Emeritus Professor
Stephen Leacock Building
855 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7
E-Mail: michael.smith [at] mcgill.ca
- Research Areas
- Biography
- Publications
- Courses Taught
- Other Professional Activities
- Talks and Conference Presentations
Research Areas
Economy and Society, Labour Markets, Inequality
Biography
(PhD, Brown University, 1976).
Professor Smith came to 69热视频 in 1974. His research has dealt with, among other things, organizational structures, industrial disputes, the politics of macroeconomic policy, trade and its social consequences, economic policy in Quebec, labour market functioning, flexibility and training, economic security and its consequences, the labour market outcomes of immigrants, and the North American pulp and paper industry. In 1997 he was awarded an Overseas Research Fellowship by the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa. In the Fall of 2002 he was a Chercheur invit茅 at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, in the Spring of 2003 a Visiting Research Fellow at the Research School of Social Sciences of the Australian National University, in 2004-2005 he was Virtual Scholar in Residence with the Law Commission of Canada, and in Fall of 2006 he was Visiting Fellow at Flinders University of South Australia. In January 2005 he was awarded a James 69热视频 Professorship.
He has two major current research projects. One, with Bill Martin and Sue Richardson of Flinders University, deals with income and behaviour after job loss in Canada and Australia, using comparable panel data sets from the two countries. This project is funded by the SSHRC. The other, with Claire Durand of the University of Montreal, using another panel data set, examines differences between Quebec and other Canadian provinces in the characteristics and outcomes of training. This project is funded by the Programme de subvention 脿 la recherche appliqu茅e of the Minist猫re de l鈥橢mploi et de la Solidarit茅 sociale. With his Ph.D. students, Yoko Yoshida and Magali Girard, he also continues his work on the labour market outcomes of immigrants.
Selected Publications
Am茅lie Groleau and Michael R. Smith. 2019.聽鈥淭he prevalence, sources, and persistence of overqualification among Canadian graduates.鈥澛Journal of聽 Education and Work聽32: 633-649.
Michael R. Smith and Sean Waite. 2019. 鈥淥ccupational demand, cumulative disadvantage, and gender differences in university graduates' early career earnings.鈥澛Canadian Journal of Sociology聽44: 165-193.
Michael R. Smith, Sean Waite, and Claire Durand. 2017. 鈥淕ender differences in the earnings produced by a middle range education: The case of Canadian 'colleges'鈥.聽Social Science Research聽66: 140-153.
Claire Durand, Yves-Emmanuel Mass茅-Fran莽ois, Michael R. Smith, and Luis Patricio Pena Ibarra. 2016. 鈥淲ho is aboriginal? Variability in self-identification between the Census and the APS in 2006 and 2012.鈥 Aboriginal Policy Studies 6: 3-33.
Michael R. Smith. 2016 鈥淧ost-industrial society.鈥 In George Ritzer (ed.), Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2nd edition, Oxford: Wiley.
Michael R. Smith (dir.). 2014. Les anglophones au Qu茅bec. Num茅ro th茅matique de 聽Recherches sociographiques 40 (3).
Michael R. Smith. 2014. 鈥淧r茅sentation: Les anglophones au Qu茅bec.鈥 Recherches sociographiques. 40: 455-465.
Michael R. Smith. 2013. 鈥淚ssues in the analysis of inequality.鈥 Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Discussion Paper Vol. 1: Iss.1, Article 3.
Magali Girard and Michael R. Smith. 2013. 鈥淲orking in a regulated occupation in Canada: An immigrant - native-born comparison.鈥澛燡ournal of International Migration and Integration聽14: 219-244.
Marie-Eve Gagnon and Michael R. Smith. 2013. 鈥淭he effects of a training levy on training outcomes: The case of Quebec.鈥 Relations industrielles/Industrial Relations 68: 120-141.
Nicole Denier and Michael R. Smith. 2012. 鈥淚ncome after job-loss in the United States: From program rules to panel data.鈥 Social Policy and Administration 46: 748-768.
Heather Zhang and Michael R. Smith. 2012. 鈥淕lobalization and workplace performance in Canada: Cross-sectional and dynamic analyses of productivity and wage outcomes.鈥 Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 30: 310-327.
Christine Doucet, Michael R. Smith, and Claire Durand. 2012. 鈥淧ay structure, female representation and the gender pay gap among university professors.鈥 Relations industrielles/Industrial Relations 67: 51-75.
Michael R. Smith and Heather Zhang. 2011. 鈥淥n the use of indicators of the generosity of unemployment compensation in quantitative, cross-national research.鈥 International Journal of Comparative Sociology 52: 413-430.
Heather Zhang and Michael R. Smith. 2010. 鈥淓xposure to global markets, internal labour markets, and worker compensation: Evidence from Canadian microdata.鈥 Canadian Journal of Sociology, 35: 371-398.
Michael R. Smith and Marie-脠ve Gagnon. 2010. Les diff茅rences interprovinciales dans les pratiques de formation et leurs r茅sultats. Rapport au Programme de subvention 脿 la recherche appliqu茅e du Minist猫re de l鈥檈mploi et de la Solidarit茅 sociale (87 page report, 118 page appendix).
Magali Girard and Michael R. Smith. 2009. 鈥淲orking in a regulated occupation in Canada: An immigrant - native-born comparison.鈥 Canadian Labour Market and Skills Researcher Network Working Paper no.44.
Magali Girard, Michael R. Smith, and Jean Renaud. 2008. 鈥淚nt茅gration 茅conomique des nouveaux immigrants: ad茅quation entre l鈥檈mploi occup茅 avant l鈥檃rriv茅e au Qu茅bec et les emplois occup茅s depuis l鈥檌mmigration.鈥 Canadian Journal of Sociology, 33(4): 791-814.
Yoko Yoshida and Michael R. Smith. 2008. 鈥淢easuring and mismeasuring discrimination against visible minority immigrants: The role of workplace experience.鈥 Canadian Studies in Population, Vol.35: 311-338.
Christine Doucet, Claire Durand, and Michael R. Smith. 2008. 鈥淲ho gets market supplements? Gender differences within a large Canadian university.鈥 Canadian Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 38: 67-103.
Michael R. Smith. 2008. 鈥淕lobal society.鈥 Pp.552-576 in Lorne Tepperman, James Curtis, and Patrizia Albanese (eds.), Sociology: A Canadian Perspective (2nd. edition). Toronto: Oxford University Press.
Yoko Yoshida and Michael R. Smith, 鈥淭raining and the earnings of immigrant males: Evidence from the Canadian Workplace and Employee Survey.鈥 Social Science Quarterly, Vol.86, 2005.
Michael R. Smith, Michelle Hsieh, and Yoko Yoshida, 鈥淚n茅galit茅s salariales, mobilit茅 salariale, et commerce international au Qu茅bec et en Ontario.鈥 Recherches sociographiques , Vol.46, 2005.
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淥n the use of the prisoners鈥 dilemma to analyze the relations between employment security, trust, and effort.鈥 Pp.145-168 in Axel van den Berg and Hudson Meadwell (eds.), The Social Sciences and Rationality: Promise, Limits, and Problems. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2004. (Reprint of article of the same title published in 2000.)
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淗igh performance work organizations in theory and practice.鈥 Global Business and Economics Review, Vol.4, 2002: 187-204.
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淟es probl猫mes attribu茅s 脿 la th茅orie du choix rationnel.鈥 Sociologie et soci茅t茅s, Vol.34, 2002: 87-99.
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淭he analysis of labor markets in Canadian sociology.鈥 American Sociologist. Vol.33, 2002: 105-125,
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淚ncome inequality and economic growth in rich countries: A reconsideration of the evidence.鈥 Current Sociology, Vol.50, 2002: 573-593.
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淟a mondialisation: a-t-elle un effet important sur le march茅 du travail dans les pays riches?鈥 In Daniel Mercure (ed.), Une soci茅t茅 monde? Les dynamiques sociales de la mondialisation. Qu茅bec: Presses de l鈥橴niversit茅 Laval, 2001: 201-214.
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淲hat did the FTA and the NAFTA do to the Canadian labor market?鈥 Forum for Social Economics, Vol.30, 2001: 25-50.
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淭echnological change, the demand for skills, and the adequacy of their supply.鈥 Canadian Public Policy, Vol.27, 2001: 1-22.
Michael R. Smith, "On the use of the prisoners' dilemma to analyze the relations between employment security, trust, and effort." Review of Social Economy, Vol.58, 2000: 153-176.
Axel van den Berg, Anthony C. Masi, Joseph Smucker, and Michael R. Smith, 鈥淢anufacturing change: A two country, three industry comparison.鈥 Acta Sociologica, Vol.43, 2000: 139-156.
Michael R. Smith, "How the internal flexibility of plants in the U.S. paper industry was increased and what it tells us about the effects of employment security." Journal of Socio-Economics, Vol.28, 1999: 691-705.
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淲hat is the effect of technological change on earnings inequality?鈥 International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol.19 (9/10/11), 1999: 24-59.
Michael R. Smith, "The production of flexible attitudes in the Canadian pulp and paper industry." Relations industrielles/Industrial Relations, Vol.54, 1999: 583-610.
Michael R. Smith, "Insecurity in the labour market: The case of Canada since the second world war." Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol.24, 1999: 193-224.
Michael R. Smith and Geoffrey T. Wood, "The end of apartheid and the organization of work in manufacturing plants in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province." Work, Employment, & Society, Vol.12, 1998: 479-495.
Joseph Smucker, Axel van den Berg, Michael R. Smith, and Anthony C. Masi "Labour deployment within plants in Sweden and Canada: A three industry comparison." Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations, Vol.53, 1998: 430-457.
Axel van den Berg, Anthony C. Masi, Michael R. Smith, and Joseph Smucker, "To cut or not to cut: A cross-national comparison of attitudes towards wage flexibility." Work and Occupations, Vol.25, 1998: 49-73. Reprinted in Daniel B. Cornfield, Karen E. Campbell, and Holly McCammon (eds.), Working in Restructured Workplaces: Challenges and New Directions for the Sociology of Work. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, 2001: pp.349-366.
Michael R. Smith, Anthony C. Masi, and Paula Came-Lemay, "The determinants of blue collar wage rates: An analysis of a data set incorporating observed job characteristics." Labour Vol.11, 1997: 113-139.
Michael R. Smith, Anthony C. Masi, Axel van den Berg, and Joseph Smucker, "Insecurity, labour relations and flexibility in two process industries: A Canada/Sweden comparison." Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol.22, 1997: 31-63.
Michael R. Smith "How important are internal labour markets and how do we know?" In Axel van den Berg and Joseph Smucker (eds.), The Sociology of Labour Markets: Efficiency, Equity, Security. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1997: 367-384.
Michael R. Smith "Social class and macroeconomic performance since the end of the 1980s." Pp. 119-145 in Wendy Bottero (ed.), Post-Class Society, Cambridge: Sociological Research Group, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, 1996.
Michael R. Smith, Anthony C. Masi, Axel van den Berg, and Joseph Smucker "External flexibility in Sweden and Canada: A three industry comparison." Work, Employment & Society, Vol.9, 1995: 689-718.
Michael R. Smith, "L'impact de Qu茅bec Inc., r茅partition des revenus et l'efficacit茅 茅conomique." Sociologie et soci茅t茅s, Vol.26 (1994): 91-110. Reprinted in Jean-Pierre Dupuis (ed.), Le mod猫le qu茅b茅cois de d茅veloppement 茅conomique. D茅bats sur son contenu, son efficacit茅 et ses liens avec les modes de gestion des entreprises, pp. 39-66. Cap-Rouge: Les Presses Inter Universitaires (1995).
Michael R. Smith, Power, Norms and Inflation: A Skeptical Treatment. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, (1992).
Richard B. Bernard and Michael R. Smith "Hiring, promotion and pay in a corporate head office: An internal labour market in action?" Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol.16 (1991): 353-374.
Michael R. Smith, "What is new in 鈥榥ew structuralist鈥 analyses of earnings?" American Sociological Review, Vol.55 (1990): 827-841.
Michael R. Smith, 1992, Implications of a Single European Market: Specialty Chemical Products, New Materials, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology. Ottawa: External Affairs and International Trade Canada (1990).
Michael R. Smith, "L'accord de libre 茅change." L'Analyste, Vol.28 (1989): 22-32. (French version of "A sociological appraisal of the free trade agreement".)
Michael R. Smith, "Marchak on free trade: A response." Canadian Public Policy, Vol.15 (1989): 339-344.
Michael R, Smith, "Technologizing office work." Transaction/Society, Vol.26 (1989): 65-72.
Michael R. Smith, "A sociological appraisal of the free trade agreement." Canadian Public Policy, Vol.15 (1989): 57-71. Reprinted in Ronald Hinch (ed.), Debates in Canadian Society, Pp. 136-148, Scarborough, Ontario: Nelson Canada (1992).
Michael R. Smith, "Wages and inflation in Quebec." Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol.25 (1988): 577-602.
Michael R. Smith, "The political bases of inflation in Canada." Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol.12 (1987): 363-392.
Michael R. Smith, "Work." Pp. 391-424 in Michael Rosenberg, William B. Shaffir, Allan Turowetz and Morton Weinfeld (eds.), An Introduction to Sociology. Toronto: Methuen (1987).
Michael R. Smith, "Accounting for inflation (again)." British Journal of Sociology, Vol.36 (1985): 77-80.
Axel van den Berg and Michael R. Smith, "Correcting Cuneo's corrections." Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol.21 (1984): 92-97.
Michael R. Smith, "Accounting for inflation in Britain." British Journal of Sociology, Vol.33 (1982): 301-329.
Axel van den Berg and Michael R. Smith, "On 'class exploitation' in Canada." Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol.19 (1982): 263-278.
Michael R. Smith, "The transformation of labour relations in Quebec: An analysis." Pp. 355-378 in Katherine Lundy and Barbara Warme (eds.), Work in the Canadian Context: Continuity despite Change. Toronto: Butterworths (1982).
Michael R. Smith, "Industrial conflict in post-war Ontario or one cheer for the Woods Report." Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol.18 (1981): 370-392.
Michael R. Smith, "Characterizations of Canadian strikes: Some critical comments." Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations, Vol.34 (1979): 592-607.
Michael R. Smith, "Institutional setting and industrial conflict in Quebec." American Journal of Sociology
, Vol.85 (1979): 109-134.
Michael R. Smith, "A comment on Knight's 'Work orientation and mobility ideology in the working class'." Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol.4 (1978): 155-161.
Michael R. Smith, "The effects of strikes on workers: A critical analysis." Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol.3 (1978): 457-472.
Michael R. Smith, "Profits and administrative intensity: A longitudinal analysis." Sociology, Vol.12 (1978) 509-521.
Michael R. Smith, "Coordinating divided labor: A re-examination." Sociological Focus, Vol.11 (1978): 143-160.
Review Essays
John A. Hall and Michael R. Smith 鈥淭he political and economic consequences of Mr. Keynes.鈥 A review of Robert Skidelsky, John Maynard Keynes: Hopes Betrayed: 1883-1920. New York: Penguin Books,1983; Robert Skidelsky, John Maynard Keynes: The Economist as Saviour, 1920-1937. London: Macmillan,1992
Robert Skidelsky, John Maynard Keynes: Fighting for Britain, 1937-1946. London: Macmillan, 2000. Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vo.27 (2002): 245-268.
Michael R. Smith, 鈥淲hat is to be done? And do we have any choice?鈥 A review of Keith G. Banting, editor, The Nonprofit Sector in Canada: Roles and Relationships. Kingston, School of Policy Studies, Queen鈥檚 University, 2000; Thomas J. Courchene, editor, Room to Manoeuvre? Globalization and Policy Convergence, Montreal and Kingston, School of Policy Studies, Queen鈥檚 University and 69热视频-Queen鈥檚 University Press, 1999; David B. Knight and Alun E. Joseph, editors, Restructuring Societies: Insights from the Social Sciences, Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1999. Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol.25 (2000): 236-251.
Axel van den Berg and Michael R. Smith, "The Marxist theory of the state in practice." A review of Paul Craven, An Impartial Umpire: Industrial Relations and the Canadian State 1900-1911. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980. Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol.6 (1981): 505-519.
Miscellaneous Publications
Michael R. Smith, "Les Qu茅b茅cois satisfaits de leur emploi." La Presse, Samedi 25 Juillet, 1998: B4.
Paul B茅langer and Michael R. Smith, "Entre la fin et l'avenir du travail." La Presse, Samedi 25 Juillet, 1998: B1.
Michael R. Smith, "What is the effect of information technology on the organization of office work and why?" 69热视频 Working Papers on Social Behaviour 88-1 (1988).
Anthony C. Masi and Michael R. Smith, "Emerging life patterns of women in Canada: Evidence on demographic, economic, and social conditions." 69热视频 Working Papers on Social Behaviour, 89-4 (1989).
Courses Taught
Undergraduate Courses:
SOCI 199 Transition From School To Work
SOCI 235 Technology and Society
SOCI 420 Organizations
SOCI 470 Topics in Economic Sociology
Other Professional Activities
Visiting Fellow, Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, Australian National University, January-May, 2010.
Visiting Fellow, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, September-December, 2009.
Present Member, Commission de l鈥檈nseignement et de la recherche universitaires of the Conseil sup茅rieur de l鈥櫭ヾucation
Present Member, Editorial Board of Qu茅bec Studies (Journal of the American Council for Quebec Studies)
Present Member, Editorial Board of the Canadian Journal of Sociology
Present Membre, Comit茅 de r茅daction, Recherches sociographiques
Present Member, Comit茅 des programmes of the Quebec Ministry of Education.
Present Member, Programme d'茅tudes qu茅b茅coises committee.
Talks and Conference Presentations
鈥淲hat do recent trends in inequality suggest about the utility of categorical class analysis?鈥 Presented to the Social Stratification Research Seminar, University of Utrecht, September, 2010.
鈥淒o we have an adequate explanation of the recent financial crisis?鈥 Presented at the meetings of the Society for the Advancement of Social Economics, Philadelphia, June, 2010.
鈥淕ender and pay within the professoriate: A Canadian case study.鈥 Presented to the Institute for Social Science Research, University of Queensland, May, 2010.
鈥淕ender and the earnings of faculty members: Evidence from a Canadian university, in comparative perspective.鈥 Presented to the Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, Australian National University, March 2010.
鈥淟ies, damned lies, .... and the use of statistics in the social sciences.鈥 Presented to the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities Colloquium (ASH), Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, November 2009.
鈥淲hat do we know about the relative generosity of welfare states?鈥 Presented to the Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, October, 2009.