Joe Lyons

Assistant Professor
Director, Local Government Program

Contact Information
Office: SSC 7215
Tel: 519 661-2111 X 85168
E-mail: jlyons7@uwo.ca

Education

PhD, University of Toronto; MA, University of Calgary; BA, McMaster University

2026. Zachary Spicer, Joseph Lyons, and Tyler Romualdi, eds. Inside Public Sector Innovation: How Local Governments Put Ideas into Action. MQUP.
2020. Zachary Spicer, Joseph Lyons, and Kate Graham. Local Government in Practice: Cases in Governance, Planning, and Policy. Toronto: Emond.

2024. Joseph Lyons and Zachary Spicer. “Organismes paramunicipaux.” In Sandra Breux and Anne Mévellec eds. Dictionnaire politique de la scène municipale québécoise, 274-278. Les Presses de l’Université Laval.
2023. Joseph Lyons, Zachary Spicer, and Dave Taylor. “Municipally Owned Corporations in Canada.” In Corporatisation in Local Government: Context, Evidence and Perspectives from 19 Countries, edited by Marieke van Genugten et al., 21-48. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
2021. “The Democratic Dimensions of Specialized Governments.” In What is Democracy and How do we Study it?, edited by Cameron Anderson and Laura Stephenson, 145-166. Toronto: U of T Press.
2018. Joseph Lyons and Zachary Spicer. “Accountability and Local Collaborative Governance.” In Accountability and Responsiveness at the Municipal Level: Views from Canada, edited Sandra Breux and Jérôme Couture, 177-199. Montreal & Kingston: MQUP.

2026. Zack Taylor, Craig Mutter, Joseph Lyons, and Alec Dobson. “Power and Purpose: The Quiet Evolution of Canadian Municipal Law, 2nd ed.” IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance 74. https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/7f06b98e-22b8-46ee-a9df-63d01af494a1/content.

2023. Zachary Spicer, Joseph Lyons, and Morgan Calvert. “Preparedness and crisis-driven policy change: COVID-19, digital readiness, and information technology professionals in Canadian local government.” Canadian Public Administration, https://doi.org/10.1111/capa.12517.
2022. Zachary Spicer and Joseph Lyons. “Small Town, Short Work Week: Evaluating the Effects of a Compressed Work Week Pilot in Zorra, Ontario, Canada.” State and Local Government Review, https://doi.org/10.1177/0160323X221115358.
2016. “The Independence of Ontario’s Public Health Units: Does Governing Structure Matter?” Healthcare Policy. 12(1): 71-83.
2015. "Local Government Structure and the Co-ordination of Economic Development Policy." Canadian Journal of Political Science.48(1): 173-193.
2015. "Conservation Authority Board Composition and Watershed Management in Ontario." Canadian Public Administration. 58(2): 315-332.

2025. “Municipal Economic Development Priorities and Municipal Workforces in Canada.” Canadian Political Science Association Conference (George Brown College, Toronto, June 3).
2023. “Types of Municipal Innovation in Canada and the United States.” Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration Annual Conference (York University, Toronto, June 22).
2022. “Innovation Hubs or Laggards? Examining the Capacity of Municipal Governments to Innovate.” Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration Annual Conference (Victoria, BC and virtual, May 27).
2021. “A Window of Opportunity for Digital Transformation: COVID19, IT & the Modernization of Local Government in Ontario.” Municipal Information Systems Ontario Annual Conference (online, June 3) and the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration Annual Conference (online, Research Exchange, June 7).