Michael Edwards

Director, Governance and Civil Society Program, Ford Foundation

Michael Edwards is the director of the Governance and Civil Society Program at the Ford Foundation in New York.

From 1998 to 1999, he was the Senior Civil Society Specialist at the World Bank in Washington D.C., where he led a program designed to improve the agency’s understanding of, and engagement with, a wide range of civic groups.

Prior to his work at the World Bank, Mr. Edwards spent 15 years as a manager in international relief and development NGOs, including periods with Oxfam-UK (as regional director for Southern Africa), and Save the Children-UK (as director of research, evaluation and advocacy).

His many books and articles have helped to shape our thinking about NGOs, civil society and international cooperation. His book “Future Positive” was nominated for the Chadwick Alger Prize for the best book on international affairs and the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Promoting World Order. He holds a Ph.D from the University of London in Geography.