Erin McCandless is an Associate Professor in the School of Governance at Witwatersrand University in South Africa and a Research Associate with the German Development Institute (DIE). A widely published scholar and policy advisor, she has near three decades of experience working on and in conflict affected settings, broadly on issues of peacebuilding, statebuilding, development and resilience – and their intersections. Her current research is focused on forging resilient social contracts, and the role of social cohesion, in countries affected by conflict, fragility and fraught transition, building upon a multi-country research and policy dialogue project that she directed from 2015-2018. Professor McCandless is author of more than 100 publications, including three books and several influential, policy-shifting United Nations reports, and several policy- and program-shifting United Nations reports, including “Peace Dividends: the Contributions of Administrative and Social Services on Peacebuilding,” and “Second Generation DDR Practices in Peace Operations.” She is also co-founder and former Chief Editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.
