Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) and implications for post-conflict economic recovery
The project is about disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (so-called DDR processes) and the pursuit of these aims when societies go from war to peace.Cooperation with the University of Tromsø Participants
The main objective is to study how combatants’ economic agendas coexist with DDR initiatives and how DDR strategies weaken or underscore economic growth and the consolidation of governing bodies. What happens when former guerrilla soldiers are included in police and army forces? How does this affect the survival of state institutions and the reconstruction of societies after conflict? Why don’t peace agreements in the wake of civil war lead to a rapid end to violence as well as economic progress? How DDR processes relate to societal change such as the growth of new and dominating post-war economic actors is a field that has not received much research attention. Traditionally, it has been common practice to look at civil war violence as a result of combatants’ fierce animosity against each other. This project has an economic orientation – the violence is seen as motivated by greed or economic injustice.
The project had its first workshop 6–7 December 2007, with the participation of, i.a., David Keen (Professor of Complex Emergencies at LSE) and Robert Muggah (Research Director Small Arms Survey). Participants gathered at the Centre for Peace Studies at the University of Tromsø on 4–5 September 2008 for further research discussions and presentation of preliminary papers. Seven articles, which have been produced under the auspices of the project, were submitted for review to a major international journal on 1 February 2009, with the intention that these articles will constitute a Special Journal Issue on DDR. The papers are assessing the interplay between DDR and various social, political and economic contexts.
Funding
The Research Council of Norway
Publications
- de Coning, Cedric H., Walter Lotze, Stina Torjesen, Johanna Jansson (2010). Conference Proceedings: Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Peacebuilding:Towards Change in Concepts and Approachess. Oslo, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. 36 pages. Nupi Report. The report focuses on identifying key issues of concern and highlighting potentially promising foci of innovation and reform in peacebuilding approaches.
- Muggah, Robert (2010). Innovations in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration policy and research: Reflections on the last decade. NUPI Working Paper: 774. 23 pages. This literature review provides a synthesis of policy and theoretical innovations in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) over the past decade.
- Torjesen, Stina
(2009). New avenues for research in the study of DDR,
in Conflict, Security and Development, Volume 9, Number 4, December 2009
.London,Routledge.p. 411-424.Introduction to a special journal issue on disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR). [url] - Stankovic, Tatjana , Stina Torjesen (2010). Fresh Insights on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration. Oslo, NUPI/CPS/IDDRS. 24 pages. This publication presents key academic findings on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR).
- Stankovic, Tatjana , Stina Torjesen, Tone Bleie (2010). Fresh Insights on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration. Tromsø, Centre for Peace Studies, University of Tromsø. 64 pages. This publication has a simple goal: to bring research on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) closer to practioners.