Research this month
Gender and conflict analysis toolkit for peacebuilders
Understanding gender and how it links to peace and conflict in a particular time and place is key to designing inclusive and effective peacebuilding interventions.
Gender and conflict analysis toolkit for peacebuilders, from Conciliation Resources, aims to give practical advice to practitioners on gender and conflict analysis. The guide provides an introduction to the concept of gender and its relevance to conflict analysis, as well as guidance on how to conduct gender-sensitive conflict analysis.
Voicing concern: Surveying people’s priorities in violent settings
Perceptions of priorities differ significantly between urban and rural respondents. Food and healthcare appear to matter more in rural settings, while security concerns seem stronger in urban areas.
Voicing concern, from Small Arms Survey, analyses the results of 43 surveys of people living in conflict-affected countries to get a picture of people's perceived priorities. The research aims to help guide interventions by looking at needs identified by local populations themselves. The paper looks at trends across countries and differences between population groups.
“Our small peace cannot survive alone”: Lessons in peacebuilding and economic development in South Sudan
The peace deal is by no means the end of the conflict but marks a milestone in removing some of the obstacles to peace. Peace can only progress with attention to both community and national conflict dynamics.
Lessons in peacebuilding and economic development in South Sudan, from CARE International, focuses on peacebuilding and development efforts in Upper Nile State, South Sudan. The research looks at how local community level peacebuilding interacts with national reconciliation efforts, and suggests how lessons from local initiatives can inform larger scale strategies.
Understanding armed group proliferation in the Eastern Congo
Beyond relatively ad hoc military operations, there is currently no comprehensive policy in place to convince armed groups to lay down arms. For those willing to negotiate their surrender, it remains unclear what conditions and prospects they will be offered.
Understanding armed group proliferation in the Eastern Congo, from the Rift Valley Institute, explores the factors behind the increase in numbers of armed groups in eastern DR Congo. The paper finds that military action intended to reduce the number of armed groups may have been counter productive, and argues for more non-military solutions focused on persuading groups to give up their weapons.
Freedom from corruption: a curriculum for people power movements, campaigns and civic initiatives
This curriculum is a theoretical, practical and skills-based framework about citizen empowerment and nonviolent strategies and action. It’s designed for those who want to learn how people power can curb corruption, impunity, inequality and injustice, and perhaps more importantly, how it can gain accountability, bottom-up democracy, social and economic opportunity, and justice.
Freedom from corruption, by Shaazka Beyerle, is a self-study training manual aimed at civil society and concerned citizens on how to organise effective grassroots campaigns against corruption. It builds on lessons learned from extensive research into citizen empowerment and mobilisation against corruption from around the world
African Journal on Conflict Resolution
The African Journal on Conflict Resolution, from ACCORD, is an academic journal focused on conflict management and resolution in Africa. The latest issue includes articles on South Sudan's post independence conflict, Tunisia and Yemen after the Arab Spring, and student leadership in South Africa.