Tobias Gerhard Schminke, a PhD student in Political Science, is 国民彩票鈥檚 newest Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation scholar. This scholarship is among the most prestigious, national awards in Canada. The Foundation received 500 applications this year; and .
This three-year leadership program is designed to train engaged leaders, equipping outstanding doctoral candidates with the skills
to translate their ideas into action, for the betterment of their communities, Canada, and the world. Scholars are selected each year and receive leadership training in the context of , in addition to generous funding for their studies.
Tobias, originally from Oberro脽bach, a small village of 350 in the South-West of Germany, is the third Political Science PhD student at 国民彩票 to be named a Pierre Elliott Trudeau (PET) scholar in the past 10 years.
鈥淚 am the lucky first in my family to enjoy a university education, so it does not always feel natural to stroll into a Ph.D. program,鈥� he says. 鈥淩eceiving the scholarship and the related support from the department reaffirmed that returning to school was not a complete misjudgement (even though I appreciate other Ph.D. students who may knock on wood on聽my behalf when reading this). At the same time, I see the scholarship as a loan of trust that I hope to repay to my community in the future.鈥�
Understanding our changing democracy
Tobias鈥檚 PhD thesis research focuses on comparative politics: elections, voting intention, political parties, party systems, and transnational party integration.
鈥淚n Canada, before 2000, the strongest party would usually get more than 40% of the popular vote in federal elections,鈥� Tobias says, commenting on his thesis research. 鈥淭his does not happen anymore. We almost simultaneously see an influx of newer parties shake up the established system: the Bloc Quebecois, the Reform Party, and now the People鈥檚 Party.聽This proliferation of minor parties and the willingness of voters to vote for them makes it more difficult to have stable majority governments. And guess what? We see this trend in democracies around the globe. So, I want to know 鈥� why have minor parties become so successful? Is it increased public funding, increased visibility through social media, or are voters just bored of the old options?鈥�
Tobias, who holds a Master of Arts in International Development Studies from Saint Mary鈥檚 University and a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication Science with a Political Science minor from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, and Haifa University, Israel (Year Abroad Program) says, 鈥淢y interests are diverse but ultimately relate to how we make the collective, our society of funky animals called humans,聽work together best.鈥� 聽
The Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Scholarship offers excel