Isabelle Caron
Associate Professor
Email: isabelle.caron@dal.ca
Phone: 902-494-3610
Fax: 902-494-7023
Mailing Address:
- Experiences of workers in public, parapublic, and social‑sector institutions
- Organizational conditions influencing well‑being and engagement
- Cross‑national perspectives on policy and administration
- Collaborative approaches to public‑sector research and innovation
Education
- Ph.D. (Public Administration) (University of Ottawa)
- MA (Sociology) (University of Ottawa)
- BA (multidisciplinary) (Université Laval)
Overview
Dr. Caron's work explores how public‑sector organizations operate in practice, and how institutional arrangements influence the everyday experiences of employees, professionals, and service users. Her research examines organizational dynamics, professional practices, and the factors that shape inclusion, well‑being, collaboration, and workplace culture across public and parapublic settings.
She specializes in qualitative and interpretive methods, drawing on interviews, documentary analysis, multisited fieldwork, and collaborative approaches that bring researchers and practitioners together. Dr. Caron’s work frequently bridges national contexts, with comparative projects involving Canada and Switzerland that highlight how different administrative traditions and institutional environments shape policy processes and organizational life.
Prior to joining academia, she spent more than a decade as a senior policy analyst in the Government of Canada. This experience grounds her research in a concrete understanding of public administration, policy development, and the realities of organizational decision‑making.
Dr. Caron maintains active research partnerships with public, community, and parapublic organizations, as well as academic collaborations with institutions such as the University of Lausanne (IDHEAP) and the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), where she also teaches at the Master’s level. Her projects address issues such as workplace experiences in public organizations, knowledge co‑creation, governance challenges, and the evolving nature of public‑sector work.
She teaches courses in public policy, social policy analysis, qualitative methods, and public human resource management at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, with an emphasis on applied learning, critical reflection, and the integration of research and practice.
Areas of Expertise
- Public‑sector organizations and workplace dynamics
- Professional practices and organizational cultures
- Qualitative and interpretive research methods
- Diversity, inclusion, and workplace climate
- Comparative administrative studies (Canada–Switzerland)
- Knowledge co‑creation and practitioner collaboration