معرفی
Robert Shepherd is a faculty member at Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) where he teaches and researches public-sector evaluation, accountability, and Indigenous governance. His recent work concentrates on institutionalizing spending reviews, strengthening internal accountability, and adapting public-administration pedagogy to on-line and crisis environments.
Education & Early Awards:
- PhD studies, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto
- C.B. MacPherson-Dawson Dissertation Fellowship (2001-02)
- Doctoral Studies Research Fellowship, University of Toronto (1997-98, 2000-01, 2001-02)
Research Interests: Shepherd’s scholarship sits at the intersection of public-policy evaluation and public-management reform. He examines how governments can embed evidence-based spending reviews, monitoring and evaluation units, and internal accountability mechanisms that survive political turnover. A complementary stream explores Indigenous governance, particularly the evaluation of programs designed by and for First Nations communities, with an emphasis on youth engagement and culturally grounded methodologies.
Publication Trends: Over 2020-24 he has published extensively on pandemic-era public management, the institutionalization of expenditure reviews in the Canadian federal government, and the challenges of evaluating Indigenous programs. His articles map a trajectory from episodic austerity exercises toward sustained analytic capacity inside government, while simultaneously advocating participatory and decolonizing approaches when evaluating programs in Indigenous contexts.
Honours & Awards:
- SPPA Excellence in Teaching Award (2013-14)
- C.B. MacPherson-Dawson Dissertation Fellowship (2001-02)
- Multiple Doctoral Studies Research Fellowships, University of Toronto (1997-98, 2000-01, 2001-02)
Graduate Teaching & Program Development: Shepherd has led the design and on-line delivery of graduate evaluation degrees and certificates, including inter-university partnerships aimed at civil servants in the Northwest Territories. His pedagogical research compares student engagement across on-line and blended formats and documents lessons learned from rapid remote teaching during COVID-19.
Media & Public Commentary: He is regularly cited in Canadian media on questions of government transparency, accountability lapses, and the need for strategic spending reviews, positioning his research at the centre of contemporary debates on public-service renewal.
