Understanding the Manitoba election: Campaigns, participation, issues, place
The University of Manitoba Press is issuing their first-ever digital-only publication, and it’s a book analyzing the recent Manitoba general election.
To be released on May 6, 2016, just 17 days after election day, Understanding the Manitoba Election 2016, Campaigns, Participation, Issues, Place is an open-access publication providing early analysis and insights into the decision that Manitoba voters made.
Before it even begun, the 2016 Manitoba election campaign promised to be a dramatic one. Anticipating this, a team of two dozen political experts—academics, policy experts, and journalists—followed the campaign and contributed their findings to Understanding the Manitoba Election 2016.
“Manitoba sometimes suffers from a clichéd view of its public life, but our politics are not as ‘moderate’ as the media and academics often convey, nor are the province’s economic and social problems as phlegmatic as they might seem,” says Barry Ferguson, Duff Roblin Professor of Manitoba Government at the U of M and one of book’s editors.
UM Press’ first-ever digital-only publication, analyzes the recent Manitoba general election
“This e-book will prompt the kind of public reaction and sustained academic analysis that is sometimes hard to achieve, and will help give a more nuanced picture of our province.”
Contributions cover a wide range of themes, including public opinion, media coverage, voter turnout, Indigenous issues, fiscal and social policy, and the relation of Manitoba politics to recent developments across Canada.
“University presses have a long tradition of innovation, and at U of M Press we are excited to be a partner in this new way to bring the work of leading Manitoba scholars to a wider audience,” says David Carr, director of the University of Manitoba Press.
The idea for this digital-only book originated from its four editors — Barry Ferguson, Royce Koop, Karine Levasseur, and Andrea Rounce – all U of M professors.
“Traditional academic publishing can take upwards of a year or more to complete,” says Karine Levasseur, associate professor of political studies and one of the book’s editors. “Our e-book will provide analysis of what this provincial elections means to governing in the keystone province less than three weeks after the April 19th election day, with open access to everyone.”
Like all edited collections, the real story of how and why this election unfolded comes from the 27 contributors to this edition, Levasseur says.
“Their work is a testament to the breadth and depth of the scholarly community in this province and about the importance of elections.”
Copies of Understanding the Manitoba Election 2016 can be obtained here.