Conflict and Violence

Our work provides a nuanced and realistic understanding of the relationship between violence, conflict, security and development. It aims to help policymakers, practitioners and citizens to develop policies and practices that strengthen people’s efforts to secure their own lives and livelihoods and improve the functioning of political institutions responsible for security and the management and prevention of conflict, and for the development of peace.

We examine the multiple layers and contexts in which violence manifests – from household to state and global level – and pinpoint the links and overlaps between these layers. This includes exploring the nature of, and responses to conflict and violence in rapidly expanding urban areas.  We have a done pioneering work on the dynamics of micro-level conflict, violence and development as well as on citizen action in violent contexts. Our research on gender, men and masculinities and gender-based violence has provided new insights on how to change attitudes, norms and behaviours for equality, peace and justice.

Another focal area is the dynamics of policy processes around conflict, violence and security examining the key framing and narratives. We explore non-traditional forms of security, especially linked to water, energy, food and health as well as post conflict and state building issues affecting service delivery and livelihoods, and are also developing new participatory approaches to peacebuilding. 

People

Patricia Justino

Professorial Fellow

Rebecca Mitchell

Postgraduate Researcher and Programme Manager

Gauthier Marchais

Research Fellow

Jeremy Allouche

Professorial Fellow

Jeremy Lind

Professorial Fellow

Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mora

Post Doctoral Researcher

Marinella Leone

Research Fellow

Robin Luckham

Emeritus Fellow

Programmes and centres

Recent work

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Showing 541–552 of 14678 results

News

Making everyone’s voice count – participation at IDS

International development has traditionally been dominated by ‘experts’ in the global North telling ‘poor people’ in the global South how their lives could be improved. But the idea that development initiatives can be developed in one place, usually by people with power and privilege,...

5 April 2023

News

Podcast: From Afghanistan to studying development studies

In this special episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, Jigyasa Agarwal – a journalist, development practitioner and current master's student at IDS – interviews IDS Alumni Naimat Zafary. In this personal and powerful account, Naimat, talks about his journey to becoming a...

4 April 2023

Student Opinion

The ups and downs of a master’s degree

Amy and Luna joined IDS in 2022 to study MA Governance, Development & Public Policy. In this blog, they have shared their top five pieces of advice when it comes to dealing with the anxiety and pressure of being a master’s student. For most of the new master's students at the University of...

Amy Baquero
Eva Vargas Diaz

4 April 2023

News

Between the Lines – student takeover

We are delighted and honoured to welcome current MA Governance student Jigyasa Agarwal as guest editor of Between the Lines, IDS’s flagship podcast. Between the Lines, now in it’s fifth year, was created as a global platform to discuss latest development/social justice related books....

3 April 2023

News

Tributes to Michael Lipton

With the news of the passing of IDS Emeritus Fellow Michael Lipton, we present a list of tributes from Michael's friends and colleagues from the development community. If you wish to add a tribute please email Gary Edwards. From Arjan de Haan: I worked closely with Michael for three years,...

3 April 2023

News

Michael Lipton 1937 – 2023

It is with sadness that we announce the death of IDS Emeritus Fellow Michael Lipton, who was a friend, and colleague to many at IDS and beyond. Michael had been unwell for some time and also suffered the loss of his wife, the scholar Merle Lipton, at the end of last year. Melissa Leach,...

3 April 2023

Working Paper

Strategic Investment Tax Incentives in Africa: The Case of Tax Holidays in Uganda

ICTD Working Paper; 161

Tax incentives to attract foreign direct investment are common around the world, especially in Africa. Even though many commentators remain sceptical regarding their effectiveness, tax incentives remain popular policy tools for governments in low-income countries seeking to attract...

Solomon Rukundo

3 April 2023

Opinion

Zimbabwe’s resettlement experience from 1980 to 2000

My recent blog on ‘phases of land reform’ focused on the post-2000 land reform period, but of course there was resettlement before 2000 as part of the post-Independence land reform efforts from 1980 to 2000. This too had phases, again affected by the wider political economy, especially via...

3 April 2023

Opinion

Ethiopian pastoralists: Entangled between development initiatives, conservation and state/society conflicts

“In the year 2000 we had called the government officials and had requested them to kill all of us…. we have lost our land, our water; we have nowhere to go.” An elderly Karrayu pastoralist, sitting beside Lake Basaka and talking with the PASTRES team, is in a state of despair. He makes...

Rashmi Singh, Affiliate Researcher PASTRES

31 March 2023

Why learn with us.

In an extraordinary time of challenge and change, we use more than 50 years of expertise to transform development approaches that create more equitable and sustainable futures. The work you do with us will help make progressive change towards universal development; to build and connect solidarities for collective action, locally and globally. The University of Sussex has been ranked 1st in the world for Development Studies for the past five years (QS World University Rankings by Subject).