Ryan Gibson
Coordinates
Office: SN 2012
Email: r.gibson@mun.ca
Phone: (709) 749-7270 or (353) 83 113 3146
Supervisors
Dr. Kelly Vodden (Memorial University), Dr. Keith Storey (Memorial University), and Prof. David Douglas (University of Guelph)
Dissertation Title
Understanding Rural Regional Governance: Implications for Theory, Policy and Community Development Practice
Research Description
Throughout Canada, rural communities are seeking new forms of governance to address challenges and opportunities associated with changing social, economic, and environmental dynamics. Rural communities are deliberately seeking localized means of decision making and planning by identifying various strategies to address these ever-changing dynamics. Bill Reimer (2004), a leading Canadian rural researcher, suggests that ‘new governance’ is the revolution that no one noticed.
The purpose of the research is to increase the understanding of the influence of people, relationships, and geography on rural regional governance models. The four main questions to be investigated are:
- Is the collaborative governance framework, proposed by Ansell and Gash (2007), appropriate for understanding rural regional governance?
- How do individuals, community-based organizations, and other key stakeholders influence the rural regional governance process or processes?
- How do spatial dimensions (regional boundaries) and place-based relationships influence the formation and operation of rural regional governance models? (iv) What is the relationship between historical/legacy government(s) and rural regional governance models?
Research Interests
- rural and regional development
- multi-community collaboration and governance
- mobility, migration, and immigration
- rural philanthropy and community foundations
Illustrative Publications and Presentations
Gibson, R., Bucklaschuk, J., & Annis, R. (forthcoming). Fostering a welcoming prairie city through community partnerships: Brandon, Manitoba’s response to temporary foreign workers. In G. Bonifacio & J. Drolet (Eds.), Immigration and the small city: Canadian experience and perspectives. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.
Gibson, R., & Vodden, K. (2011, April). Rural governance in the periphery: Regional development lessons learned from Canada. Presented at the Regional Development and Policy – Challenges, Choices and Recipients conference, Newcastle, UK.
Gibson, R., Annis, R., & Berry, J. (2011, April). Understanding welcoming communities and multiculturalism: Implications of intercultural relations in a prairie Canadian community. Presented at Migration: Economic Challenge, Social Change, London, UK.
Gibson, R., & Dominaux, G. (2010, October). Exploring regionalism in rural Newfoundland: The case of the Burin Peninsula. Presented Taking the Next Steps: Sustainability Planning, Policy and Participation for Rural Canadian Communities, Camrose, AB.
Annis, R., Gibson, R., & Berry, J. (2010, July). Welcoming communities: Intercultural relations in a prairie community. Presented at the Scientific Committee of the 20th International Congress of the International Association of Cross Cultural Psychology, Melbourne, Australia.
Gibson, R., Bucklaschuk, J., & Annis, R. (2010, April). Creating a welcoming prairie city through community partnerships: Brandon, Manitoba’s response to Temporary Foreign Workers. Presented at the American Association of Geographers Conference, Washington DC.
Bucklaschuk, J., Gibson, R., Annis, R., & Moss, A. (2009). Brandon as a welcoming community: Preliminary findings. Brandon, MB: Rural Development Institute, Brandon University.
Gibson, R., & Shanghvi, I. (2009). Diverse, dynamic and dedicated: Scan of Manitoba’s rural and northern community foundations. Brandon, MB: Rural Development Institute, Brandon University.
Annis, R., Peers, B., Gibson, R., & Moss, A. (2008). Emerging and evolving economic development opportunities for rural Manitoba. Brandon, MB: Rural Development Institute, Brandon University.
