United Nations peace operations in Haiti date back to September 1993, when the Security Council set up the first UN peacekeeping operation in the country – the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH). Since then, Haiti has been somewhat of a ‘playground’ for the evolution of UN peacekeeping. Early missions (UNSMIH/UNTMIH) were characterised by narrow remits addressing ...» more
Statebuilding
UN Peace Support Mission Transitions
This report provides an overview of the available analysis on UN peace support transitions. The term transitions refers to situations where peace support operations withdraw and hand over responsibility to national authorities, another UN body such as a UN country team, an alternative international presence, or other regional and local actors. The available literature is mostly ...» more
Impact of electoral measures on elections and a country’s development
Elections can have a positive developmental effect in developing countries, such as improved economic policy, especially when elections are conducted well (Chauvet and Collier, 2008). However, there is little evidence on the impact of specific electoral measures on elections, and this study found no evidence of a direct link between electoral measures and a country’s ...» more
Youth statebuilding and peacebuilding interventions
Significant numbers of youth are directly affected by conflict and fragility. The various challenges they face in such environments can exacerbate the risks of violence and conditions of fragility. These challenges include: economic and political exclusion, loss of education and divisive education, trauma and the loss of family and social networks. This helpdesk research ...» more
Governance Reform and Service Delivery
This report offers a survey of lessons learned and guidance for reforming governance and improving service delivery in environments similar to that of Sierra Leone. It is important to note what this ‘environment’ is: Sierra Leone is one of the 44 countries classified as ‘fragile states’ under the OECD DAC’s definition. The DAC characterises fragile states as countries which ...» more
Decentralisation and Statebuilding
Decentralisation and the building or restoring of sub-national government institutions can significantly alter centre-periphery relations. Much of the literature cites the potential for these processes and structures to contribute to improving state-citizen relations and advancing state legitimacy.The contribution that decentralisation and sub-national government can make to ...» more
Economic Growth and Statebuilding
There is very limited literature that explicitly discusses linkages between (1.) economic growth and employment generation and (2.) state- and peace-building. As such, this helpdesk report relies on literature that makes implicit references to such connections. The following are a summary of key points that emerged from the review. The review did not uncover any information ...» more
The World Bank in Fragile States
Some of the recurring findings from the literature on the World Bank’s performance in fragile and conflict-affected states include the following:Despite efforts to become more conflict-sensitive, the Bank’s approach to conflict-affected and post-conflict states focuses more on ‘doing things differently’ than ‘doing different things’. This is partly due to a continued reluctance ...» more
Donor Support to Non-state Providers of Security and Justice
The following recommendations on on donor support to non-state providers of security and justice services in fragile and conflict-affected states are made in the literature: There is a need for a ‘pragmatic realism’ approach, meaning that in addition to supporting state institutions, donors proportion a significant percentage of assistance, in the short- to intermediate-term, ...» more
Literature review on state-building
This literature review, prepared by Zoe Scott for the UK Department for International Development, provides a comprehensive synthesis of theories, concepts, critiques, and case analyses related to state-building. Drawing on interdisciplinary sources—spanning development studies, international relations, political science, economics, and security studies—the review highlights ...» more
