GSDRC newsfeed on Europe

Ethno-Religious Conflicts: Exploring the Role of Religion in Conflict Resolution

S. A. Kadayifci-Orellana — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How can the religious texts, values and beliefs used to incite conflict be harnessed to promote peace-building and reconciliation? What contributions can faith-based actors make to conflict resolution? This chapter from the SAGE Handbook of Conflict Resolution examines the ways in which religion can be used to inspire both war and peace. The revival of religiously motivated conflicts, and the increasing involvement of religious actors in resolving them, requires understanding of their dynamics.

Examining Conditional Cash Transfer Programmes: A Role for Increased Social Inclusion?

Benedicte de la Briere, Laura B. Rawlings — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Conditional Cash Transfer programmes (CCTs) provide money to poor families, contingent on specific verifiable actions such as children's school attendance or preventative health care. How successful are CCTs in addressing social inclusion and inter-generational poverty? What is their impact on social accountability relationships between beneficiaries, service providers and governments? This summary focuses on the Social Inclusion section in a World Bank paper. While CCTs hold promise, they are not a panacea against social exclusion. They should form part of comprehensive social and economic policy strategies and be applied carefully in different policy contexts.

Reconciliation as a Peace-Building Process: Scope and Limits

Valerie Rosoux — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How is reconciliation understood? What is its role in peacebuilding? This chapter from the SAGE Handbook of Conflict Resolution surveys the study of reconciliation and analyses the Franco-German and South African cases. While not universally applicable models, these two examples hold lessons for both the scope and limitations of reconciliation. Reconciliation has too many ambiguities and shortcomings to serve as the key concept in peacemaking and stabilisation.

Social Exclusion, Social Isolation and the Distribution of Income

Brian Barry — Thu, 01 Jan 1998 00:00:00 GMT

While social exclusion is unquestionably closely associated with poverty, is it inextricably linked? Can a community marked by significant inequalities of power and status still be socially integrated? This paper from the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion discusses the relationships between social exclusion, justice and solidarity, with a particular focus on class systems within the USA and Britain. Despite varying income distribution, government policies targeting inequality and favouring social solidarity can promote an integrated society.

Assessing Women's Political Party Programs: Best Practices and Recommendations

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How can policymakers increase women's political participation in developing countries? The National Democratic Institute (NDI) explores this issue by analysing the progress of its women�s political participation programmes in Morocco, Indonesia, Serbia, and Nepal. While there is a definite increase in women�s participation, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of female political leaders. Future programming must focus on preparing women to take on these leadership roles.

Dealing with the Past in the Context of Ethnonationalism. The Case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia

Ivana Franovic — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What is the role of ethnonationalism in hindering sustainable peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, and how can it be addressed? This paper, published by the Berghof Research Centre for Constructive Conflict Management, argues that ethnonationalism complicates the peacebuilding process by preventing reconciliation and allowing individuals to blame entire ethnic groups. Three steps are needed to pursue the twin, interrelated goals of both dealing with the past constructively and furthering peacebuilding in the region: (1) public acknowledgment; (2) deconstructing the myth of ethnic war; and (3) reconstructing identities and de-victimisation.

Militarized Law Enforcement in Peace Operations: EUFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Cornelius Friesendorf and Susan E. Penksa — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What are the causes and problems of militarised law enforcement in peace operations? How can these be addressed? This paper from International Peacekeeping examines the role of the European Union Force (EUFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). While the military can contribute to law enforcement, such involvement is generally hindered by fear of 'mission creep' and lack of preparedness. Preferable alternatives to military involvement (such as international civil police forces collaborating with local officials) are obstructed by lack of political will. Law enforcement should be addressed early and systematically by the deployment of robust forces that avoid excessive use of force.

Can Development Prevent Conflict? Integrated Area-Based Development in the Western Balkans

Rastislav Vrbensky — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How successful is the area based development approach (ABD) in contributing to conflict prevention and linking reconstruction and development? This article from Conflict, Security & Development discusses the strengths and limitations of the approach, drawing on two ABD programmes in South and Southwest Serbia. It argues that although ABD is often effective in responding to complex conflict characteristics on sub-national levels, under its current conceptualisation, it responds ineffectively to the full complexity of issues related to conflict and development on multiple levels.

The Need for Multi-Dimensional Youth Work: Education, Interethnic Networking and Income Generation

Martina Fischer — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

How can youth in postconflict societies become a catalyst for positive change? This research from the Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management gives an overview of the challenges facing youth work in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It presents the �Young People Build the Future� project, which uses a multidimensional approach to try to meet some of these challenges. An integrated combination of initiatives that provide training, empowerment, peace education, vocational training and income generation opportunities is essential.

The Process of Social Exclusion: The Dynamics of an Evolving Concept

Hilary Silver — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

What is social exclusion and is it a more useful concept for tackling disadvantage than poverty? This paper from the Chronic Poverty Research Centre documents some of the mechanisms of individuals� downward spiral, with the accumulation of dimensions of exclusion. The study of social exclusion aims to transcend poverty�s narrow focus on monetary or material resource distribution. Exclusion as a process of progressive social rupture is a more comprehensive and complex conceptualisation of social disadvantage.

Training for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation: Experiences of the Centre for Nonviolent Action in the Western Balkans

Nenad Vukosavljevic — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

What are the effects and challenges of training for peacebuilding and non-violent action? This paper draws on experiences of the work of the Centre for Nonviolent Action (CNA) in the Western Balkans. CNA is a peace organisation driven by local activists that focuses on cross-border activities. There is no recipe for designing effective training but the content of training must match reality. The quality of the training depends on the trainer team?s sense of what is right and fair.

Radicalisation Processes Leading to Acts of Terrorism

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Understanding the origins of violent radicalisation requires understanding that terrorist groups consist of different types of disaffected individuals who undergo different paths of radicalisation. This report, published by the European Commission, analyses empirical facts on violent radicalisation, recent academic literature and the link between external conflicts and violent radicalisation. More research on individuals who join terrorist groups, terrorist recruitment, indoctrination and training, and types and development of current radicalisation processes, would inform future state response strategies.

The Epidemic Through Voices - Impact and Vulnerability

Don Operario — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How does the HIV epidemic impact on human development? What are the specific challenges amongst vulnerable populations? Written for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this paper examines the impacts of HIV in Eastern Europe and CIS countries. A human development perspective is called for, providing a comprehensive approach to match the complex challenges of HIV.

Aid, Growth and Peace: A Comparative Analysis

Astri Suhrke and Julia Buckmaster — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

What factors shape the sequencing of post-war aid? What effect do aid patterns have on the long- and short-term stability of peace? This article from Conflict, Security and Development maps patterns of post-war aid in order to identify patterns of sequencing and magnitude. It finds that contrary to other studies and conventional wisdom, post-war aid is not always front-loaded immediately after peace and then rapidly phased out. Instead, post-war aid has followed a variety of patterns, influenced by the political contexts of donation and implementation.

Interagency Framework for Conflict Analysis in Transition Situations

UNDG/ECHA Working Group on Transition — Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

United Nations (UN) post-conflict responses should be based on standardised inter-agency analyses to help overcome structures that lead to violent conflict and to promote integrated peace. This report, published by the UNDG/ECHA Working Group on Transition (United Nations Development Group/Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs), outlines analytical components necessary to understand conflict causes and dynamics that support peace efforts in a transition situation. Application of such an analytical framework would help construct subsequent UN programming that incorporates context-specific factors and supports the achievement of lasting peace.

Coherence and Coordination in United Nations Peacebuilding and Integrated Missions - A Norwegian Perspective

Cedric de Coning — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How important are coherence and coordination in United Nations peacebuilding missions? This study from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs argues that pursuing coherence helps to manage the interdependencies that bind the peacebuilding system together. Coordination is the means through which individual peacebuilding agents can ensure that they are connected to the overall strategic framework. Unless peacebuilding agents, including the Norwegian Government, generate a clearly articulated overall peacebuilding strategy and operationalise the principle of local ownership, peacebuilding systems will continue to suffer from poor rates of sustainability and success.

Administrative Decentralization: A Review of Staffing Practices in Eight Countries

Anne Evans, with Nick Manning — Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

What impact do different dimensions of managerial control have on administrative decentralisation? What lessons can be learned from the paths taken by countries with relatively high levels of administrative decentralisation? This unpublished paper prepared for the World Bank examines staffing and managerial control within the context of decentralisation. Based on case studies of decentralisation in Benin, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, and Uganda it proposes a framework for analysing managerial control.

Livelihoods and Conflict: A Toolkit for Intervention

USAID — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

The failure of livelihoods can contribute to conflict by weakening society�s social fabric and forcing people to resort to violence in order to obtain necessary resources. This toolkit, published by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), examines the relationship between conflict and livelihoods and presents lessons learned from programmes promoting sustainable livelihoods. Rebuilding infrastructures and agricultural inventories, fostering market linkages and rebuilding trust among agricultural communities all constitute legitimate livelihood programmes.

Making Schools Inclusive: How Change Can Happen

Helen Pinnock et. al. — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What can NGOs do to promote inclusiveness in the school systems of developing countries? This book uses the experience of Save the Children UK and its partners to identify what changes are needed for school systems to become inclusive of all children, and how these can be leveraged. The experience of national education teams working for Save the Children provides insight into the approaches that have worked best. Targeted provision is often needed to facilitate education for some groups of children, but these should always be adopted in parallel with moves towards more flexible and welcoming schools for all.

Accountability and Voice for Service Delivery at the Local Level

The IDL Group — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How can service providers and governments become more accountable to citizens? This background paper, published by UNDP and the IDL Group, examines the crucial role of accountability and voice (A&V) and methods for implementing A&V mechanisms. The issue is two-fold: bolstering the responsiveness of service providers and local government, while also enabling poor people to demand promised poverty reduction results. Capacity development should not proceed in an overly technocratic fashion, but should take account of the environment's complex political realities.