MICHAEL LAWRENCE
Fellow
Dr. Michael Lawrence (he/his/him) is a Research Fellow of the Polycrisis Project at the Cascade Institute (Royal Roads University, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) where he examines the causal mechanisms of crisis interactions across such global systems as governance, energy, food, economy, climate, ecology, and international security.
He earned his PhD in Global Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo, where his dissertation used complex systems thinking to trace the co-evolution of world order and violent conflict. It builds on longstanding work in the fields of peace, conflict, and security studies, global history, and political economy.
Michael’s research interests and publications span a range of topics, including: societal collapse, statebuilding and state formation, international peace operations, the psychology of mass violence, transnational organized crime, and applications of complexity thinking in the social sciences. He also teaches at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) on complex systems approaches to global governance, foreign policy, and conflict resolution. He has also co-instructed courses at the University of Toronto on culture and human security, and on the intersection of art, history, and politics in twentieth century Berlin. His other professional experiences include work with the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and Security Governance Group.
Outside of academia, Michael has a passion for amateur woodworking, reading, travel, hiking, art, theatre, film, and music. He lives in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada with his wife and their two-year-old son.
Recent Research
Earth’s polycrisis is no mere illusion February 18, 2023
Polycrisis: Why we must turn this meme into a big idea September 16, 2022
What is a global polycrisis? September 16, 2022
Modern Monetary Theory is the new black, but we should brace for seeing red The Globe and Mail, March 20, 2021
The Roubini Cascade: Are we heading for a Greater Depression? December 4, 2020
Shocking global inequality August 25, 2020