Social cohesion as a core dimension of building better social contracts: MENA country reflections

A podcast by University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, DIE (German Development Institute), Center for Maghrebian Studies in Tunis.

As the search for more reliable pathways for peace grows in our increasingly complex and polarised world, the social contract concept is drawing interest from policymakers and scholars focused on peacebuilding, as well as states and societies pursuing peaceful change.

This podcast explores the role of social cohesion in social contracts, both as a driver and an indicator of their realisation. It investigates these issues through two Arab Spring countries – Tunisia and Yemen. While Arab Spring settings offered a wealth of possibilities for reimaging, reinventing and manifesting new and inclusive national social contracts, many are not on track to achieve anticipated outcomes desired by many within these societies.

The discussion reflects upon the status of the social contract, the meaning of social cohesion, and the challenges and opportunities for the growth of social cohesion and forging or enriching inclusive and resilient social contracts in both contexts. Lessons for international cooperation are considered in this dynamic, rich discussion with specialists from the region and development aid community.

• Featuring:
  • Erin McCandless is an Associate Professor at the School of Governance at Witwatersrand University in South Africa, and directs a research and policy dialogue project on forging resilient social countries in countries transitioning from conflict and authoritarianism. A widely published scholar and policy advisor, she has over two decades of experience working on and in conflict affected settings, broadly on issues of peacebuilding, statebuilding, development and resilience - and their intersections. Her research currently is focused on forging resilient social contracts in countries affected by conflict, fragility and fraught transition. Professor McCandless is author of more than 100 publications, including three books, one entitled Polarization and Transformation in Zimbabwe: Social Movements, Strategy Dilemmas and Change, and several influential, policy-shifting United Nations reports. She is also co-founder and former Chief Editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development. www.erinmccandless.net, www.socialcontractsforpeace.org
  • Bernhard Trautner is senior advisor to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development since 2005: As Deputy Head Middle East Department 2012-15 and at research & evaluation dep’t since 11/2020; He serves as Adjunct Professor at Tübingen University/Institute for Political Science since 2014. Bernhard was seconded as senior researcher at the project on ‘stabilization and development in MENA’ at the German Development Institute 2015-20 and is still an associate researcher there.. https://www.die-gdi.de/en/bernhard-trautner/ Recent co-authorships include: “Reconstituting social contracts in conflict-affected MENA countries: Whither Iraq and Libya?” (w. Mark Furness) DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105085; “Le contrat social: un outil d’analyse pour les pays de la région Moyen-Orient et Afrique du Nord (MENA), et au-delà” (w. Loewe, Markus & Zintl, T.) DOI: 10.23661/bp5.2020
  • Laryssa Chomiak is a political scientist, specializing on the comparative politics of the Middle East and North Africa, Director of the Centre d'Etudes Maghrebines a Tunis, and Associate Fellow at Chatham House in London. She is the author of the forthcoming Archipelagos of Dissent: Protest and Politics in Tunisia. Most recently, she was a visiting researcher at the German Development Institute’s (DIE) Middle East Program in Bonn, has lectured at the University of Tunis, and worked on comparative African research programs on political violence, transitional justice and societal peace. Her work has appeared as book chapters and journal articles in Middle East Law and Governance, The Journal of North African Studies, Portal 9 and Middle East Report. Dr. Chomiak has received research fellowships from the Fulbright Commission (Morocco), the International Research and Exchange Board (IREX/Ukraine) and The American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS/Tunisia). She is a member of the advisory board of Middle East Law and Governance. Before her doctoral studies she worked at USAID’s Bureau of Global Health in Washington, DC. Her opinion analyses and essays have appeared in the Washington Post and Christian Science Monitor, as well as for Middle East Institute.
  • Fatima Abo Alasrar is a Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute. Before joining the Institute, Alasrar was a Senior Analyst at the Arabia Foundation in Washington DC, MENA Director for Cure Violence, Research Associate at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a Mason Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, and an International Policy Fellow at the Open Society Foundation. From 2006-12, she worked as an advisor for the Embassy of Yemen in Washington, DC. Earlier in her career, Alasrar served as a program officer for the Department for International Development (DFID) in Yemen. Alasrar holds an MA in Public Administration from Harvard University, an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, and a BS in Architectural Engineering from Sanaa University in Yemen.

Contributions to the Geneva Peace Week 2020 Digital Series do not necessarily represent the views of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, its partners, or the partners of Geneva Peace Week.