Abbe Edelson, Ph.D.

Consultant, Social & Economic Policy

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Dr. Abbe Edelson has had more than 15 years of experience as a researcher, writer, editor, and producer. More recently, her writing has focused on community-based research and social policy. Dr. Edelson recently completed her Ph.D. in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto’ Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Her dissertation examined individual and collective learning in three community-based planning groups in southwest Toronto.
 

In 2017, Dr. Edelson worked as a contractor for the Ontario government, documenting best practices for developing community hubs in Ontario.  Between 2011 and 2014, Dr. Edelson was a Researcher for APCOL (Anti-Poverty Community Organizing and Learning Project) where she was responsible for conducting research in three City of Toronto priority neighborhoods and summarizing the research in neighborhood profiles. She also worked as a Research Assistant on the Community Hubs Project for the Intergovernmental Committee for Economic and Labor Force Development (I.C.E) and WoodGreen Community Centre where she conducted interviews and summarized data.

As an Urban Planner for Hardy, Stevenson, and Associates (HSAL), Dr. Edelson wrote business plans for social programs such as daycares and high-school mentorship programs for the Benefits Blueprint project, a tri-level government program. Prior to pursuing an MES in Urban Planning in 2009, Dr. Edelson’s extensive media career included credits in such publications as Maclean’s, Business in Calgary, Playback, Marketing, Canadian Jewish News, Our Times, Healthsharing, Physician’s Computing Chronicle, and Shift Magazine. She worked for CBC radio and television, as well as CTV television. Dr. Edelson’s broadcasting credits included her work for CBC Radio, CBC Television, Radio Canada International, CTV Television, and National Public Radio.

Education

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• Ph.D., Social Justice Education, University of Toronto

• MES (Master in Environment Studies Planning) – Urban Planning, Planning for Community Economic Development, York University

Focus Areas

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• Anti-Poverty
   

Expertise

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• Investigative research

• Designing qualitative data collection instrument

• Conducting interviews and focus groups

• Writing case studies
   

Select Publications & Presentations
 

• The Emerging Community Benefits Movement in North America: C.O.R.D.’s Campaign in the Rexdale Neighborhood of Toronto. (2011 Winter). Progressive Planning, 186, 20–23.

• Anti-Poverty Community Organizing and Learning in Response to the Mimico Secondary Plan. (2014, June). Presented at the 55th annual Adult Education Research (AERC) conference, Penn State University, Harrisburg, PA.