成人大片

Skip to Main Content
You are now in the main content area
Johns, Carolyn

Carolyn Johns

Professor
EducationPhD (Political Science, Comparative Public Policy), McMaster University
Phone(416) 979-5000 x 556146

Biography

Dr. Johns is currently a lead Co-Principal Investigator on a Global Center for Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Transboundary Waters with the University of Michigan and McMaster University jointly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).  This 5 year project (2024-2029) focuses on interdisciplinary research on climate change, water change, and community resilience in the Great Lakes region and other North American and global transboundary water regions. 

Dr. Johns also serves as Chair of the Geoffrey Bruce Fellowships Program in Canadian Freshwater Policy; as a member of the International Joint Commission's ; is a member of Toronto Met Urban Water and is a Massey Senior Fellow.

She teaches courses in public policy, public administration, environmental politics and policy at the undergraduate and graduate level. She supervises several graduate students in 成人大片鈥檚 Master of Public Policy and Administration, PhD in Policy Studies, and Masters/PhD in Environmental Applied Science and Management. She has served as Graduate Program Director of the interdisciplinary PhD program in Policy Studies, the Master of Public Policy and Administration program, and as Undergraduate Program Director of the Public Administration and Governance program.

  • Saadi, S., & Johns, C. (2026). From permits to policy: Insights from an analysis of Ontario鈥檚 open water permit data (1960鈥�2022). Canadian Water Resources Journal, 1鈥�34
  • Saadi, S., Johns, C., & Paredes, D. (2025). Groundwater permits in Ontario: An analysis of open data. Canadian Water Resources Journal, 1鈥�30.
  • Bassone-Quashie, Y., C. Johns 2025. The State of Climate Resilience and Water Governance in the City of Toronto: Advancing Adaptation at the Climate鈥揥ater Interface Through Baseline Assessment Research, Climate Resilience and Sustainability, 4(2), 1-26.
  • C.Johns, 2024. Canada鈥檚 Green Transition: Where is Water Policy? In D.VanNijnatten, ed. Canadian Environmental Policy and Politics, 5th Edition, (Toronto: Oxford University Press), 250-267.
  • Bassone-Quashie, Y., C. Johns and D.VanNijnatten, 2023. 鈥淲ater, Climate Change and Uncertainty in the Great Lakes and Rio Grande/Bravo Regions: Implications for Adaptive Governance鈥�, Journal of Water and Climate Change, 14(3), 712-729.
  • Johns, C. and D. VanNijnatten, 2022, 鈥淓mbracing Complexity in Policy Implementation Research: A Comparison of Water Policy Implementation in the Great Lakes and Rio Grande/Bravo Regions鈥�, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice DOI: 
  • G.Inwood and C.Johns, 2022. 鈥淐ommissions of Inquiry and Task Forces as Policy Tools鈥�, in M. Howlett ed. Handbook of Policy Tools, Routledge Press, 210-221.
  • C.Johns, 2022. 鈥淓mbracing the Complexity of Policy Success: The Great Lakes Case鈥�, in E. Lindquist, M. Howlett, G. Skogstad, G. Tellier, P. 鈥榯 Hart. eds. Policy Success in Canada: Cases, Lessons, Challenges. Oxford University Press, 348-372.
  • Johns, C. 2021. 鈥淎pplying the OECD鈥檚 Water Governance Indicators in a Transboundary Case: The North American Great Lakes鈥�, Water International, 46:7-8, 976-999.
  • Johns, C. and D.VanNijnatten, 2021. 鈥淯sing Indicators to Assess Transboundary Water Governance in the Great Lakes and Rio Grande-Bravo regions鈥�, Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Vol.10, 100102-.
  • C.Johns and S. Stewart, 2021.鈥榃ater Values and Public Policy鈥�, in Catherine Febria and Gail Krantzberg ed. Inland Waters Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition, Oxford, UK: Elsevier Publishers, 1-12.
  • D.VanNijnatten and C. Johns, 2021. 鈥淓nvironmental vs. Territorial Borders: Canada-US Cooperation on Environmental Issues and the Resilience of Transboundary Governance鈥�, in Geoffrey Hale and Greg Anderson ed. Navigating a Changing World: Canada鈥檚 International Policies in an Age of Uncertainties, Toronto: Oxford University Press, 255-282.
  • C. Johns, 2021. 鈥淚deas, Values and Ethics: Integrating a Values-based Approach into Water Policy in Canada鈥�, in I. Stefanovic and Zafar Adeel ed. Ethical Water Stewardship 鈥� Securing Water for Everyone, Springer Publishers, Netherlands, 261-292.
  • Johns, C. and D.VanNijnatten, 2020 Assessing the Proximity to the Desired End State in Complex Water Systems: Comparing the Great Lakes and Rio Grande Transboundary Basins" Environmental Science and Policy 114: 194-203.
  • 鈥淚deas, Values and Ethics: Integrating a Values-based Approach into Water Policy in Canada.鈥� In Ethical Water Stewardship 鈥� Securing Water for Everyone, ed. Ingrid Leman Stefanovic and Zafar Adeel, 261-292. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer Netherlands, 2020.
  • "Public Administration in the Cross鈥怘airs of Evidence鈥怋ased Policy and Authentic Engagement: School Closures in Ontario鈥� (with Duncan MacLellan). Canadian Public Administration 63:1 (March 2020): 117-139.
  • 鈥淭he International Joint Commission and the Evolution of Environmental and Water Governance in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin: Accountability, Progress Reporting and Measuring Performance under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement鈥� (with Debora VanNijnatten). In The First Century of the International Joint Commission, ed. Murray Clamen and Daniel Macfarlane, 395-430.  Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2019.
  • 鈥淲ater Governance Indicators: Challenges and Prospects for Improving Transboundary Lake Governance.鈥� In Transboundary Lake Governance, ed. Velma Grover and Gail Krantzberg, 11-39. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press (a division of Taylor and Francis), 2018.
  • 鈥淭ransboundary Environmental Governance and Water Pollution in the Great Lakes Region: Recent Progress and Future Challenges.鈥�  In Transboundary Environmental Governance Across the World's Longest Border, ed. Stephen Brooks and Andrea Olive, 77-112.  East Lansing Michigan: Michigan State University Press, 2018.
  • 鈥淐ommissions of Inquiry and Policy Analysis鈥� (with Gregory J. Inwood). Ch. 11 in Policy Analysis in Canada, 2nd ed., ed. Laurent Dobuzinskis and Michael Howlett, 233-254. Bristol, UK.: Policy Press, 2018.
  • 鈥淓nvironmental regime effectiveness and the North American Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement鈥� (with Adam Thorn and Debora VanNijnatten).  International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics (January 2018): 1-19. .  DOI: 10.1007/s10784-018-9385-1
  • 鈥淭he Great Lakes, Water Quality and Water Policy in Canada.鈥� In Water Policy and Governance in Canada, ed. Steven Renzetti and Diane Dupont, 159-178. New York: Springer Publications, 2017.
  • "Intergovernmental Policy Capacity and Practice in Canada鈥� (with Patricia O鈥橰eilly and Greg Inwood).  Policy Work in Canada: Professional Practices and Analytical Capacities, ed. Michael Howlett, Adam Wellstead and Jonathan Craft, 100-110.  Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016.
  • 鈥淭ransboundary Governance Capacity in the Great Lakes Basin鈥� (with Debora VanNijnatten, Kathryn Bryk Friedman, and Gail Krantzberg). International Journal of Water Governance 4:1 (2016): 7-32.
  • 鈥溾�� (with Debora VanNijnatten and Adam Thorn). Research paper commissioned by the International Joint Commission, 30 October 2015.
  • 鈥淐ommissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: Comparative Analysis and Future Research Frontiers鈥� (with Greg Inwood).  Canadian Public Administration 59:3 (September 2016): 382-404.
  • 鈥淕reat Lakes Water Policy: The Cases of Water Levels and Water Pollution in Lake Erie鈥� (with Mark Sproule-Jones).  In Canadian Environmental Policy and Politics: Prospects for Leadership and Innovation, 4th ed., ed. Debora VanNijnatten, 252-277.  Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2015.
  • 鈥淪ubnational Diplomacy in the Great Lakes Region: Towards Explaining Variation between Water Quality and Quantity Regimes鈥� (with Adam Thorn). Canadian Foreign Policy Journal 21:3 (September 2015): 195-211.
  • 鈥淭he State of Policy Research in the Great Lakes Basin: A Review of Publications in the Journal of Great Lakes Research in the Past 40 Years鈥� (with Rebecca Teare). Journal of Great Lakes Research 41:3 (September 2015): 697-706.
  • Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis (with Gregory J. Inwood, eds.). Toronto: University of Toronto Press and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, 2014.
    • 鈥淲hy Study Commissions of Inquiry?鈥� (with Gregory J. Inwood). Introduction in Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis, ed. Gregory J. Inwood and Carolyn M. Johns, 3-19. Toronto: University of Toronto Press and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, 2014.
    • 鈥淭he Theoretical Framework: Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change鈥� (with Gregory J. Inwood). In Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis, ed. Gregory J. Inwood and Carolyn M. Johns, 20-48. Toronto: University of Toronto Press and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, 2014.
    • 鈥淭he Walkerton Inquiry and Policy Change.鈥� In Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis, ed. Gregory J. Inwood and Carolyn M. Johns, 214-43. Toronto: University of Toronto Press and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, 2014.
    • 鈥淐ommissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis鈥� (with Gregory J. Inwood). In Commissions of Inquiry and Policy Change: A Comparative Analysis, ed. Gregory J. Inwood and Carolyn M. Johns, 261-301. Toronto: University of Toronto Press and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, 2014.
  • Intergovernmental Policy Capacity in Canada:  Inside the Worlds of Finance, Environment, Trade, and Health (with Gregory J. Inwood and Patricia L. O鈥橰eilly).  Montr茅al and Kingston:  McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 2012. 
  • 鈥淭ransboundary Water Pollution Efforts in the Great Lakes: The Significance of National and Sub-national Policy Capacity.鈥�  In Environmental Governance on the 49th Parallel: New Century, New Approaches,  ed. Barry Rabe and Stephen Brooks, 63-82.   Washington, DC:  Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Canada Institute, 2010.
  • 鈥淲ater Pollution Policy in Canada鈥� (with Mark Sproule-Jones).  In Canadian Environmental Policy and Politics: Prospects for Leadership and Innovation, 3rd ed., ed. Debora Vannijnatten and Robert Boardman, 216-35.  Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2009.
  • 鈥淲ater Pollution in the Great Lakes Basin: The Global-Local Dynamic.鈥�  In Environmental Challenges and Opportunities: Local-Global Perspectives on Canadian Issues, ed. Christopher Gore and Peter Stoett,  95-129.  Toronto: Emond Montgomery, 2009.
  • Canadian Water Politics: Conflicts and Institutions, ed. (with Mark Sproule-Jones and B. Timothy Heinmiller).  Montr茅al and Kingston:  McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 2008.
    • 鈥淚ntroduction.鈥�  In Canadian Water Politics: Conflicts and Institutions, ed. Mark Sproule-Jones, Carolyn Johns, and B. Timothy Heinmiller, 3-15.  Montr茅al and Kingston: McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 2008.
    • 鈥淲ater as a Multiple-Use Resource and Source of Political Conflict鈥� (with Mark Sproule-Jones, and B. Timothy Heinmiller).  In Canadian Water Politics: Conflicts and Institutions, ed. Mark Sproule-Jones, Carolyn Johns, and B. Timothy Heinmiller, 19-55.  Montr茅al and Kingston: McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 2008.
    • 鈥淚nstitutions for Water Resource Management in Canada鈥� (with Ken Rasmussen).  In Canadian Water Politics: Conflicts and Institutions, ed. Mark Sproule-Jones, Carolyn Johns, and B. Timothy Heinmiller, 59-89.  Montr茅al and Kingston: McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 2008.
    • 鈥淣on-point Source Water Pollution Institutions in Ontario before and after Walkerton.鈥�  In Canadian Water Politics: Conflicts and Institutions, ed. Mark Sproule-Jones, Carolyn Johns, and B. Timothy Heinmiller, 203-239.  Montr茅al and Kingston: McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 2008.
    •  鈥淐onclusion: Institutions and Water Governance鈥� (with B. Timothy Heinmiller and Mark Sproule-Jones).    In Canadian Water Politics: Conflicts and Institutions, ed. Mark Sproule-Jones, Carolyn Johns, and B. Timothy Heinmiller, 308-331.  Montr茅al and Kingston: McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 2008.
  • "Case Studies and the Case Study Method in Canadian Public Administration."  In Professionalism and Public Service: Essays in Honour of Kenneth Kernaghan, ed. David Siegel and Ken Rasmussen, 304-327.  Toronto:  University of Toronto Press, 2008.
  • 鈥淔ormal and Informal Dimensions of Intergovernmental Administrative Relations in Canada鈥� (with Gregory J. Inwood and Patricia L. O'Reilly). Canadian Public Administration 50:1 (Spring 2007): 21-41.
  • 鈥淚ntergovernmental Innovation and the Administrative State in Canada鈥� (with Gregory J. Inwood and Patricia L. O'Reilly). Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration and Institutions 19:4 (October 2006): 627-49.
  • "Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations." In Canadian Politics: Democracy and Dissent, ed. Joan Grace and Byron Sheldrick, 85-116. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada Inc., 2006.
  • "Looking Back, Looking Forward: the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management 1994-2004," (with Gordon Draper). Toronto: Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management, 2004.
  • 鈥淚ntergovernmental Officials in Canada鈥� (with Gregory J. Inwood and Patricia L. O'Reilly). In Canada: the State of the Federation 2002: Reconsidering the Institutions of Canadian Federalism, ed. J. Peter Meekison, Hamish Telford and Harvey Lazar, 249-284. Montr茅al & Kingston: McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 2004.
  • Reflections on the Second Four Years: The Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management 1998-2002. Toronto: Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management, August 2003.
  • Current Good Practices and New Developments in Public Sector Management: A Portfolio (co-edited with S. Agere and A. Stevenson). London: Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management and the Commonwealth Secretariat, September 2002.
  • Policy Instruments to Manage Non-point Source Water Pollution: Comparing the United States and Ontario. Paper Commissioned for Part II of the Walkerton Inquiry 2001. Toronto: Queen's Printer Ontario, 2002. 

Research interests include environmental policy, water policy, intergovernmental administrative relations, public administration, network analysis and policy capacity issues in the public sector.

Carolyn Johns teaches public administration, public policy and environmental policy at the graduate and undergraduate levels. In addition, she has taught in both the First Nations and the Fire Services partnership programs.