2008 Trudeau Scholar

mark.mattner@trudeaufoundation.net

Profile

Mark's research encompasses the political and social dimensions of violent conflict, as well as the dynamics of local politics in developing countries. He is particularly interested in the role played by informal actors in providing order and governance in fragile states. More recently, he has focused on the ability of local communities to shape the terms of their integration into the global economy. Mark has spent the last few years working with the World Bank's Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction Unit and the Reintegration and Local Settlements Team at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He holds an M.Phil. in Development Studies from the University of Oxford, and has worked across Africa, South East Asia and the Caribbean.

At McGill University, Mark is studying local-level responses to oil exploration in Chad and Nigeria. His research project aims to understand the specific coping strategies adopted by local communities, and to explain the differences in their responses to oil exploration. At the level of policy, Mark seeks to devise ways to strengthen community resilience and empowerment in the face of resource extraction. This may ultimately enable communities to participate in the global economy on terms that are more favourable. The project's academic objective is to contribute to conceptualizations of civil society and civic engagement in situations of extreme poverty, violence and state fragility.

In pursuing his project, Mark hopes to situate himself at the interface of political science research and development policy making. To this end, he remains involved in project work and research pertaining to development and conflict.