Jacob Robbins-Kanter, PhD
Tagline:Political scientist and Associate Professor at Bishop's University | Politologue et professeur agrégé à l'Université Bishop's
Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
About Me | À propos de moi
[Le français suit]
I am a political scientist and associate professor in the Department of Politics and International Studies at Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Quebec. My research broadly focuses on Canadian politics, political parties, political communication, and representation. I received my PhD in Political Studies from Queen's University in 2021. Prior to this, I obtained a MA from Queen's and BA in Political Science from McGill.
As of July 2025, I am Chair of the Department of Politics and International Studies at Bishop's. Our department is known for its rigorous academic standards, small classes sizes, high-achieving students, excellent faculty, community atmosphere, and tight-knit alumni network that goes above and beyond to help students and graduates achieve their professional goals.
Our department and university offer unique and gratifying opportunities for English-speaking students to improve their French proficiency, as well as for French-speaking students to improve their English.
Learn more about our department here.
Outside of politics, I enjoy spending spare time running, hiking, swimming, or exploring a new city. I am lucky to live among the lakes and mountains of Quebec's Eastern Townships.
Je suis politologue et professeur agrégé au département de d'études politiques et internationales de l'Université Bishop's à Sherbrooke. Mes recherches portent principalement sur la politique canadienne, les partis politiques, la communication politique et la représentation. J'ai obtenu mon doctorat en études politiques de l'Université Queen's en 2021. Précédemment, j'ai obtenu une maîtrise à l'Université Queen's et un baccalauréat en sciences politiques à l'Université McGill.
À partir de juillet 2025, je suis directeur du département de politique et d'études internationales de l'Université Bishop's. Notre département est reconnu pour ses exigences académiques rigoureuses, ses étudiants très performants, son excellent corps professoral, la petite taille des classes, son atmosphère communautaire, et son réseau d'anciens étudiant(e)s qui se surpasse pour aider les étudiants et les diplômés à atteindre leurs objectifs professionnels.
Notre département et université offrent des opportunités uniques et gratifiantes aux étudiants anglophones d'améliorer leur maîtrise du français, ainsi qu'aux étudiants francophones d'améliorer leur anglais.
Pour en savoir plus sur notre département, cliquez ici.
En dehors de la politique, j'aime passer mon temps libre à courir, à faire de la randonnée, à nager ou à explorer une nouvelle ville. J'ai la chance de vivre parmi les lacs et les montagnes des Cantons-de-l'Est.
Research | Recherche
NEW BOOKS
I have two recent books available for purchase. Local Campaign Behaviour in Canadian Elections: The Contours of Centralization (University of Toronto Press) investigates the relationship between the local and national components of Canadian political parties. It focuses on elements of under-appreciated cooperation & conflict within party organizations in order to better understand election outcomes, how parties currently operate, and possibilities for stronger democratic representation.
The Working Class and Politics in Canada (UBC Press) is a three-part volume that examines the experience of workers in Canadian politics and society, considering the relationship between the working class and political science, political parties, voting patterns, and democratic engagement.
My research often relies on collaboration with political practitioners and other participants, typically through interviews or observational research. To date, I have interviewed over 100 politicians at all levels of government, as well as party strategists and journalists. Such insights are crucial to a better understanding of the Canadian political process. I ensure that confidentiality is respected, according to participants wishes, at all stages of research.
J'ai deux livres récents (disponibles en anglais). Local Campaign Behaviour in Canadian Elections : The Contours of Centralization (University of Toronto Press) porte sur la relation entre les composantes locales et nationales des partis politiques canadiens. Il se concentre sur les éléments de coopération et de conflit sous-estimés au sein de l’organisation de partis afin de mieux comprendre les résultats des élections, le fonctionnement actuel des partis et les possibilités d'une représentation démocratique plus forte.
The Working Class and Politics in Canada (UBC Press) est un ouvrage collectif en trois parties qui examine l'expérience des travailleurs dans la politique et la société canadiennes, en considérant la relation entre la classe ouvrière et la science politique, les partis politiques, les habitudes de vote et l'engagement démocratique.
Mes recherches s'appuient souvent sur une collaboration avec des praticiens de la politique et d'autres participants, généralement par le biais d'entretiens ou de recherches par observation. À ce jour, j'ai interrogé plus de 100 politiciens à tous les paliers de gouvernement, ainsi que des stratèges de partis et des journalistes. Ces informations sont essentielles pour mieux comprendre le processus politique canadien. Je veille à ce que la confidentialité soit respectée, conformément aux souhaits des participants, et ce à tous les stades de la recherche.
Recent Publications | Publications récentes
Local Campaign Behaviour in Canadian Elections: The Contours of Centralization
BookPublisher:University of Toronto PressDate:2025Authors:Jacob Robbins-KanterThe Working Class and Politics in Canada
BookPublisher:UBC PressDate:2025Authors:Jacob Robbins-KanterRoyce KoopDaniel Troup“Competitive on Many Levels”: Nationalism, Neoliberalism, and Misinformation in the 2023 Québec Tuition Debate
Journal ArticlePublisher:Quebec Studies Date:2025Authors:Jacob Robbins-KanterDaniel TroupClass Identity and Candidate Self-Presentation: Evidence from Canadian Provincial Elections
Journal ArticlePublisher:Canadian Journal of Political ScienceDate:2025Authors:Daniel WestlakeJacob Robbins-KanterCanadian Parties in the Constituencies
Book ChapterPublisher:University of Toronto PressDate:2024Authors:
Current Projects | Recherche en cours
Leaders' Debates in Canada (with Spencer McKay and Inessa DeAngelis)
date: 2023Description:There have been 38 leaders’ debates in Canada since 1968. These debates are usually the single most-watched events in federal election campaigns, offering busy voters a rare opportunity to hear from representatives of multiple major parties speak to a variety of issues in a relatively short amount of time. The debates receive considerable media coverage and motivate discussion among the general public, both in-person and on social media. The debates appear to have shaped voter opinions and behaviour, at least in some campaigns. Despite their apparent significance for Canadian election campaigns, there has been no recent, comprehensive study of the debates.
This book will make four main contributions to the study of Canadian elections and political communication. First, it will draw on theories of deliberative democracy to articulate a set of normative standards for evaluating the role of debates in election campaigns. Second, it will outline the historical evolution of the debates. Drawing on interviews and historical reporting, it will examine how earlier struggles between parties and networks established more deliberative norms and practices. Third, the book will offer original empirical analysis of the leaders’ debates from 2008-2021. We have collected and coded debate transcripts and media coverage to create new datasets that allows us to present new findings on the agenda-setting phase prior to the debates, the debates themselves, and the post-debate media coverage. Lastly, the book manuscript will consider proposals for institutional reform informed by our findings.
Candidate Identity and Diversity (with Daniel Westlake)
date: 2023Description:The diversity of election candidates is gaining increasing attention in both academic and journalistic inquiry. Scholars are particularly interested in descriptive representation, understood as the need for politicians to reflect the underlying diversity of their electorates. While it is one thing for candidates from diverse backgrounds to run for office, we know relatively little about how candidates frame their diverse identities when campaigning. This project addresses the issue of how political candidates present their identities to voters, for example, how do they frame their personal background in a campaign biography? Which aspects of their identity are highlighted, mentioned, or downplayed? If candidates do not feel they can express or emphasize diverse identities when campaigning, merely recruiting a more diverse set of candidates may have a limited effect on campaign discourse, policy debates, and the degree to which voters see their issues and identities reflected in electoral politics.
Working-Class Political Representation
date: 2022
Teaching | Enseignement
I'm fortunate to teach about fascinating contemporary issues and interact with inspiring students. The field of political science demands that we tackle fundamentally important questions affecting our daily lives:
What are the binding rules we should live under as a society?
Who gets to make these decisions?
How can we accommodate diverse identities in a way that minimizes social conflict and violence?
What limits should exist on allowable state action in a liberal democracy?
My teaching focuses on information literacy, critical thinking, and hands-on practice. I incorporate active learning through political simulations, concrete political puzzles, small-group discussion, interactive quizzes, guest speakers, and in-class debate. This type of learning is fostered by the small class sizes and supportive environment in politics courses at Bishop's.
I have taught the following courses at Bishop's:
Introduction to Canadian Politics (POL 112)
Provincial and Territorial Politics in Canada (POL 216)
US and Canadian Elections in Comparative Perspective (POL 259)
Methods and Approaches to Political Science (POL 262)
Federalism in Canada (POL 312)
Elections, Parties, and Voters in Canada (POL 318)
Techniques of Empirical Research (POL 361)
Honours Seminar in Canadian Politics (POL 410)
I may be willing to supervise independent studies and honours theses on the topics of political parties, elections, political communication, federalism, provincial politics, and Canadian public policy.
Examples of past supervisions:
Internal Colonialism: Canadian Federalism as a Tool of Structural Violence (McGuire, Linnie)
The Formation of a Political Agenda: The Boer Burger Beweging (Zeevat, Rene)
To What Extent Does Federalism Affect Canada’s Behaviour in International Environmental Trade Agreements? (Whyte, Angus)
A Comparative Analysis of Canadian Government Approaches to the Israel-Palestine Conflict Since 2006 (André, Valentin)
Conservative Approaches to Indigenous’ Self-Determination, Political Participation and Cultural Heritage in Canada and Australia Since 2007 (Lemarchandel, Théo)
I have received two teaching awards since beginning my position at Bishop's: in 2022 I received the Rising Star Award for standout teaching performance by a recently hired faculty member. In 2025, I received the Students as Partners Award for effectively empowering students in their own discovery of disciplinary knowledge.
Mon enseignement se concentre sur la pensée critique et l’ acquisition des compétences pratiques. J'intègre l'apprentissage actif par le biais de simulations politiques, d'énigmes politiques concrètes, de discussions en petits groupes, de quiz interactifs, de conférenciers invites, et de débats en classe. Ce type d'apprentissage est favorisé par la taille réduite des classes et l'environnement de soutien dans les cours d’études politique à Bishop's.
J'ai enseigné les cours suivants à Bishop's :
Introduction to Canadian Politics (POL 112)
Provincial and Territorial Politics in Canada (POL 216)
US and Canadian Elections in Comparative Perspective (POL 259)
Methods and Approaches to Political Science (POL 262)
Federalism in Canada (POL 312)
Elections, Parties, and Voters in Canada (POL 318)
Techniques of Empirical Research (POL 361)
Honours Seminar in Canadian Politics (POL 410)
Je suis disposé à superviser des études indépendantes et des thèses portant sur les partis politiques, les élections, la communication politique, le fédéralisme, la politique provinciale et la politique publique canadienne.
Exemples de supervisions antérieures :
Internal Colonialism: Canadian Federalism as a Tool of Structural Violence (McGuire, Linnie)
The Formation of a Political Agenda: The Boer Burger Beweging (Zeevat, Rene)
To What Extent Does Federalism Affect Canada’s Behaviour in International Environmental Trade Agreements? (Whyte, Angus)
A Comparative Analysis of Canadian Governments Approaches to the Israel-Palestine Conflict Since 2006 (André, Valentin)
Conservative Approaches to Indigenous’ Self-Determination, Political Participation and Cultural Heritage in Canada and Australia Since 2007 (Lemarchandel, Théo)
J'ai reçu deux prix d'enseignement depuis mon entrée en fonction à Bishop's : en 2022, j'ai reçu le prix Rising Star Award pour la performance exceptionnelle en enseignement d'un membre du corps professoral récemment embauché. En 2025, j'ai reçu le prix Students as Partners Award pour avoir efficacement outilé les étudiant(e)s dans leur propre découverte des connaissances disciplinaires.
Media | Médias
I am generally available for media interviews (English or French) on topics relating to Canadian politics, political parties, elections, and political communications. I have previously provided commentary for outlets such as CBC News, Radio Canada, CTV, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The National Post, Global News, and National Public Radio (NPR).
For media inquiries, please email me.
Je suis généralement disponible pour des entrevues avec les médias (en anglais ou en français) sur des sujets liés à la politique canadienne, aux partis politiques, aux élections et à la communication politique. J'ai déjà fourni des commentaires à des médias tels que CBC News, Radio Canada, CTV, The Toronto Star, The National Post, Global News et National Public Radio (NPR).
Pour les demandes de renseignements des médias, veuillez m'envoyer un courriel.