Parkland Institute

Not to be confused with Pembina Institute.

The Parkland Institute is an Alberta-wide, non-partisan research institute, situated within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta.^[1] The Institute studies economic, social, cultural, and political issues using the intellectual approach of Canadian political economy.^[2]

The Parkland Institute

Formation	1996
Type	Public policy think tank
Location	Edmonton, Alberta
Website	www.parklandinstitute.ca

The Institute was founded in the fall of 1996,^[1] and first came to public attention in February 1997 when it co-published with the University of Alberta Press the book Shredding the Public Interest: Ralph Klein and 25 Years of One-Party Government by researcher Kevin Taft.^[3] Then-Alberta premier Ralph Klein accused Taft of promoting "communism"^[4] and the book quickly became a best-seller.^[5][6]

In addition to publishing and disseminating the findings of research,^[7] the Parkland Institute has hosted an annual conference each November at the University of Alberta since 1997.^[8]

History

The Parkland Institute was founded in 1996 by Gordon Laxer, a political economist in the University of Alberta's sociology department, who became the Institute's first director.^[1][9]

The Institute's first publication, Shredding the Public Interest: Ralph Klein and 25 Years of One-Party Government by researcher Kevin Taft became a best-seller^[5][6] after then-premier Ralph Klein criticized the report and accused Taft of being a communist.^[4]

In November 1997, the Institute held its first annual conference, "Globalization, Corporatism & Democracy: Alberta and Canada," which featured a keynote presentation by John Ralston Saul.^[10]

In March 1999, Ralph Klein again attacked the Institute, sending a letter of complaint about a conference presentation by economist Armine Yalnizyan to then University of Alberta President Rod Fraser, in which he accused the Institute of being "factually challenged" and "one-sided and ideologically biased."^[11]

Bill Moore-Kilgannon was the Institute's Executive Director for the first four years,^[12] and was replaced by current Executive Director Ricardo Acuña in May 2002.^[13]

In January 2012, Gordon Laxer stepped down as Director, and was replaced by University of Lethbridge sociologist Trevor Harrison.^[14]

Research and publications

The Institute "studies economic, social, cultural and political issues using the perspective of Canadian political economy,"^[15] and focuses its research in the areas of taxation and finance in Alberta, energy policy, poverty and social inequality, democracy and governance, labour markers, education, and health care.^[7] All of the Institute's research is peer reviewed prior to publication.^[16]

The most common research formats for the Parkland Institute are reports and fact sheets; the Institute has published over 80 since 1999.^[7] The Institute also published or co-published six books between 1999 and 2006.^[17] Two of the Institute's books, Shredding the Public Interest: Ralph Klein and 25 Years of One-Party Government and Clear Answers: The Economics and Politics of For-Profit Medicine were best-sellers.^[5][6][18]

The Institute published a regular newsletter, The Parkland Post, but suspended publication in fall 2013.^[19]

Annual Conference

Starting in 1997, the Institute has held its annual fall conference each November on the University of Alberta campus.^[20]

Past conference keynote speakers have included John Ralston Saul, Vandana Shiva, Helen Caldicott, Michael Parenti, Linda McQuaig, Maude Barlow, Margaret Atwood, Ronald Wright, Chris Hedges, and Guy Standing.^[20]