Gregg M. Olsen, PhD

I have been an active member of the Department of Sociology and Criminology since 1989. After retiring from full-time teaching in 2023, I became a Research Fellow at St John’s College and was appointed Professor Emeritus. I recently received a Fulbright Canada Research Chair Award to support my ongoing research on social inequality, social policy and political sociology from a comparative, cross-national perspective. My research on social inequality focuses on its many guises, including poverty and homelessness, the distribution of income and wealth, access to rights, social inclusion and the distribution of power. My social policy research focuses on the welfare state and its central policy domains, including family policy, labour market policy, health policy and housing policy. Most recently, I have turned my focus to the under-researched ‘third pillar’ of the welfare state – protective legislation. I am currently editing a book on this topic as well as a special issue of the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law. My research is also expanding into the politics of culture, with an emphasis on music, culture and social movements in the US.

• PhD (Sociology), University of Toronto, 1990
• MA (Sociology), University of Windsor, 1984 
• BA Honours, University of Windsor, 1982
• BA, University of Windsor, 1980

Research interests

• Social inequality
• Poverty
• Social policy and the welfare state
• Politics of music and culture
• Political sociology
   

Research summary

My work examines several material dimensions of inequality, including the distribution of income and wealth, poverty and homelessness while also illuminating its human dimensions – inclusion, access to rights and the distribution of power. My work also addresses  the varied character and impact of social policy approaches and welfare states across nations. View a description and reviews of my most recent book recent book, Poverty and Austerity amid Prosperity (Olsen 2021, University of Toronto Press).

Research affiliations/groups

• Member - Canadian Sociology Association/CSA 
• Member - American Sociological Association/ASA
• Member - International Sociological Association/ISA: Research Committee 19
• Research Associate - Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives 

Published books

• Olsen, G.M. (2021) Poverty and Austerity amid Prosperity: A Comparative Introduction, Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 
• Olsen, G.M. (2011). Power and Inequality: A Comparative Introduction. Toronto: Oxford University Press.
• Olsen, G.M. (2002). The Politics of the Welfare State: Canada, Sweden and the United States. Toronto: Oxford University Press.
• O'Connor, Julia S. and G.M. Olsen (eds) (1998). Power Resources Theory and the Welfare State: A Critical Approach. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
• Olsen, G.M. (1992). The Struggle for Economic Democracy in Sweden. Aldershot, UK: Avebury/Gower.

Peer-reviewed articles and chapters

• Olsen, Gregg M. (2024) 'Bringing in the third pillar: protective legislation and the welfare state' Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.
• Olsen, Gregg M. (2024) ‘Welfare State Models and the Protective Legislation Lacuna’ in Helen Carr, Maria Fernanda, Salcedo Repolês, Ed Kirton-Darling and Jed Meers (eds) 
• Research Handbook on Social Welfare Law, Aldershot, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Olsen, Gregg M. (2019) ‘Protective Legislation: The “Third Pillar” of the Welfare State’ Social Policy and Administration 53(3):478-492.
• Olsen, Gregg M. and Lars Benjaminsen (2019). ‘Homelessness and Welfare States’ in Bent Greve (ed), International Handbook of the Welfare State, Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge, pp. 393-406.
• Olsen, Gregg M. (2019). ‘Housing, Housing Policy and Inequality’ in Bent Greve (ed), International Handbook of the Welfare State, Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge, pp. 378-392.
• Olsen, Gregg M. (2013). ‘What’s “Left” in the “Garden of Sweden”’ International Journal of Health Services 43(1):7-30. 

• 2024-2025 - Fulbright Canada Research Chair, Vanderbilt University
• 2023 - Outstanding Professor Award, Faculty of Arts, University of Manitoba
• 2019 - Teaching Award, University of Manitoba
• 2018 - Teaching Excellence Award, Faculty of Arts, University of Manitoba
• 2002 - Award in Internationalization, Faculty of Arts, University of Manitoba
   

• 2023 - Olsen, Gregg M. Revisiting American Exceptionalism: Cultural Politics and Power in Historical and Comparative Perspective, Invited Work & Occupations Workshop/Department of Sociology Workshop, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
• 2015 - Olsen, Gregg M. Poverty and Austerity: Cross-National Contrasts. Invited Plenary Address. What’s Left: Alberta and the Future of Canada, Parkland Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, November 20-22.
• 2010 - Olsen, Gregg M. Poverty and Inequality in Comparative Perspective. Invited discussant. Poor No More (film documentary), Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Winnipeg, MB, June. 
• 2006 - Olsen, Gregg M. Comparative Family Policy. Invited workshop. Family Service Canada, Winnipeg, MB, September.