Hallstrom, Lars
Director/Professor
- Phone
- (403) 329-2526
- Fax
- (403) 317-2823
- lars.hallstrom@uleth.ca
Director/Professor
- Phone
- (403) 329-2526
Biography
Dr. Hallstrom is the Director of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy. His background is in political science and he joined the University and department in January 2021. His primary role at the University is with the Prentice Institute, which was established in 2009 following a $8.25 million gift from Alberta entrepreneur John Prentice. As a multi-disciplinary, cross-faculty institute, it is dedicated to researching the long-term effects of demographic, economic and social issues related to changes in world population patterns.
Hallström was born in Edmonton but he spent most of his childhood living in Europe and the United States before returning to Canada as a teen. After a year of university studies and playing rugby in the United Kingdom, Hallström obtained a BA with a major in political science at the University of Calgary in 1995 and completed an MA and PhD in political science at Indiana's Purdue University. He began his academic career at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia as a professor of political science and Canada Research Chair in Public Policy and Governance. Hallström joined the University of Alberta in 2009 and was the first director of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities until December 2020.
Hallström was born in Edmonton but he spent most of his childhood living in Europe and the United States before returning to Canada as a teen. After a year of university studies and playing rugby in the United Kingdom, Hallström obtained a BA with a major in political science at the University of Calgary in 1995 and completed an MA and PhD in political science at Indiana's Purdue University. He began his academic career at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia as a professor of political science and Canada Research Chair in Public Policy and Governance. Hallström joined the University of Alberta in 2009 and was the first director of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities until December 2020.
Publications
- Boco, A. G., & Hallstrom, L. K. (2026). "Loneliness and income disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada". Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 25, 101099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101099
- “Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of mental health symptoms among Canadian Youth: A cross-sectional study” w/ O. Onyeso et al (second author) in Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry (accepted April 2026)
- “Supporting Refugees in Rural Canada: Exploring the Strengths and Weaknesses of Settlement Service Models in Smaller Communities” in Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees (Published March 2026) Vol. 41 No. 1 (2025) General Issue with Special Focus on Refugee Experiences of Integration in small Communities in Canada
- “Same Old Story: Political Cartoons and the Persistence of Right-Wing Populist Narratives in Alberta, Canada, 1974-2012 w/ S.Whiting and S. Rolfe. In Alternate Routes: A Journal of Critical Social Research, 36(1) (June 2026)
- “Classroom complexity: A narrative review of modern challenges in primary and secondary education” Accepted and forthcoming in the Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy (Vol 210 anticipated)
- “The Political Economy of WIL” In print at the International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning (Accepted Winter 2025)
- “Reconceptualizing the “Rural
Problematique”: “The Migrant as the Demonstrative Case for Policy Inertia in
Canada” in the Canadian Journal of Political Science (September 2025)
- “Reluctant entrepreneurs or embracing marketization: The governance of municipal entrepreneurialism for community development in rural Canada” with S. Markey et al. (Second author) in Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society (May 2025)
- “Strong or weak, leader or enemy: Populist characterizations of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in Alberta political cartoons (1974-1983) in the International Journal of Canadian Studies/Revue internationale d’études canadiennes. April 2025 https://utppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3138/ijcs-2024-0015/
- “COVID-19 social and economic disruptions: Mental Health, and Coping Behaviours among young Canadians: A Structural Equation Model” w/O. Onyeso et al. in the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. Vol. 30, No. 1 (2025)
- “Integrating Data within Watershed Management and Public Health” in PLOS Water (April 2024)
- “The Role of Local Government in Coal Transition: The Case of Rural Alberta” w/ M. Mateus et al in the Canadian Planning and Policy Journal (accepted summer 2024) https://doi.org/10.24908/cpp-apc.v2024i2.17887/
- “Settling Beyond Big Cities: A scoping review of the Canadian literature on immigration to rural and smaller communities”” w/ S. Haugen and R. McNally – in Canadian Geographies (April 2024)
- Reid-Musson, E., Aubrecht, K., Kelly, C., Embrett, M., Hallstrom, L., Hamilton-Hinch, B., Johnson, S., Knocton, S., Lawrence, L., MacDonald, M., Mah, J., Marier, P., Moody, E., & Sim, M. (Accepted, 2023). Participatory evaluation of a direct payment program for equity in dementia care in Nova Scotia, Canada. International Journal of Qualitative Methods.
- “An Evaluation of Policy Responses to Refugee Resettlement in Rural Canada” w/ S. Haugen and R. McNally in the Journal of Rural and Community Development (April 2023)
- “Health impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians living with Disabilities” w/ K. Islam in the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies (March 2023)
- “Health and Well-being of Hutterite Farmers in Alberta: Results from the Sustainable Farm Families Alberta Program” w/ S. Ofori Dei and H. Adandom in the Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine (March 2023)
- “Innovation vs inertia: Entrepreneurial governments in 21st Century Rural Alberta” in the Canadian Geographer (January 2023)
- S. Haugen and Lars Hallstrom (2022); “Sponsorship in Rural and Small Communities” (Knowledge Brief); Refugee Hub https://refugeehub.ca/knowledge-brief-series/
- “Work without workers: Legal geographies of family farm exclusions from labour laws in Alberta, Canada” w/E. Reid-Musson, E. Maceachen, & M. Beckie in Agriculture and Human Values (January 2022)
- “Assessing Automation in Rural Communities: Emerging Technologies Economic Impact Assessment for the Camrose Community” in the Journal of Rural and Community Development Vol. 16, No. 2 (Summer 2021)
- “Fostering Evidence-Based Decision-Making for Protected Areas through the Alberta Parks Social Science Working Group” w/G. Hvenegaard in Land: Special Issue on Parks and Protected Areas: Mobilizing Knowledge for Effective Decision-Making February 2021. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/2/224
- “Policy Responses to Automation in Rural Canada” w/S. Haugen et al. in the Journal of Rural and Community Development Volume 16, No. 1 January 2021
Research Interests
Public Policy; Environmental policy and Governance; Multi-level governance; Planning; Rural and municipal politics and policy; Rural development; Comparative politics; International Relations; Political Economy; American politics; Public Health; Social Determinants of Health; Population Health; Youth; Employment; Political Participation; Public opinion; Social movements; Carrying capacity; Knowledge translation and exchange; Evidence-informed decision-making