Luc Theriault

I first studied sociology in Montreal obtaining a specialized B.A. from UQAM in 1985 and a M.Sc. from the Université de Montréal in 1987. I then completed my doctoral studies at the University of Toronto with a Ph.D. dissertation relating to industrial research and development in 1995.

After Toronto I returned to UQAM, in the School of Social Work, where I taught as sessional instructor and did research as a post-doctoral fellow in social policy, concentrating on social housing issues. In 1997, I moved to the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Regina where I held for many years a cross-appointment between the university and the provincial government (Saskatchewan Department of Social Services).

I arrived at UNB in 2005 where I continue my research on the Canadian social economy. At UNB I teach courses in various areas including research methods and designs, program evaluation, sociology of science, Canadian society, sociological theory and social policy.

Research interests

As a sociologist of organizations, my main interests are studying non-profit and charitable organizations (as well as co-operatives) in order to understand the challenges they face in a liberal capitalist economy and the contributions they make to our collective lives.

I also have a research interest in public and social policies, in particular as they relate to topics such as social assistance, housing or immigration. I enjoy working with colleagues and use a variety of good quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods. I am fluent in French and English and do sociological work in both languages. Outside of sociology, I served seven years (2017-2024) as Chair of the Department of Economics at UNB.

Selected publications

Leviten-Reid, C., Maitreyi, M., & Theriault, L. (2024). "Just Housing Unrealized: The Canada Housing Benefit in Atlantic Canada." Studies in Social Justice, Vol. 18, Issue 3: 607-627.

Deng, A., Leviten-Reid, C. & Thériault, L. (2023). "Can they build or not? Non-profit housing development in an era of government re-engagement." Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research, Vol. 14, Issue 1, 2023: 1-17.

Fawziah Rabiah-Mohammed, Leah K. Hamilton, Abe Oudshoorn, Mohammad Bakhash, Rima Tarraf, Eman Arnout, Cindy Brown, Sarah Benbow, Sagida Elnihum, Mohammed El Hazzouri, Victoria M. Esses, Luc Theriault. (2022). "Syrian Refugees' Experiences of Housing Stability during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Barriers to Integration and Just Solution," Studies in Social Justice, Vol. 16, Issue 1: 9-32.

Thériault, L. & Vaillancourt, Y. (2021). Working Conditions in the Nonprofit Sector and Paths to Improvement. Chapter 19 in Intersections and Innovations: Change for Canada's Voluntary and Nonprofit Sector, edited by S. D. Phillips and B. Wyatt. Edmonton: Muttart Foundation.

Holtmann, C. and L. Thériault. (2017). “Coming and going: the impacts of precarious work and non-citizenship on immigrant in- and out-migration in New Brunswick,” International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1 (2017): 98-112.

Thériault, L. and H. LeBreton. (2015). “Social Assistance in New Brunswick: Origins, Developments, and the Current Situation.” Chapter 11 in Welfare Reform in Canada: Provincial Social Assistance in Comparative Perspective, edited by D. Béland and P.-M. Daigneault, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 209-221.

Thériault, L. (2014). Exploring 50 Years of Canadian Theses on Co-operatives. Journal of Co-operative Studies, Vol. 47, No. 1: 56-70.

Theriault, L., Low, J., & Luke, A. (2014). Negotiating the System: Social Workers in Home Support in New Brunswick. Canadian Review of Social Policy/Revue canadienne de politique sociale, (70), pp. 64-77.

Thériault, L. (2012) "The Foundations of the Social Economy: Co-operatives, Non-profits and Other Social Enterprises." Chapter 2 in Social Economy: Communities, Economies and Solidarity in Atlantic Canada, edited by S. Novkovic and L. Brown, Cape Breton University Press, 2012, pp.22-38.

Thériault, L. and M. Haan. (2012). Non-profit Immigrant Settlement Agencies in New Brunswick: Answering the Call for Population Growth? Halifax: Atlantic Metropolis Centre Working Paper Series.

Supervision areas

I am enthusiastic about supervising or co-supervising students who would like to study:

• Sociology of Organizations: To study various types and sizes of organizations, including the surveying of organization users/clients and their experiences;
• Social Policy: To assess critically various forms of policy or program interventions, particularly (but not exclusively) in the areas of low-income housing, immigrants and refugees integration, intimate partner violence or health.
• Program Evaluation: To develop expertise in evaluation and to undertake evaluations of small or medium-size programs and projects.
• Social Economy: To investigate how the third sector of the economy contributes to the well-being of the population and what challenges it faces in its interactions with the other sectors of the economy.

Please contact me to discuss possible supervision for undergraduate, MA, and PhD research projects.