies have to be formulated. If so, by whom and by what means?”
Core Faculty
The ICRPS core faculty are leaders in their fields and their academic diversity provides a truly exciting learning experience for all concerned.
ICRPS core faculty members are regularly joined by
distinguished faculty members.
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