This study examines the impact of local elections in post-conflict Nepal on societal peace, arguing that they can foster stability rather than incite conflict. Through qualitative interviews and a survey, it finds that local elections increased participation and responsiveness, enhancing political trust and reducing potential violence, thus highlighting their positive role in peacebuilding.
How can countries emerging from conflict be supported on their path towards peace and democracy? This paper analyses international support to post-conflict Burundi and sheds light upon key factors influencing its effectiveness.
This paper analyses international engagement in Timor-Leste, focusing on the 2007 elections, the crisis of internal displacement, and the Security Sector Reform. It analyzes the impact of international support and sheds light upon key factors influencing its effectiveness.
How Effective is Transparency as an Instrument to Escape the Resource Trap?
Transparency is frequently invoked as a powerful recipe for countering a number of malfunctions in governance processes. In the context of the resource curse it has increasingly come to the fore as a key mechanism intended to counter corruption and promote developmentally oriented use of natural resources. Karina Mroß scrutinizes the potential impact of transparency on the mechanisms and effects of corruption. A critical assessment of the currently most prominent policy project in this area, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, complements the theoretical discussion. The author argues that the strong reliance on transparency is ineffective because its curbing effects on the resource curse presuppose a number of additional factors. These factors, however, closely coincide with good governance aspects the transparency instrument is supposed to generate in the first place.