A casual, non-professional picture of myself

Dr Mark Machacek

PhD
Pronouns: He/him

Positions

Assistant Professor (Teaching)

Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology

Contact information

Email

mark.machacek@ucalgary.ca

Web presence

LinkedIn

Academia

Location

Office: Social Sciences SS 946

Background

Educational Background

Doctor of Philosophy Political Science, Simon Fraser University, 2023

Master of Arts Political Science, University of Calgary, 2013

Biography

Mark Machacek is a Political Scientist and Assistant Professor of Law and Society in the Department of Sociology. He has an extensive background in teaching Political Science and Law and Society courses at the University of Calgary. Course topics have included international law, human rights, legal knowledge and research methods. In 2024 he was the recipient of the University of Calgary’s Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Award. 

Mark’s research interests revolve around political economy, market-based (or private) authority, public-private governance arrangements and the international law on private sector conduct. His current research comparatively analyzes the institutional configurations, practices and politics of United Nations-business partnerships. He has published papers and book chapters on issues related to privatization and global public-private partnerships

Research

Areas of Research

International law, private sector authority, public-private partnerships, political economy

My research focuses specifically on the institutional configurations, practices and political relations of United Nations-business partnerships as they relate to their respective international regimes (i.e. development, refugee assistance) and lived experiences. More generally, my research interests revolve around private sector authority and governance, private international law, human rights, social justice and the United Nations.

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Democracy, Justice, and Sustainability

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
LWSO 203 Introduction to Legal Knowledge Fall 2025
LWSO 313 Research Methods in Law & Society Fall 2025
LWSO 413 Liberalism Fall 2025
LWSO 415 Socio-legal Issues in Contemporary Liberal Societies Winter 2026

Awards

  • The University of Calgary's Students' Union Teaching Excellence Award, University of Calgary Students' Union. 2024

Publications

  • Interrogating the Private in Public School Outsourcing in Liberia. Curtis Riep & Mark Machacek. Hogan & Thompson 'Privatization and Commercialization in Public Education: Ho the Public Nature of Schooling is Changing'. 66 - 81. (2020)
  • Global Public-Private Partnerships and the New Constitutionalism of the Refugee Regime. Mark Machacek. Global Constitutionalism. 204 - 235. (2018)
  • International Institutions, Global 'Partnerships' and the Structural Power of Multinational Corporations: The UNHCR Case Study and a New Research Agenda. Mark Machacek. Potentia: Journal of International and Public Affairs. 76 - 95. (2017)
  • Schooling the Poor, Profitably: The Innovations and Deprivations of Bridge International Academies in Uganda. Curtis Riep & Mark Machacek. Education International. (2016)

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