Thematic Team: Sub-Saharan Africa and Complex Peace Operations

David Black, Dalhousie University

David Black is Professor and Chair of Political Science at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, and Lester B. Pearson Chair of International Development Studies. He has a longstanding research interest in Canadian involvement in Sub-Saharan Africa, including human security and peace operations, development cooperation, the extractive sector, and multilateral diplomacy. Other research interests include: post-apartheid South African foreign policy, particularly in Africa; sport in global politics and development; and disability and global development. His current research includes a SSHRC-funded project on the new politics of partnership in Canadian development cooperation. His more recent publications include: Canada and Africa in the New Millennium: the Politics of Consistent Inconsistency (2015); Rethinking Canadian Aid (2016, co-edited with Stephen Brown and Molly den Heyer); and South African Foreign Policy: Identities, Intentions, and Directions (2016, co-edited with David Hornsby).

Link to Personal Website or CV:

https://www.dal.ca/faculty/arts/politicalscience/faculty-staff/our-faculty/david-black.html

Jennifer Baechler, Dalhousie University

Dr. Jenny Baechler is a Senior Instructor with the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie Universitys Faculty of Management. She holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from Dalhousie University and a MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the European University Centre for Peace Studies (Austria).

The primary focus of her research relates to the theory and practice of cross-boundary collaboration how individuals and organizations overcome barriers that limit their capacity for productive collaboration. Her work bridges the fields of public administration, political science and international development studies to better understand cross-boundary collaboration in the context of those government departments that find themselves working in fragile and conflict-affected states. Jennys PhD dissertation examined the various organizational and human factors that advance and limit the operationalization of whole-of-government (WoG), with a specific focus on the Canadian and UK governments efforts to enhance their capacity to undertake international stabilization activities between 2002-2012. Her current research interests look to better understand how we might recognize and reward organizational and individual capacity for innovative practices such as whole-of-government. In this vein, much of Jennys teaching and facilitation work focuses on innovation within the public sector and its important role in tackling complex social problems. As an instructor within the Faculty of Management, she has been responsible for developing and delivering professional development programs for both MPA and MBA students. She has a keen interest in experiential learning and how it can be mobilized to provide undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to apply their skills and expertise in professional settings.

Link to Personal Website or CV:

https://www.dal.ca/faculty/management/school-of-public-administration/faculty-staff/our-faculty/jenny-baechler.html