Christopher L. Pallas, PhD (LSE) is Professor of Conflict Management and Political Science at Kennesaw State University. He has a dual appointment in the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development and the School of Government and International Affairs. His research examines the relationship between international institutions, international NGOs, and local stakeholders in development policy making. He currently has two main areas of focus. One is the impact of transnational advocacy campaigns on the representation of low and middle income country stakeholders in international policymaking. The other is the impact of foreign aid reduction and donor withdrawal on local civil society sustainability, especially in post-conflict states and countries transitioning from low income to middle income status.

 

Dr. Pallas the author of Transnational Civil Society and the World Bank: Investigating Civil Society’s Potential to Democratize Global Governance (Palgrave, 2013) and co-editor of Beyond the Boomerang: From Transnational Advocacy Networks to Transcalar Advocacy in International Politics (University of Alabama Press, 2022).  His work has appeared in Review of International Organizations, International Studies Review, Global Governance, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and elsewhere.  He has won best article awards from the International Society for Third-Sector Research (for best publication in Voluntas) and the European Consortium for Political Research (for best publication in European Political Science).  His research has been supported by the International Studies Association, United States Institute of Peace, and the UNITAR-affiliated CIFAL-Atlanta.

 

Prior to entering academia, Dr. Pallas served as a US Peace Corps volunteer working in microfinance in Togo, West Africa, and worked as a senior research analyst and consultant, analyzing World Bank and African Development Bank policies for Development Finance International. He also worked as a staff member and team leader for a faith-based NGO, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA.