Linda White

Linda A. White is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto. She works largely in the area of comparative social and family policy, particularly policies that support work and family life, as well as primary and secondary education equity, and gender equality policies and programs. In her 2017 book, Constructing Policy Change, she examines the expansion of early childhood education and care (ECEC) policies and programs in liberal welfare states, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA. The book argues that the primary mechanisms for policy change are grounded in policy investment logics as well as cultural logics: that is, shifts in public sentiments and government beliefs about the value of ECEC policies and programs are rooted in both evidence-based arguments and in principled beliefs about the policy. Her research therefore examines the ideas and norms that underpin public policy development and change. Her more recent research examines the finance, regulatory frameworks, and delivery agents that affect equal access and quality of social policy provision.