Comparing multilevel governance models for homelessness in four large Canadian cities, Multiple Barriers looks at the production of social protection for some of the most vulnerable and marginalized people in the country.

Alison Smith is an assistant professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

"Alison Smith set an ambitious goal to understand the emergence of complex multilevel governance relationships in the domain of homelessness in Canada’s major cities, and the payoff is enormous both in terms of policy theory – namely the powerful role of ideas – and practical lessons for intergovernmental and civil society coordination at the local level. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the modern welfare state in Canada."

Kristin R. Good, Associate Professor of Political Science, Dalhousie University:

"Through rich case studies of homelessness policy in four major cities in Canada, Alison Smith constructs a compelling and nuanced case for making ideas central to the study of multilevel governance in Canada. The case studies are engagingly written, drawing on an impressive variety of data including close to 100 semi-structured interviews. Multiple Barriers is a pioneering work in the study of multilevel governance in Canada."

Daniel Béland, Director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University :

"In this well-researched and clearly written book, Alison Smith draws on extensive interview data and participant observation to unpack the governance of homelessness. Her argument that the interaction between existing institutional legacies and ideas about homelessness shapes the governance of homelessness is both novel and convincing. People interested in homelessness in Canada and, more broadly, students of social policy governance should read and engage with this excellent book."