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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 853–864 of 15409 results

Working Paper

Measurement and Mirage: The Informal Sector Revisited

IDS Working Paper 599

Recent years have seen an increasing availability and usage of measurements of informal sectors as the basis of scholarship and policy advice on the causes and consequences of informality. This has created an impression of a consensus around a clearly conceptualised and operationalised object of...

29 January 2024

News

Podcast: Pastoralism, uncertainty and development

Uncertainties of all sorts – environmental, market-based and political – are on the rise, as the world faces climate and environmental change, as well as market volatility and political turmoil. Learning lessons from pastoralists is therefore important for all of us, as well as ensuring that...

23 January 2024

Opinion

The changing remittance economy in Zimbabwe

The flow of remittances to Zimbabwe is huge, with diaspora remittances from outside the country estimated at over US$1 billion per annum, or around 16% of total foreign exchange receipts. This comes from a large network in the diaspora, whether in the region (mostly South Africa) or further...

22 January 2024

News

Uncertainty and resilience: lessons from pastoralism

Since 2018, the PASTRES research programme, co-hosted by IDS, has explored how pastoralists navigate uncertainty in diverse settings around the world. The programme also aimed to draw lessons for other areas of life – including challenges in finance, insurance, disease outbreaks, climate...

22 January 2024

Opinion

Pastoralists and pandemics

This is the tenth in a series of blog posts that bring together PASTRES work from 2018-2023 around a number of themes. In this post, we discuss the theme of pandemics. To read through our archive on this theme, click on the link at the end of this post. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred right in...

19 January 2024

News

Join IDS for Recasting Development in 2024

Development experts will assess the latest trends in development and explore what challenges and opportunities might arise in 2024, at the Institute of Development Studies’ Recasting Development in 2024 event on 30 January. Chaired by IDS Director Melissa Leach, the event will examine...

17 January 2024

Opinion

Pastoralism and agrarian change

This is the ninth in a series of blog posts that bring together PASTRES work from 2018-2023 around a number of themes. In this post, we discuss the theme of agrarian change. To read through our archive on this theme, click on the link at the end of this post. An important theme running through...

16 January 2024

Student Opinion

The global becomes home

Studying for her MA Gender & Development, Faith Chiazor shares with us her experience of moving from Nigeria to the UK to study, and how she has settled into life at IDS. Discovering IDS Family, they say, is home. When I left home, the plan was to go and study. I had been leading the YARN...

Faith Chiazor, IDS student, MA Gender & Development

15 January 2024

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).

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