Julie MacArthur is an associate professor and the Canada Research Chair in Reimagining Capitalism at Royal Roads University. Her work investigates the political economy of low carbon transitions, with a particular focus on how grassroots and community-led initiatives can scale up to make radical and transformative impacts to both adaptation and mitigation.
She has published widely on community energy initiatives in Canada and New Zealand, on participatory policy design, Green New Deal politics, and the gendered employment trends across energy sub-sectors. She is the author of two books: Empowering Electricity: Co-operatives, Sustainability and Power Sector Reform in Canada (UBC 2016) and Environmental Politics and Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand (University of Auckland 2022).
Experience
Dr MacArthur is an internationally recognized scholar of energy democracy, critical political economy and the politics of low carbon transitions. From 2013 to 2020 she held lecturer and then senior lecturer positions at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, coordinating the Politics MA and Master of Public Policy Programs.
Prior to her academic career, Julie worked in a number of government policy, research and teaching roles in Canada, Australia, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
Memberships and Committees
- Regenerative Sustainability Committee Member (RRU)
- Research Advisory Committee Member (RRU)
Education
2012
PhD in Political Science
Simon Fraser University
2006
Master of Arts in Asia Pacific Policy Studies
University of British Columbia
2001
Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Applied Studies (Co-op), Specializations in International Trade and Peace and Conflict Studies
University of Waterloo
Publications
Julie L. MacArthur, Empowering Electricity? Co-operatives, Sustainability and Power Sector Reform in Canada (UBC Press, 2016).
Maria Bargh and Julie L. MacArthur (eds), Environmental Politics and Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand (2022, Auckland University Press).
Runa Das, M. Martiskainen, L. Bertrand, J.L. MacArthur, ‘A review and analysis of responses to energy poverty and vulnerability in Ontario, Canada’ Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol 165, 112617, 2022. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032122005111?dgcid=author
Julie MacArthur and Cathrine Dyer, ‘Transition Inequity: Gendered Employment Trends in New Zealand’s Energy Industries’, Policy Quarterly, 17 (3), 2021. https://ojs.victoria.ac.nz/pq/issue/view/798/76
Julie MacArthur & Anna Berka, (Re)charging communities? Three potential energy futures in Aotearoa New Zealand, New Zealand Sociology, 36. Special Issue on Social Futures edited by S. Matthewman and L. Goode. https://search.informit.org/browseJournalTitle;res=IELNZC;issn=0112-921X
Julie MacArthur, Christina Hoicka, Runa Das, Heather Castleden & Jenny Liu, “Canada’s Green New Deal: Forging the Socio-Political Foundations of Climate Resilient Infrastructure?” Energy Research and Social Science, 65, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101442
Anna Berka, Julie MacArthur and Claudia Gonnelli, “Explaining inclusivity in energy transitions: Local and community energy in Aotearoa New Zealand” Environmental Innovation and Sustainable Transitions 34: 165-182, 2020. DOI:10.1016/j.eist.2020.01.006
Christina Hoicka & Julie MacArthur, “From tip to toes: Mapping community energy models in Canada and New Zealand” Energy Policy 121: 162-174, 2018. DOI:10.1016/j.enpol.2018.06.002
Julie L. MacArthur & Steve Matthewman, “Populist resistance and alternative transitions: Indigenous ownership of energy infrastructure in Aotearoa New Zealand” Energy Research and Social Science, 43: 16-24, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2018.05.009
Julie MacArthur, Derya Tarhan & Cathrine Dyer (2023) ‘What’s Justice Got to Do with It? The Political Economy of Energy Democracy’, in Bouzarovski, Reames, Fuller, Handbook of Energy Justice, Edward Elgar (May 2023). https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/handbook-on-energy-justice-9781839102950.html
Julie MacArthur and Maria Bargh, Introduction + Conclusion, Environmental Politics and Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand, (April 2022, Auckland University Press).
Julie MacArthur, Christina Hoicka and Runa Das “Democratising the Green New Deal”, in Routledge Handbook on the Green New Deal, Kyla Tienhaara and Joanna Robinson (Eds.), Routledge. (Aug 2022)
Julie MacArthur and Derya Tarhan, ‘Chapter 16: Institutionalizing Energy Democracy: the Promises and Pitfalls of Electricity Co-operative Development’, in A. Feldpausch-Parker, D. Endres & T. Peterson, Routledge Handbook of Energy Democracy, Routledge, 2022 (online Nov 2021). 480pp. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429402302
Julie MacArthur, ‘Chapter 9: Co-operatives’ in Canadian Political Economy, edited by H. Whiteside. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. (December 2020) https://utorontopress.com/us/canadian-political-economy-2
Christina Hoicka, Julie MacArthur, ‘The Infrastructure for Electricity’ in Oxford Handbook of Energy Politics, edited by K. Hancock and J. Allison, Oxford University Press, 2019. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190861360.013.33
Julie MacArthur & Noelle Dumo, ‘Empowering Women’s Work? Analysing the Role of Women in New Zealand’s Energy Sector’, Women Talking Politics, November 2018. ISSN: 1175- 1542
Julie L. MacArthur, “Trade, Tarsands and Treaties: The political economy context of community energy in Canada” in Special Issue ‘Internationalism, Interdisciplinarity, and Methodological Individualism: Understanding and Reflecting on the Emergence of Local and Community Governance of Energy’, Sustainability, 9(3): 464, 2018 (online first Oct 2017) DOI:10.3390/su9030464
Julie L. MacArthur, “Challenging public engagement: participation, deliberation and power in energy policy design and implementation” Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 6(3), 631-640, 2016. DOI 10.1007/s13412-015-0328-7Julie L. MacArthur, “Environmental Governance,” Oxford Bibliographies in Political Science. Ed. Sandy Maisel. New York: Oxford University Press, July 2015. DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756223-0120
Julie MacArthur, “Renewable Energy and the Social Economy in Alberta,” International Journal of Environmental Sustainability 8, 4: 121-130, 2013. http://ijse.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.272/prod.42
Julie L. MacArthur, “Mortgaging Irish Independence: From Financial Crisis to Socialist Resistance,” Monthly Review, 62, 10: 40-49, March 2011. (3,968) DOI 10.14452/MR-062-10-2011-03_3
Julie MacArthur, “A Responsibility to Rethink? Challenging Paradigms in Human Security,” International Journal: Canada’s Journal of Global Policy Analysis 63, 2: 422-443, Spring 2008 (7,950) DOI: 10.1177/002070200806300213
Claudia Gonnelli, Hong-Key Yoon, Karen Fisher, Julie MacArthur, “On-Track, But Off-Target: New Zealand’s 90% Renewable Electricity Target and District Council Planning” in Sayigh, Ali (Ed.) Transition Towards 100% Renewable Energy, Springer 2018. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-69844-1
Julie L. MacArthur, “Chapter 55: Community energy in Aotearoa/New Zealand” in Lars Holstenkamp and Jörg Radtke (eds) Energy Transition and Participation, Springer VS, 2018, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-09416-4_55
Julie L MacArthur, Chapter 5, “Towards Sustainable Resource Management: Community Energy and Forestry in British Columbia and Alberta”, in Mike Gismondi, Sean Markey, and Sean Connolly (eds), Scaling Up: The Convergence of Social Economy and Sustainability, Athabasca Press, 2016. DOI:10.15215/aupress/9781771990219.01
Julie L. MacArthur, Chapter 10, “Sustainability and the Social Economy in Canada: from resource reliance to resilience?” in Tony Fitzpatrick (ed.), International Handbook on Social Policy and the Environment, London, Edward Elgar, 2014: 274-299. DOI: 10.4337/9780857936134.00017
Julie MacArthur, “A Responsibility to Rethink? Challenging Paradigms in Human Security,” in Anita Singh and David McDonough eds. Defense to Development: Resolving Threats to Global Security. Centre for Foreign Policy Studies, Halifax: Dalhousie University, 2007.
Julie MacArthur, “Energy democracy: power to the people”, Newsroom, 16 November 2020.
Julie MacArthur & Cathrine Dyer, “Mind the Gender Gap: Energy Employment Trends in Aotearoa New Zealand”, Public Policy Institute Policy Briefing 8/2020, University of Auckland.
Contributor, Renewables in Cities Global Status Report, Chapter 6 Citizen Participation, REN21, Paris, 2019.
Julie MacArthur, “Whose green energy future? The problem of trickle-down sustainability”, Newsroom, October 2017.
Julie MacArthur, “Forget Trump, New Zealand Must Up Its Own Climate Game”, Newsroom, 7 June 2017.
Julie L. MacArthur & Anna Berka, “Research Brief – Local ownership of energy assets in New Zealand”, Women Talking Politics, November 2017. ISSN: 1175- 1542
Julie MacArthur, “Climate Power to the People: Bottom-up Policy and Community Renewables”, Pacific Outlier (reposted on Policy Space), November 24, 2015.
Julie MacArthur, “Community EmPOWERment? TREC, Co-operatives, and the Future of Renewable Electricity in Canada,” i4 eJournal, Canadian Centre for Community Renewal, June 2012.
Julie MacArthur, “Growth, Debt and the Irish Citizenry,” Vancouver Sun, December 7, 2010.
Julie MacArthur, “Of Fenians and Financiers,” Rabble.ca, December 14, 2010.
Julie MacArthur, “Best Practices in Social Economy and Community Wind Development,” BALTA Summary Report, 2009. www.windworks.org
