Sacrificing justice in the hope of securing peace is often projected as a more realistic route to ending conflict and bringing about stability than holding perpetrators to account. Yet this report draws on Human Rights Watch research to argue that the impact of justice is too often undervalued when weighing objectives in resolving a conflict. While there is no one formula ...» more
Library
This e-library contains more than 4500 external publications on governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian issues. It includes academic and grey literature selected for its basis in good quality research and coverage of a range of perspectives. Policy-oriented summaries of each document are provided, plus links to the full text.
Building Accountable Justice in Sierra Leone
What are the main challenges and opportunities in building more accountable justice institutions in Sierra Leone? This Working Paper from the Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior is based on field research conducted in June 2008 and analyses five key components of accountability – access, equality, information, oversight and participation. The ...» more
The Role of Gender Inequalities in Explaining Income Growth, Poverty and Inequality: Evidences from Latin American Countries
What role can gender play in understanding income growth, poverty and inequality? This working paper, published by the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth, argues that gender equality is critical in any attempt to reduce poverty. In particular, it finds that increasing women’s access to the labour market correlates very positively with greater economic equality ...» more
Identity Politics and Social Exclusion in India’s North-East: The Case for Redistributive Justice
This paper, published by the Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology, analyses how identity politics have served to marginalise and exclude different groups in North-East India. These exclusions often assume a binary form, with oppositions including majority-minority, 'sons of the soil'-immigrants, locals-outsiders, tribal-non-tribal, hills-plains, inter-tribal and intra-tribal. ...» more
The Role of Regional Organisations in Conflict Prevention and Resolution
What role do regional organisations have in conflict prevention and resolution? Due to an overburdened UN system, the international community has increasingly tasked regional organisations with conflict prevention and peacekeeping. This introductory chapter from the Institute for Development and Peace's report 'Still Under Construction' outlines why regional organisations have ...» more
Empowerment or Imposition? Dilemmas of Local Ownership in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding Processes
Local ownership is accepted in theory but rarely practised in post-conflict peacebuilding. This paper from the journal Peace and Change explores understandings of 'local ownership' in contemporary peacebuilding and considers the challenges of operationalising it. New efforts are needed to bridge the international-local divide in the name of sustainable peacebuilding. Local ...» more
Negotiating Justice: Guidance for Mediators
What are the options for securing justice in peace negotiations? What role can mediators play in ensuring that peace agreements effectively address issues of justice? This report from the International Center for Transitional Justice and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue provides guidance on the parameters and policy options for justice in peace negotiations. Recent practice ...» more
Building Inclusive Post-Conflict Governance: How the EU Can Support Women’s Political Participation
How can the EU and other donors support increased women’s political participation in post-conflict situations? What can be done to ensure that this results in meaningful change for women in general? This paper from the Initiative for Peacebuilding recommends practical strategies for the EU and other donors to guide the consideration of gender issues into their post-conflict ...» more
Education and Fragility: A New Framework
What is the relationship between education and fragility? How can education mitigate fragility and promote stability? This article from The Journal of Education for International Development presents a new framework for education programming in fragile and conflict-affected states. Developed by USAID in 2006, the framework casts education in the forefront of programming ...» more
Poverty Reduction Strategies During Post-Conflict Recovery in Africa
What is the role, relevance and effectiveness of PRSPs in supporting post-conflict recovery in Africa? This paper from the Economic Policy Research Centre in Uganda discusses challenges in developing PRSPs using case studies from Zambia, Malawi, Ghana, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Mozambique, Angola and Uganda. It concludes that not all post-conflict African countries have ...» more
Discrimination and Children’s Nutritional Status in India
What is the connection between caste and health status in India? This paper, published by the Institute of Development Studies Bulletin, argues that discrimination and exclusion associated with “untouchability” may play a role in the poor health of lower caste individuals. Particularly in the nutrition domain, lower caste children have significantly lower indicators of health ...» more
What Sustains ‘Internal Wars’? The Dynamics of Violent Conflict and State Weakness in Sudan
Are the factors that start internal wars the same as the factors that sustain them? This paper from the Third World Quarterly argues that the international community has been misguided in focusing on determining the causalities of internal wars and should instead focus on the contextual conditions and dynamic relationships that allow them to continue. Using the conflicts in ...» more
Rationale, Issues and Conditions for Sustaining the Abolition of School Fees
What is the rationale for abolishing school fees and what challenges is such an initiative likely to face? This chapter by Birger Fredriksen argues that removing school fees is necessary for sub-Saharan Africa to achieve its enrolment objectives and to stimulate further educational improvements on the continent. For the initiative to be effective, abolition of school fees must ...» more
Going to Scale with Community-Led Total Sanitation: Reflections on Experience, Issues and Ways Forward
How can Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) be scaled up to address open defecation (OD) and its resulting health problems? This paper, published by the Institute of Development Studies, draws on cases from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Kenya to highlight learning points. A crucial component in bringing this revolutionary, participatory approach to more ...» more
From Conflict to Peacebuilding: The Role of Natural Resources and the Environment
Conflicts associated with natural resources are twice as likely to relapse into violent conflict. Yet, less than a quarter of peace negotiations for conflicts linked to natural resources have addressed resource management mechanisms. This study from the United Nations Environment Programme argues that the recognition of the contribution of environmental issues to violent ...» more
Improving Water Utility Services through Delegated Management: Lessons from the utility and small-scale providers in Kisumu, Kenya
How can adequate water and sanitation services be provided in poor urban areas? Partnerships with small-scale providers are increasingly important as utilities struggle to serve a growing population, particularly the poor. This field note from the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program explores a successful delegated management approach being used in Kisumu, Kenya’s third ...» more
In a Weak State: Status and Reintegration of Children Associated with Armed forces and Armed Groups (CAAFAG) in Nepal
Despite Nepal’s 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) targeting rehabilitation of children from armed group associations, the government has failed to implement satisfactory reintegration. This paper, published by the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, reviews the current status of the reintegration of Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups (CAAFAG). ...» more
Challenge of Positive Discrimination in India
Despite mixed results, India’s positive discrimination (PD) programme ensures a minimum level of inclusiveness for disadvantaged groups and keeps discrimination issues in public view. This paper, published by the Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity, reviews achievements, political and economic outcomes and challenges of the PD programme.Despite its ...» more
Youth Exclusion, Violence, Conflict and Fragile States
What factors contribute to youth exclusion and increase the likelihood of youth engagement in violence? How can DFID effectively address issues of youth exclusion and violence? This report from Social Development Direct examines existing evidence and analysis on the links between youth exclusion, violence, conflict and fragile states. It highlights factors which can contribute ...» more
Education in Peace Agreements, 1989-2005
How has education been addressed in peace agreements? This paper from the Conflict Resolution Quarterly aims to fill a gap in research by providing a systematic overview of the way education has been included in peace agreements and its role as a peacemaking strategy. The way in which education is addressed varies significantly in terms of what it entails, how it will be ...» more
