Recording of DeLoG's Webinar on Decentralisation and Local Governance in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings
© DeLoG
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The webinar recalled what the commonly accepted features of ‘fragility’ are while also underlining the great diversity of fragile contexts. Concepts such as state building, peace pathways and social contract were explained and linked to the core functions of local governance. The pros and cons for decentralisation as the most elaborate and complex option for transforming local governance were presented in brief. The webinar also provided insights into different aspects of designing and implementing local governance programmes in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Case studies were presented as well.
To view the presentation slides, please click here.
About the expert:
Erin McCandless is a seasoned scholar, policy adviser and practitioner with over two decades of experience working on and in conflict-affected and transitional settings. Her focus lies on issues of peacebuilding and transformative social change, and the processes, institutions and relationships that forge robust social contracts, build societal resilience and facilitate inclusive development. She is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she is an Associate Professor at the School of Governance at Witwatersrand University, and Research Director of ‘Forging Resilient Social Contracts’. McCandless regularly collaborates with the United Nations and other international organisations, conducting research and evaluation, facilitating strategic, policy-relevant processes and conducting trainings. For several years she has been deeply engaged in the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (‘New Deal’) process, where she serves as the first civil society Co-Chair of the New Deal Implementation Working Group. She is also co-founder and Books Editor of the internationally peer reviewed Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, and holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. in International Relations from American University in Washington D.C. Author of more than fifty publications, including three books and several influential United Nations reports, more information can be found on her work on her affiliated websites: http://www.erinmccandless.net/ / http://www.socialcontractsforpeace.org/