Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Alex Rivard
Dr. Alexandre (Alex) Rivard is an Assistant Professor (LTA) at the School of Public Policy. Dr. Rivard’s research spans three primary domains. He delves into public opinion and its influence on public policy, particularly examining the ideological underpinnings that shape support or opposition to initiatives like new housing. His work explores Canadian political institutions, including legislatures, electoral processes, and the trajectories of political careers. Lastly, he maintains an active research interest focusing on secessionist parties in Western Europe and North America.
Dr. Rivard obtained his doctoral degree in political science from the University of British Columbia. Prior to his tenure at SFU, he pursued postdoctoral fellowships at Université de Montréal (2022-2023) and with the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship at Université Laval (2021-2022).
His scholarly contributions have been showcased in esteemed journals such as the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Representation, and Nations & Nationalism. Dr. Rivard also shares his insights through op-eds published in prominent outlets like the Toronto Star and the Vancouver Sun.
What brought you to Simon Fraser University?
I was wrapping up a postdoctoral fellowship at Université de Montréal, where I was working on a project that looked at the career paths of legislators. At the same time, I was also developing a new research project which focused on why people so vehemently object to the construction of new housing. So, while I was eager to continue working on projects like legislatures and legislators, I was getting increasingly interested in studying public policy from a political science/political behaviour standpoint.
Immediately, I was drawn to this job when I saw it listed. I hold a master’s in public policy and public administration from Concordia University in Montréal, and I was eager to get back to the study of public policy. I thought that the opportunity to be at the School of Public Policy at SFU would be exactly what I needed to expand, and develop, a new research project concerning housing. Thankfully, that’s exactly what happened.
What sparked your interest in public policy? More specifically, in public opinion, political behaviour, and housing policy?
What sparked my interest in the intersection between public opinion and housing mostly stems from the fact that I’ve been living in Vancouver (where 42% of homeowners are mortgage free) for nearly ten years, and house prices continue to climb—Royal Lepage estimates that by the end of 2024, that the median price of a detached house in Vancouver will be roughly $1.7 million! One of the ways by which we can lower the price of housing is by building more houses. Yet it seemed to me that neighbourhood groups were really vocal in their opposition to having new houses built in their neighbourhoods. They might complain about cars, traffic, parking, services, or changes to the neighbourhood character. But these complaints, and the desire to subsequently limit the supply of new houses, only serves to push the price of houses higher further still, alienating young families who might want to buy a house (a 1951-built bungalow in my neighbourhood was recently listed (and sold) for over $3M! A $3M house requires a minimum down payment of $600,000!).
I was curious, then, why do people oppose new housing so much. Was it because they wanted to protect their property value? Do they not want new neighbours in general? Or are there ideological reasons that people don’t want new houses built?
In effect, I wanted to see if there are ways to mitigate opposition to facilitate the construction of new housing in order to make it easier for people to become homeowners in one of the most expensive cities in world.
What is the most critical issue your research addresses? And why is it important to you in particular?
The most critical issue my research addresses is that it identifies why people object to new housing. Very briefly, we find that people object to new houses being built not because they’re homeowners but because they’re opposed to new housing from an ideological standpoint—that is, people have deeply held ideological values that are hard to move which shape their opinion on the construction of new housing.
Yet my research also shows that Canadians actually do support new housing and changes to current zoning laws! So it becomes a bit of a puzzle—how come legislators keep listening to the loudest voices, those who are opposed, when the average Canadian is, actually, quite supportive of increasing housing supply?
From a personal perspective, this research project is quite important to me because I’ve been living in Vancouver for ten years, and myself and other young families are systematically squeezed out of the housing market. I would just like to make it a little bit easier for people to become homeowners!
So far, what have you enjoyed about being at SFU in the School of Public Policy?
The things I’ve enjoyed the most have been the students and faculty. I’ve found the students to be inquisitive and that they like to participate in seminars. As a professor, this is great because it makes organizing seminar discussions much easier as students are willing and eager to discuss themes/readings.
The faculty has been amazing. Everybody has been really welcoming and accommodating. There’s also a great sense of academic freedom where I am encouraged to study both policy-related topics as well as more classic political science topics as well.
Do you have any advice to offer students who are considering their future in the field of public policy?
Don’t shy away from the statistics courses! I know they might seem daunting, but I promise that it’s worth it and will make you a well-rounded policy analyst. Quantitative/statistical skills are a great tool to have!