Aid In Conflict

Many developing countries find themselves in seemingly intractable internal conflicts, hindering them from moving on into a more stable, secure and wealthy environment. It seems that underdevelopment and conflict go hand in hand. Underdevelopment most often implies large streams of development aid channeled into countries at war. The work evaluates to what extent an increase in development aid affects conflict ripeness. The research shows that the effect is ambivalent: it depends on the conditions of provision whether it is positive or negative. In general, an ‘increase in development aid’ decreases the intensity of one of the ingredients to conflict ripeness: the mutually hurting stalemate. However, if embedded into a smart strategy, an ‘increase in development aid’ enhances the second ingredient to conflict ripeness: the sense of a way out. By that it counterbalances the negative effect and thus fosters the phase of ripeness, creating an ideal starting position for a subsequent peace process.

Knowledge and rigorous evidence around the role of external development partners in situations of conflict and fragility is still lacking. There is little accountability for the billions in aid being spent in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This book analyses evaluation theory and practice in order to help fill this knowledge gap and advocates a realistic and rigorous approach to evaluating international engagement. Through a series of case studies, this book highlights both the promise, and potential pitfalls, of taking a more evaluative approach to understanding aid in conflict regions. These illustrate the methodological and analytical approach taken by researchers working to understand the results and effectiveness of conflict prevention and peacebuilding support. While well-grounded in current theoretical and methodological debates, the book provides valuable practical information by examining how and why different choices were made in the context of each evaluation. The book shows what future steps may be envisaged to further strengthen evaluations of support for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The analysis draws on a wealth of perspectives and voices to provide researchers and students in development studies and conflict and peace studies as well as development evaluators with a deep and broad understanding of evaluation methods and approaches.

Echoing the Hippocratic oath, a developmental economist and president of the Collaborative for Development Action calls for a creative redesign of international assistance programs to ensure that they become part of the solution and do not reinforce divisions among warring factions. Includes a bibliographic essay. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Conflict is a major cause of suffering for millions of people throughout the world. Conflict inhibits development and fosters displacement, destruction of infrastructure, loss of food and economic security, abuse of human rights, dislocation of families and communities and loss of cultural identity. In the past, provision of aid was unusual in areas conflict. However, recognition of the immediate human needs within periods of conflict has seen an increased provision and role the provision of aid now plays. Aid in conflict is an emerging area interest that has lacked attention and reflection within the aid and development literature. This edited volume will be an opportunity for development practitioners, community members and theorists to address this situation.

This book gives practical tips on how to manage disputes and personality clashes before they create major problems for business and relationships. Written in laymen’s terms with examples, acronyms, and illustrations, it helps the reader understand the causes of conflict and how it develops and escalates. The author explains the scientific basis for seemingly illogical behavior under stress and in conflict and also offers tips and tools for managing emotions and behaviors in difficult situations. Guidance is provided on setting and maintaining standards, balancing responsibilities with relationships, and dealing with negative issues before serious damage is done. The book is structured so that it can either be read as a whole or the relevant section accessed in a crisis, with a toolkit of resources at the end. Each chapter ends with questions to check understanding. Full of convenient tools and insights into managing emotions and handling disagreements, it provides a handy resource for managers and employees.

Humanitarians are required to be impartial, independent, professionally competent and focused only on preventing and alleviating human suffering. It can be hard living up to these principles when others do not share them, while persuading political and military authorities and non-state actors to let an agency assist on the ground requires savvy ethical skills. Getting first to a conflict or natural catastrophe is only the beginning, as aid workers are usually and immediately presented with practical and moral questions about what to do next. For example, when does working closely with a warring party or an immoral regime move from practical cooperation to complicity in human rights violations? Should one operate in camps for displaced people and refugees if they are effectively places of internment? Do humanitarian agencies inadvertently encourage ethnic cleansing by always being ready to 'mop-up' the consequences of scorched earth warfare? This book has been written to help humanitarians assess and respond to these and other ethical dilemmas.