Working Paper
Aid targeting to fragile and conflict-affected states and implications for aid effectiveness
While significant amounts of foreign aid have been allocated to the group of so-called fragile and conflict-affected states in recent years, it is not clear whether that aid is targeted to where it is most needed. This paper extends recent work by...
Working Paper
Assessing Vulnerability Before, During and After a Natural Disaster in Fragile Regions
Current approaches of measuring vulnerability to natural hazards generally use a rather static perspective that focuses on a single point in time—often before a hazardous event occurs. In contrast, the paper argues that vulnerability assessment...
Blog
Common factors in conflict-induced state fragility
by
Lual A. Deng
December 2016
What does it mean to be a fragile state? According to the IMF, fragile states are those in ‘which the government is unable to reliably deliver basic...
Research Brief
Neotrusteeship in Post-Conflict States – Lessons from Kosovo and East Timor
Kosovo and East Timor share many similar characteristics, and yet they have had divergent results in post-conflict state building. East Timor has enjoyed far greater development success since its independence, whereas Kosovo is now the poorest and...
Blog
From conflict preventor to security actor: European Peace Facility, Ukraine, and the evolution of EU’s role
by
Katariina Mustasilta, Tyyne Karjalainen
March 2022
Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine has catalysed the European Union (EU) — criticised as a paper tiger yet acknowledged to evolve through crises —...
Working Paper
State-Building Through Neotrusteeship
Why do some states, with foreign assistance, transition from ‘fragile’ to ‘robust?’ Scholars in state-building have argued that neotrusteeship is an effective strategy by which external organizations might build post-conflict states. This working...
Working Paper
Understanding Somalia’s social contract and state-building efforts
Building on a World Bank regional study in Africa aiming at measuring social contracts concepts and within the framework of reflecting on future donor interventions, this paper applies social contracts measurement and complements with qualitative...
Working Paper
The use of social accountability mechanisms by Syrian diaspora organizations providing aid in the Syrian crisis
This paper presents data from a study of Syrian diaspora organizations providing assistance to conflict-affected Syrians in Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Using interview data from leaders in three Syrian diaspora non-profit...
Blog
Can Entrepreneurship Make Peace Work?
Tony Addison and Tilman Brück There is a special role for entrepreneurship to play in making peace work. The recently published UNU-WIDER study...
Journal Special Issue
Development Assistance for Peacebuilding
Development assistance to fragile states and conflict-affected areas can be a core component of peacebuilding, providing support for the restoration of government functions, delivery of basic services, the rule of law and economic revitalization...
Blog
Working together on the puzzle of peace: The role of partnerships
When the theme for the first WIDER Development Conference of 2022—peace, security, and conflict—was chosen some years ago, no one could have predicted...
Book Chapter
Foreign aid and peacebuilding
Foreign aid is a core component of peacebuilding and among the largest external financial flows to fragile states and conflict-affected areas. Nevertheless, troubling critiques have been raised about its overall impact and effectiveness. Some of the...
Blog
Fragility is also an opportunity
by
Carl-Gustav Lindén
October 2013
One of the more difficult issues aid organizations are facing is how to plan and conduct interventions in fragile situations where armed conflict is...
Working Paper
Foreign Aid, Resource Rents and Institution-Building in Mozambique and Angola
Sharing similar colonial and post-independence civil war experiences, Mozambique and Angola’s development paths are often contrasted, with foreign aid-dependent Mozambique hailed a success compared to oil rentier Angola. This paper questions the so...
Blog
From the Editor's Desk (March 2013)
Tony Addison This month saw UNU-WIDER in Stockholm for the ReCom results meeting on ‘aid and the social sectors’, which took place at Sida on 13 March...
Book
Development Assistance for Peacebuilding
This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. It is free to read at www.tandfebooks.com and offered as a free PDF download from Taylor & Francis Group and selected open access locations. Development assistance...
Blog
From the Editor's Desk (April 2012)
Tony Addison With our temperatures now well above zero, we head for the official end of the Finnish winter on 1st May (the ‘Vappu’ holiday). As...
Blog
Getting ready for Copenhagen
by
Carl-Gustav Lindén
September 2013
After two ReCom Results Meetings in Stockholm we are returning to Copenhagen. The next event ‘Challenges in Fragility and Governance’ is coming up...
Blog
Accelerating progress towards the SDGs in Africa: focusing on three thematic priorities
by
Malang Bojang
January 2024
I was recently invited to attend the event co-hosted by UNU-WIDER and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa...
Blog
Securing a future for the next generations – navigating today’s global challenges
by
Frederik Matthys
May 2024
In an era frequently described as ‘unprecedented’, the global landscape often seems daunting. Countries classified as democracies are increasingly...
Blog
Transforming economies, states, and societies – building evidence for achieving the SDGs
I am delighted to take the helm at UNU-WIDER, an institution which has been associated with some of the most advanced thinking in development...
Blog
Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can be Done About it
by
Paul Collier
2007
by Paul Collier Alarge group of smallish countries totalling about a billion people have sheered off from the rest of mankind. As the world becomes...
Blog
From the Editor's Desk (April 2013)
30 April 2013 Tony Addison As April closes, our thoughts turn to UNU-WIDER’s spring/summer programme. And it’s a busy one. June sees us back in...
Blog
Looking back, moving forward – a photo retrospective of the 2019-2023 WIDER Work Programme
As we conclude the groundbreaking years of the 2019–2023 work programme on transforming economies, states, and societies, we reflect on the milestones...
Blog
Climate Change Adds to Risks in North Africa
by
Imed Drine
September 2011
Imed Drine The climate change threat North Africa is going through a turbulent year. With much of the focus on political transition, there is a danger...
Blog
The Macroeconomic Management of Foreign Aid
by
Tony Addison, Tseday Jemaneh Mekasha, Milla Nyyssölä, Lucy Scott,
Finn Tarp, Tuuli Paukkeri
January 2012
Tony Addison, Tseday Mekasha, Milla Nyyssölä, Lucy Scott, Finn Tarp, Tuuli Ylinen To meet development objectives, aid recipients and their donor...