Can you help shape our future priorities? Take a five minute survey now. Survey closes on 8 July.

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

Filter results by

Showing 961–972 of 15420 results

Opinion

On the move: transporting agricultural goods in Zimbabwe

As production and marketing has increased from the new resettlement farms, the demand for transport has grown. The earlier blog series highlighted the importance of transport operators as part of the expanding ‘hidden middle’. Transporters facilitate value chains of all sorts, transporting...

29 October 2023

Opinion

What Might Uncertainty Teach Me?

There is a growing recognition of the importance of teaching students about sustainability issues. But given the many uncertainties and unknowns, what kinds of learning approaches are appropriate? In partnership with a leading school-wide initiative in Brighton and Hove, Our City Our World, the...

Rebecca Webb
Rebecca Webb & 2 others

27 October 2023

Opinion

Lessons from Indonesia: Rampant Corruption in Village Governance

Corruption is defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. In terms of village corruption, the perpetrators generally engage in corrupt practises to enrich themselves, their social groups, or to fund village head elections. In this blog, IDS alum Egi Primayogha investigates...

Egi Primayogha, IDS alum

26 October 2023

Working Paper

A Literature Review on Social Assistance and Capacity in Yemen

BASIC Research Working Paper 20

Yemen is experiencing one of the worst crises in the world in terms of levels of suffering and humanitarian need. Intense civil war since 2014 has devastated the national economy, and approximately two-thirds of the population (21.6 million people) were assessed as being in need of humanitarian...

25 October 2023

Past Event

Exhibition: Uncertain worlds

Seven stories about living with uncertainty What are you uncertain about? If you can’t control or predict the future, how can you prepare for it? Uncertainty can be scary, but can it also be a source of hope or opportunity? In this exhibition, visitors are invited to explore seven...

From 25 October 2023 until 29 October 2023

News

IDS welcomes new cohort of master’s students and PhD researchers

As summer transitions into autumn in the UK, the seasonal change sees IDS bid farewell to one cohort of students who make way for the class of 2023-24. It is an exciting time of year for everyone across the institute, as we get to celebrate success with our 2022-23 students and welcome over...

23 October 2023

Journal Article

Economics for an Uncertain World

Uncertainty, where we do not know the likelihood of future events, dominates our world. This article examines how economics as a profession and discipline can address uncertainty. From Frank Knight to John Maynard Keynes to Friedrich von Hayek to George Shackle, economics has highlighted the...

23 October 2023

Opinion

Processing crops in Zimbabwe: adding value through mechanisation

This blog continues our short series on small-scale agricultural mechanisation in Zimbabwe. This week we turn to how mechanisation is changing the capacity to process agricultural produce and so add value locally. Selling to larger scale manufacturers, millers and so on is less and less...

23 October 2023

Journal

Knowledge in Times of Crisis: Transforming Research-to-Policy Approaches

IDS Bulletin 54.2

The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in unprecedented challenges for researchers and policy analysts, and accentuated the need for access to civil society and advocacy movements within politically closed spaces. The impact of locally led Covid-19 response research in the global South has subsequently...

23 October 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).

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.