I am Department Head and Professor in the Department of Sociology at Acadia University and teach courses on development, gender, globalization, and research methods. In 2024-2025, I am honoured to be the President of the Canadian Sociological Association.
I research the political sociology of international development and globalization. My current program of research has two concentrations: (1) foreign aid as a transnational process of development; and (2) gender and political power in the developing world.
My SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2021-2024; with Dr. Lisa Kaida, McMaster University) examines the relationship between Canadian foreign aid and the remittance sending behaviour of migrants to Canada from low- and middle-income aid eligible countries.
From 2016-2022, my SSHRC-funded Insight Grant, “Developing Conformity: Foreign Aid and the Diffusion of Global Norms”, employed cross-national statistical analysis to examine the role of foreign aid and other forms of development finance in the diffusion of global norms.
I am interested in working with Honours and MA students with research interests in the sociology of development and globalization, especially on topics related to foreign aid.
Fall 2024 Student Office Hours
Wednesdays, 13:00-15:00, BAC 309
To book an appointment, please visit: liamswiss.youcanbook.me
