Institute of Development Studies

Strengthening Democratic Governance in Conflict-Torn Societies

Aims and Objectives

This large research programme was concerned to understand the conditions under which democratic institutions in developing and transitional economies are effective in resolving social conflict, broadening political participation, and delivering development. The objective was to generate concepts and empirical data to would enable policy-makers to formulate proposals for crafting democratic structures which would be effective in the following three senses:

• Democratic effectiveness: capable of deepening democracy and democratic citizenship;
• Policy effectiveness: capable of tackling fundamental developmental problems of poverty and social equality
• Conflict-management effectiveness: capable of channelling conflicts and rendering them less destructive.

The democratic, policy and conflict-management effectiveness of experiments in political liberalisation was explored in four countries with a history of violent conflict:

• Bosnia
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• Uganda

Methodology

The broad questions and objectives animating this research were refined through:

1. conceptual overviews: of the promises and deficits of democracy in developing and transitional contexts, and of new forms of conflict;
2. an historical analysis of the politics of institutional choice in six countries; and
3. cross-national empirical studies on four comparative themes: women's political effectiveness in democracies, the role of civic organisations in deepening democracy and conflict prevention, the contribution of decentralisation to controlling conflict, and approaches to controlling military and security establishments in new democracies.

Findings

Summary of key research findings by theme:

• Conceptual work on Democratic Institutions and Politics in Context of Inequality, Poverty and Conflict
• Conceptual work on New Forms on Conflict
• The Politics of Institutional Choice
• Democratic Institutions and Women's Political Effectiveness in South Africa and Uganda
• Civil Society, Decentralisation and Conflict-Mitigation
• Security, Structures and Democratic Governance

• IDS key contact: Robin Luckham
• Project dates: January 1998 - January 2002
• Project status: Closed
• Funder: Department for International Development (DFID)

Researchers

• Robin Luckham
• Anne Marie Goetz
• Shireen Hassim, University of Witwatersrand
• Zdravko Grebo, The Law Centre
• Sunil Bastian, International Centre for Ethnic Studies
• John Jean Barya, Centre for Basic Research
• Mary Kaldor, Centre for the Study of Global Governance
• Gavin Cawthra, Centre for Defence and Security Management

Selected Outputs

• Goetz, A.M. and Hassim, S (2003) No Shortcuts to Power African Women in Politics and Policy Making
• Goetz, A. M. and Hassim, S. (2002) 'In and Against the Party: Women’s Representation and Constituency-Building in Uganda and South Africa ', Geneva UNRISD Programme Papers Series
• Luckham, R. and Kaldor, M. (2001) 'Global Transformations and New Conflicts', IDS Bulletin 32.2:48-70, Brighton: IDS
• Ahikire J. (2001) 'Gender and Equity and Local Democracy in Contemporary Uganda: Addressing the Challenge of Women's Political Effectiveness in Local Government, Kampala', Centre for Basic Research Working Paper 58, Kampala: CBS