Confronting the Development Challenges of Fragility, Conflict, and Violence
Publisher: World Bank
Date: 2018
Topics: Basic Services, Governance, Humanitarian Assistance, Land, Livelihoods, Programming, Renewable Resources
Countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, Iraq, Liberia, Mali, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Syrian Arab Republic, Uganda
The World Bank has made addressing fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) a strategic priority. Its approach to fragile states has evolved over the years, but the emphasis has always been on prevention and early action. In recent years the Bank has increased its lending and technical assistance to FCV countries. The International Development Association, the part of the Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries, more than doubled its commitments to FCV countries in 2018, to about 20 percent of its total. The Bank also helps fund the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs providing socioeconomic support to ex-combatants.
This issue of the Research Digest features recent Policy Research Working Papers that highlight challenges facing FCV countries. The first four focus on causes and consequences of conflict. One paper shows that domestic socioeconomic policies matter for global security because disgruntled youth are susceptible to radicalization into violent extremism at home or abroad. Another study shows that insecurity and violence in Uganda led to significant welfare losses for rural households. Yet another, based on a survey of displaced people of Mali, highlights the role of employment and security in decisions on whether to return. And a paper focusing on Myanmar’s ongoing transition offers insights into how broad processes of democratization and globalization are changing relations between citizens and the state.
The remaining papers discuss policies and programs aimed at recovery and stabilization. Two papers demonstrate the importance of investing in infrastructure and public works programs for improving livelihoods. Another paper looks at how mass media can increase women’s participation in the postconflict political process. Two other papers investigate the local welfare effects from military and development aid in Afghanistan and a DDR program in Burundi. The last paper addresses an important methodological issue in measuring the impact of food aid in FCV countries.