Author Archives: J.W.J. Bowden

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About J.W.J. Bowden

My area of academic expertise lies in Canadian political institutions, especially the Crown, political executive, and conventions of Responsible Government; since 2011, I have made a valuable contribution to the scholarship by having been published and cited extensively. I’m also a contributing editor to the Dorchester Review and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law.

What Does “Calling an Early Election” Mean Anyway?

Posted on 2018/08/08 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction Judging by recent media reports, the answer depends upon the length of the writ and not necessarily on the date of the election itself, as the case of Quebec in 2018 and Canada in 2015 demonstrate.

Posted in Dissolution, Fixed-Date Elections | 3 Comments

The Merkel III Cabinet: Germany’s Longest Caretaker

Posted on 2018/07/11 by J.W.J. Bowden

Introduction The Merkel III Cabinet should have lasted from 2013 to 2017, but it lingered on in office for five months – from the first meeting of the new Bundestag on 24 October 2017 until the appointment of the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative, Formation of Governments, Government Formation in Germany & Austria | Leave a comment

The Fixed-Term Parliaments Act’s Complexities Could Save Prime Minister May

Posted on 2018/07/09 by J.W.J. Bowden

Two of the most prominent cabinet ministers, and those most heavily implicated in Brexit negotiations, have resigned from Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet, and her ministry could fall. However, the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act complicates matters and could even offer the beleaguered … Continue reading →

Posted in Crown (Powers and Office), Dissolution, Fixed-Date Elections, Reform | 12 Comments

Canada’s Counter-Manifest Destiny

Posted on 2018/07/01 by J.W.J. Bowden

The Dorchester Review latest issue just came out last week. It includes my little piece on George Brown and Canada’s Manifest Destiny, in which I argue that George Brown — the underrated visionary — saw Confederation as the means of … Continue reading →

Posted in Dominion Day, Dorchester Review, History of British North America | 1 Comment

The 1867 as Year Zero School of Canadian History Meets the War of 1812

Posted on 2018/06/08 by J.W.J. Bowden

President Trump has not only killed thirty years of free trade between Canada and the United States but also set off a bizarre firestorm about the War of 1812, of all things. In what has been reported to be a … Continue reading →

Posted in History of British North America | 1 Comment