Conflict and post-conflict issues

NIBR works in several regions that have experienced violent conflict, ranging from the West Balkans to South Asia. In conflict and post-conflict contexts, socio-economic issues, ethnic tension and centre-periphery relations are particularly critical factors: not only do they help explain the dynamics of conflicts, but they are also important elements in efforts to resolve them. NIBR projects have generated rich empirical detail on the experiences of conflict, post-conflict and conflict resolution. Our researchers mainly use interviews, surveys, and document or other textual analysis in their work. Rigorous analysis of our fieldwork serves to make our research relevant both to policy makers and to the theoretical literature on the topic.

In our research, a special emphasis has been given to governance issues, such as power sharing arrangements and decentralisation, as important tools for conflict resolution. The role of civil society actors is important in several of the conflict cases of our research. NIBR researchers adopt a broad approach to civil society in this context, and look at community-based organisations and NGO's, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood in Somalia or the Christian churches of the Great Lakes region.

Projects:

The decentralization dimension in conflict and peace: Northern Uganda

Religious Civil Society Networks in the Great Lakes Region as Partners in Peace-building

Does a "rights based" approach to development contribute to social inclusion?

Social exclusion, Nepal

Piracy, Causes and Remedies: a case study of the Greater Gulf of Aden

Bander og politisk vold i Kenya

Decentralization as a strategy for resolving conflicts?

Det muslimske brorskapet i regionen rundt Afrikas horn