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Writing and editing by Holly Larson. Event content synopses provided by Ben Oppenheim.
Cover design by Jesse Darling. Report layout and graphics by Efrain Ferrer. Photography by
Orion Spellman. Copyright 2009 Center for Stabilization and Reconstruction Studies. All rights
reserved. The opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied herein are
those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Naval Postgraduate
School, the US Navy, US Defense Department, or any other agency or organization.
ABOUT THIS EVENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Transforming a War Economy
5 The Confict Environment
13 Tensions and Trends with
Economic Recovery
17 Economic Recovery Initiatives
23 Putting New Insights to Work
25 Conclusion
GETTINGBACK TOWORK
April 26-29, 2009
The Center for Stabilization and Reconstruction Studies held an
interactive workshop, Get t ing Back t o Work : Rebui ld ing Livel ihoods in
Post-Confict Environments, April 26-29, 2009, in Monterey, California,
to explore the topic of creating jobs and sustainable livelihoods in
fragile states around the world. The workshop, which was designed
and facilitated by Dr. Nat J. Colletta and Dr. Sophal Ear, provided
stabilization and reconstruction actors with the opportunity to discuss
the challenges and successes of economic recovery initiatives in a wide
array of post-conict environments, as well as learn new frameworks
and best practices. Participants included 40 US and international
representatives from civilian government agencies, non-governmental
organizations, intergovernmental organizations, the armed forces, andeducational institutions, who provided a wealth of insights into their
own experiences designing and executing economic recovery initiatives.
The Center for Stabilization and Reconstruction Studies(CSRS) is a
teaching institute which develops and conducts educational programs for
stabilization and reconstruction practitioners, including
representatives from US and international nongovernmental
organizations, intergovernmental organizations, government
civilian agencies, and the armed forces. Established by theNaval Postgraduate School in 2004 through the vision and congressional support
of Representative Sam Farr (CA-17), CSRS creates a wide array of programs
to foster dialogue among practitioners, as well as to help them develop new
strategies and rene best practices to improve the effectiveness of their
important global work.
Located at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, CSRS
also contributes to the universitys research and graduate degree programs.
For more information about CSRS, its philosophy, and programs, please
visit www.csrs-nps.org.
Rebuilding Livelihoods inPost-Conflict Environments
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1
TRANSFORMING A WAR ECONOMY
Civil wars are fast outpacing intra-state wars as the major source of
the worlds conicts, according
to leading researchers.1And the
effects are often ruinous: large-scale
destruction of critical infrastructure,
genocide, increased poverty, and
criminalization, to name just a
few. Of equal importance, civil war
tears the social fabric of a country,
creating profound mistrust and
insularity. Riven by grievance,greed, and fear, individuals and
groups focus on self-preservation
rather than engaging in the
cooperative, risk-taking behaviorthat helps move a society forward.
While the average civil war lasts
seven years,3the presence of
natural, lootable resources can
signicantly extend conict by
providing nancing for rebel forces.
When the violence nally ends,
the damage will take years to undo.
Researchers have found that it can
take a countrys economy up to 21
years to return to its pre-conictlevel4and that individuals incomes
are 15 percent lower than they
would have been without the war.5
Practitioners know that one of the
best ways they can bolster support
for long-term reconstruction
programs and forestall a return
to conict is to shore up a fragile
states economy. Many researchers
have traced the link betweenpoverty and violence, demonstrating
that increasing a countrys GDP
signicantly reduces the probability
of a return to civil war during the
ve-year window when states are
most vulnerable. As the graphic at
left depicts, countries with a GDP
of 3,000 USD or higher have only a
quarter of the risk of lapsing back
into civil war as those with $250 USD.
Transforming a War Economy
Source:A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility: Report of the High-level Panel on Threats,
Challenges and Change, United Nations (2004), p. 15. See endnotes for complete citation .2
$250
0
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
$1,000 $2,000 $3,000 $4,000 $5,000
The Link Between Poverty and Civil War
GDP per capita (in US$)
Predictedprobabilityof
civilwaronset
withinfiveyears(percentage)
Researchers have traced the link between povertyand violence, demonstrating that increasing a countrysGDP significantly reduces the probability of a returnto civil war within the five-year window when statesare most vulnerable.
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TRANSFORMING A WAR ECONOMY
But the path forward is a rocky
one. Post-conict countries typically
suffer from an array of economic
ills, none of which are easy to rectify.Governments are often shackled
by debt, since revenues have been
funneled into ghting insurgents and
elites have stripped the country of
valuable natural resources. Outsized
militaries are lled with potential
spoilers, troops who are likely to lose
both employment and status when
force reductions begin. Individuals
and communities have often been
displaced, losing access to land
and livelihoods. And social services,which have long been neglected,
must be rebuilt at a time when
capacity, practitioner skills, and
funding are unlikely to meet
states vast needs.
States must make systemic
changes to rebuild the economy,
addressing resource inequities,
creating supportive policies, and
developing an enabling environment
for economic growth. Yet none of
these changes will likely take hold
in the critical few years immediately
after a conict. Thus, states mustbalance long-term initiatives with
short-term programs that provide
quick wins, such as cash for work
programs that provide short-term
employment and aid in rebuilding
communities. Adding to the
complexity, donor aid, which ows
into a country in conicts aftermath,
is often withdrawn after two or three
years at the very time the state has
nally developed the absorptivecapacity to use it effectively.
And external actors, despite their
best intentions, may disrupt the
local economy with ill-considered
practices such as hiring external
contractors or paying above-market
wages to local service providers.
Despite these very real constraints
and challenges, stabilization and
reconstruction (S&R) practitioners
realize that economic recovery maywell represent their best chance
to help communities navigate the
divide between emergency relief
and sustainable development.
Learning ObjectivesGetting Back to Workwas designed to helpparticipants achieve the following learning objectives:
Develop a deeper knowledge
of post-conict economic
forces that inuence stability,
the rebuilding of livelihoods,
and job creation.
Gain familiarity with operational
tools for designing livelihood
and job creation programs.
Explore a range of policy and
programmatic approaches
to rebuilding livelihoods and
promoting job creation and
economic recovery in countries
emerging from armed conict.
Enhance their understanding
of and professional networking
among the other communities
involved in post-conict
reconstruction operations.
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TRANSFORMING A WAR ECONOMY
Recognizing that host nations face
an array of societal and economic
ills as they emerge from years
of conict, actors seek to help
create employment generation
and alternative livelihood
opportunities that will employ
special needs populations, bolster
the local economy, and contributeto state building and the peace
dividend. Since each post-conict
environment is unique, practitioners
will need to undertake a detailed
country analysis, studying conict
drivers and resource inequities,
population needs and aspirations,
infrastructure issues, and local and
state economies, among other factors.
Sometimes environments will be
so degraded that actors will simplystrive to create a holding pattern,
hoping to forestall violence by
creating temporary employment
opportunities for individuals and
communities. When conditions are
more conducive, actors and host
nations will typically implement a
multi-faceted initiative that balances
short-term efforts to bolster the
economy and create public goodwill
with longer-term programs to developtechnical capacity; rebuild critical
infrastructure and services; and
strengthen the economy at the
national, regional, and sectoral
levels so that it can withstand the
departure of actors and donor funding.
Getting Back to Workwas designedto help practitioners enhance
their understanding of the post-
conict environment, including
critical conict drivers and
beneciary needs, as well as learn
best practices and new strategies
for job creation and livelihoods.
The event, which was hosted by
the Center for Stabilization and
Reconstruction Studies, assembled
40 representatives from US andinternational non-governmental
organizations, intergovernmental
organizations, government civilian
agencies, the armed forces, and
educational institutions, among
others. Leading practitioners and
thinkers Dr. Nat J. Colletta,
formerly of the World Bank, and
Dr. Sophal Ear, an assistant professor
at the Naval Postgraduate School,
joined with other presenters to
share frameworks, case studies,
and insights on how to develop job
creation and alternative livelihoodprograms that address the needs
of a wide array of fragile states.
To test new insights and skills,
participants practiced developing
job creation strategies for post-
conict environments including
Aceh, Afghanistan, Colombia,
Liberia, and Timor-Leste.
CSRS events provide an opportunity for S&R actors from different communities
to share ideas and strategies and broaden professional networks.
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TRANSFORMING A WAR ECONOMY
Economic recovery is just one
of the many critical issues facing
donors, host nations, and actors
working in post-conict environments.
To provide practitioners with the
opportunity to explore important
issues in-depth, CSRS hosts interactive
workshops on a wide array of
cutting-edge topics in the areas of
conflict prevention, humanitarian
relief, economic recovery and
development, institution building
and security sector reform, and
cross-community understanding.Workshops help global actors enhance
their cognitive understanding of
critical topics, sharpen skills by
brainstorming new strategies and
testing new approaches to S&R
challenges, and deepen cross-
community professional networks
they can leverage in the future.
Dr. Nat J. Collettawas the founding manager of the World BanksConflict Prevention and Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit. He now teachesat New College and works with a number of multilateral and bilateralagencies and governments, advising organizations extensively onconflict, security, and development matters.
Dr. Sophal Ear, an assistant professor in the National Security AffairsDepartment of the Naval Postgraduate School, has more than a decadeof experience in development consulting, with a focus on SoutheastAsia. His work experience includes stints with the United Nations
Development Programme in East Timor, the Asian Development Bank,and the World Bank.
Workshop Facilitators
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THE CONFLICT ENVIRONMENT
The Conict Environment
While greed and grievance fuel conflict, proving
causation can be difficult. Many factors may combine to
fuel conflict, and individuals and groups may be swayed
as equally by cultural and personal narratives as by
their own analytical assessment of societal issues.
Dr. Robert McNab, associate professor, Defense Resources Management Institute,
Naval Postgraduate School, helped facilitate a discussion about the different
factors motivating conict.
Researchers and practitionershave long debated the role of
greed and grievance in fueling
conict, pinpointing such issues
as scarcity or inequitable resource
distribution, power imbalances,
ethnic and identity struggles, and
scarcity as critical conict drivers.
Yet, according to an educator,
proving causation can be difcult,
if not impossible. Many factors
may combine to fuel conict, and
individuals and groups may be
swayed as equally by cultural and
personal narratives as by their own
analytical assessment of societal
issues. People like to believe
that they make rational decisions
based on a careful analysis of costs
and benets. However, they actin non-rational ways all the time,
said the academic, citing the
behavior of zealous sports fans as a
case in point. In this non-rational
or narrative mode, humans see
history and culture through the
lens of their group identity, whether
it be familial, cultural, ethnic, or
religious. Believing that they play
a vital role in the larger societal
drama, individuals may be motivatedto perpetuate centuries-long feuds
or tribal disputes to preserve group
honor or protect their cultural identity.
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THE CONFLICT ENVIRONMENT
The educator suggested that actors
should use a different lens to examine
conict: economics. Individuals,
whether perpetrators or victims
of violence, are economic agentsand respond to nancial incentives.
When combined with other factors
such as ethnic hatred or religion,
economic issues such as scarcity,
inequitable resource distribution,
and pervasive poverty can prove
powerful catalysts for violence. The
educator and workshop participants
discussed a wide range of case
studies that proved this point. In
Rwanda, Hutus who participated inthe genocide were motivated, in
part, by a politically sanctioned land
redistribution scheme that enabled
them to seize the arable land of
wealthy Tutsi and Hutu farmers if
no heirs could make claim to it.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, a sheiks edict
that Mahdi Army soldiers could
conscate the property of Sunni
militants provided both the religious
sanction and nancial motivation for
property seizures of ordinary Sunni
citizens. Similarly, El Salvadorscivil war was due in large measure
to the socioeconomic injustice of
disproportionate land ownership,
with a handful of families owning 90
percent of the countrys arable land.
And the ongoing violence in Darfur
can be linked to disputes over land
ownership issues and vital grazing
and water rights.
In this model, violence can easilybecome a self-perpetuating cycle.
Conict increases scarcity, driving
demand for limited resources and
increasing prices, disadvantaging
the poor. Since Western business and
legal norms such as a market-clearing
model, rule-of-law, and legal
contracts to structure economic
activity are not present in conict-
torn countries, business partnerships
and nancial transactions become
increasingly precarious. Corruption
can become systemic, as citizens
game the system for their personal
advantage. Resource inequities and
poverty become even more acute,
motivating yet more violence and
destruction and further reducing
opportunities for employment.
An NGO participant challenged
inequitable resource distribution as
a major motivator of conict, sincethis condition is prevalent in many
non-violent countries. However, the
presenter stated that it was, indeed,
a contributor. The argument that
inequality does not cause conict
is spurious, because it is a blanket
statement, said the presenter. It
is not that one thing causes another,
but it does increase the likelihood
of internal violence.
In addition, participating in conict,
corruption, or other illegal activities
often provides the only gainful
employment in war-torn or economically
vulnerable countries. When economic
systems are disrupted, infrastructure
destroyed, and insecurity prevalent,
citizens will often engage in illegal
and often highly dangerous activities
simply to survive. For example,
improvised explosive device plantingin Iraq, piracy in Somalia, and poppy
farming in Afghanistan provide
some of the few means of making
an above-market wage in these
degraded environments; as such,
citizens are willing to face physical
harm or even death for the chance
to provide for their families and
potentially transform their lives.
Individuals, whether perpetrators or victims of
violence, are economic agents and respond to
financial incentives. Participants discussed the
economic incentives fueling conflict in Rwanda,
Iraq, El Salvador, and Darfur.
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THE CONFLICT ENVIRONMENT
In Somalia, in particular, one
successful piracy operation can
ensure the nancial future of an entire
family. Local communities also benet,as pirates use their newfound wealth
to create employment and nancial
opportunities for others. While
actors often seek to eradicate such
behavior by punishing perpetrators
or destroying illegal crops, these
efforts are short-sighted. The US
and British Governments have spent
millions of dollars destroying poppy
elds in Afghanistan, but enterprising
farmers have simply shifted production
to other regions. This same principleextends to economic recovery. If
actors programs privilege one group
at the expense of others, community
members will use diverse strategies
to access and gain benets. A
government civilian agency member
cited a disarmament, demobilization,
and reintegration program (DDR) in
Sierra-Leone which provided economic
incentives for ex-combatants. Not
surprisingly, local citizens quickly
amassed multiple identity cards
identifying them as ex-combatants,
enabling them to prot from this
program. Similarly, when actors
strive to rebuild social services
such as healthcare systems, they
must painstakingly vet would-be
practitioners certicates to
combat the pervasive fraud
that typically ensues.
To change society, one must change
both the historical narrative and the
economic incentives that motivate
violence and illicit behavior. The
presenter cited the work of Mothers
Against Drunk Driving, a US-based
advocacy group, as an example.
This institution has had a profound
effect on US culture in just three
decades, successfully working to
change drinking and driving froman acceptable pastime to an act with
formidable negative legal, social,
and economic repercussions. And
in Sub-Saharan Africa, technological
advances, political pressure, and
negative media coverage combined
to create an environment where
leading jewelry companies were
able to identify diamonds origin
and were motivated to boycott
countries supplying blood diamonds,or gems used to fuel conict,
effectively removing that avenue
of funding for African insurgents.
Actors must work to create new
economic incentives, such as cash for
work, sustainable employment, and
community redevelopment initiatives,
that will motivate citizens to seek
Shannon Rogers, US Agency for International Development (right), shares insights
into creating successful job creation programs with Gwendolyne Sanders,
Naval Postgraduate School.
Participating in conflict, corruption, or illegalactivities often provides the only gainful employment
in war-torn countries. Actors discussed improvised
explosive device planting in Iraq, piracy in Somalia,
and poppy farming in Afghanistan which provide
some of the few means of making an above-market
wage in these degraded environments.
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THE CONFLICT ENVIRONMENT
Financing Models inNon-Western CountriesHow do different states manage their economies and respond to
economic crisis or opportunity? An educator used several case
studies to illustrate different banking and financing models.
Her examples included:
Somaliland, which suffered a crippling trade embargo when
Saudi Arabia, its principal trade partner, refused to purchase livestock
in the wake of an animal health scare. As a consequence, economic
growth ground to a halt. While the nation was economically dependent
on livestock sales, it was forced to diversify into new exports such as
mango juice, henna, frankincense, and labor. Although the country
is not ofcially recognized, it has a crude centralized banking system
that functions quite effectively, said the educator. Currency traders
cluster under the central bankers balcony, allowing him to monitor
exchange rates. When rates are inauspicious, the banker physically
hands over foreign exchange reserves for sale.
Afghanistan, which reestablished a centralized banking and payments
system in the aftermath of 9/11, replacing regional currency systems
that had been implemented by warlords. The nations currency traders
helped implement the system, decreasing the time and cost to
accomplish this important task. The country also leverages a money
transfer system called hawala to ensure the orderly exchange of funds.
East Timor, which decided to adopt US currency as its own. Thatdecision has wreaked havoc on its economy as the nation is not able
to manipulate and devalue its currency.
Countries that have used bulk cash smuggling in the absence of money
transfer networks or to fund illicit activities without detection. Bulk cash
smuggling has been used by Iraqi militants to fund insurgency and by the
Hezbollah to fund reconstruction efforts in Lebanon.
legal forms of employment and invest
in their own and societys future.
These programs must address real
needs, deliver visible gains, and be
sustainable by communities over
the long-term without the support
or resources of external actors. Actors
will often need to work at multiple
levels: helping host nations implement
macro-economic policies, bolstering
local economies, and seeking to
strengthen prominent or promising
industries. In addition, they
must provide the right combinationof economic incentives and legal
protections to motivate participants in
informal economies to join the formal
economy, expanding the tax base
and contributing to the states growth.
As they seek to partner effectively
with host nations, actors struggle
with a professional culture that
favors short in-country assignments
and frequent staff rotations overlonger assignments that would
enable personnel to develop the
cross-community relationships,
knowledge base, professional
reputation, and continuity that
are vital to ensuring the success of
long-term initiatives. We are good
rst responders, said a military
ofcer. We spend a lot of money
and put people to work for a period
of time. But we need to get betterabout generating a successful program
that we can then hand off to the
community. Concurred an NGO
member: NGOs are also notorious
for moving people in for a short
period of time and then moving
them on. Its frustrating. You learn
about a place and then leave. It
is to the detriment of what we
are trying to do.
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STATE FRAGILITY AND
GOVERNANCE
Two workshop presenters facilitated
a discussion on the nature of state
fragility and the importance of
good governance in readying states
for long-term change. Fragile states
have a disproportionate percentage
of the worlds poor and receive
less aid than they need, stated an
educator. As a consequence, they
can often slip in and out of crisis,
which can hinder actors ability tophase economic recovery initiatives
and help states transition from
interim stabilization to longer-term
reconstruction initiatives.
One hallmark of a functioning state
is its ability to maintain an effective
monopoly over its weapons. If states
cannot control their arms, coercion
will become privatized. Citizens will
then be forced to pay for security;
predation will increase; and a states
physical, economic, human, and
social capital will be compromised.
While actors typically focus on
rebuilding physical and economic
capital, from reconstructing
infrastructure to implementingjobs programs, human and social
capital are just as vital. Violence
harms a states human capital,
displacing, wounding, and killing its
citizens, with women and children
among the most affected. In 2008,
47 percent of refugees and asylum-
seekers were women and girls, while
44 percent were children under
the age of 18.6Citizens who live in
insecure environments turn inward,
focusing only on their self-preservation
and protection of their families.
While this type of myopic behavior,
called bonding social capital, helps
individuals navigate crisis, it prevents
states from moving forward.
(See graphic below.)
When states provide security andjustice to all of its citizens, promote
transparency and involvement, and
address resource inequities, they
provide an environment where
citizens can plan for the future. In
such an environment, citizens will
then demonstrate bridging social
capital: taking risks; exhibiting
entrepreneurialism; and forming
personal and professional networks
that cross ethnic, religious, andother divides. This type of capital
promotes public goodwill and
societal cohesion. In addition to
providing good governance, states
can help promote bridging social
capital by investing in civic education.
By involving disenfranchised
populations in the political process,
states can give citizens choice and
voice and increase their buy-in to
governmental decision making.
One participant highlighted a program
in Nigeria where ex-combatants
are taught how to monitor and
track participatory decision making
and spending and serve as election
monitors and observers. They
see that government processes
are credible and learn how to get
engaged, stated the participant.
THE CONFLICT ENVIRONMENT
Source: Dr. Nat J. Colletta and Michelle L. Cullen. Violent Conict and the Transformation
of Social Capital: Lessons from Cambodia, Rwanda, Guatemala, and Somalia,
The World Bank (2000), p. 14.
Different Types of Social Capital andTheir Impacts on States
Inclusion Rule of Law Open Media Effective, Engaging
Non-Corrupt Government
High Social CohesionLow Conflict
Civil Society
Growth-Oriented Markets
THE STATE
INDIVIDUALS / COMMUNITIES
HORIZONTAL SOCIAL CAPITAL
VERTICAL
SOCIAL
CAPITAL
ASSOCIATIVE / NETWORKED
Bridging Social CapitalBonding Social Capital
KIN-ORIENTED
Low Social CohesionHigh Conflict Exclusion Authoritarian State
Oppression Inequality / Inequity
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THE CONFLICT ENVIRONMENT
IMPLEMENTING THE WORLD
BANKS CONFLICT ANALYSIS
FRAMEWORK
Recognizing that conict impedes
long-term development, the World
Bank created a tool to analyze different
conict drivers present in fragile
and failed states and assess both the
probability and opportunities for the
outbreak and escalation of violence.
The framework looks at six critical areas:
social and ethnic relations, governance
and political institutions, human rightsand security, economic structure and
performance, environment and natural
resources, and external factors.
(See graphic below.)
Actors can use the framework to
increase their sensitivity to
conict drivers and ensure they
are adequately addressed in their
long-term strategies. Based on
past experience, actors know that
development and poverty reduction
initiatives have the potential to
mitigate root issues contributing
to conict or exacerbate them.
Participants talked about actors
work in northern Uganda, where
internally displaced persons (IDPs)
are being asked to return to villageswith no supporting infrastructure
as an example of what can happen
when initiatives are poorly conceived
and executed. Concurred an IGO
member: There is a total lack of
preparation in northern Uganda.
Who is to be ashamed here?
The government? The donors?
According to the IGO member,
successful programs will address
not just economic recovery, but also
such factors as security, governance,
and social stability. Since security is
inextricably intertwined with
economic recovery, actors will
often work on two tracks, seeking
to create a safe, secure environmentwhere business and trade can ourish,
while also creating the employment
opportunities themselves.
Source: The Conict Analysis Framework (CAF): Identifying Conict-related Obstacles to Development, Conict Prevention and
Reconstruction Unit, The World Bank (October 2002), p. 2.
Governance andpolitical institutions
Stability of politicalinstitutions
Equity oflaw/judicial system
Links betweengovernment andcitizens
Governance andPolitical Institutions
Role of media andfreedom of expression
Human rights status
Militarizationof the society
Security of civilians
Human Rightsand Security
Availability of naturalresources
Access to naturalresources(including land)
In-country and cross-border competitionover natural resources
Environment andNatural Resources
Social and economiccleavages
Ethnic cleavages
Regional imbalances
Differential socialopportunities
Bridging social capital
Group identity-building
Myth-making
Culture or traditionof violence
Social andEthnic Relations
Regional conflicts
Role of kindred groupsoutside country
Role of diaspora
External Forces
The World Banks Conflict Analysis Framework
Economic growth
External debt
management
Reliance on high-valueprimary commodities
Employment and accessto productive resources
Conflict-inducedpoverty
Income disparities
Per capita incomechanges
Inflationary trends
Economic Structureand Performance
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THE CONFLICT ENVIRONMENT
Although host government priorities
are important, the programs
proposed may not always be
achievable or represent the best
path forward. For example, in
Mozambique in 1992, the Ministry of
Labor wanted to provide vocational
training opportunities for 100,000
ex-combatants. Since it would have
taken up to two years to set up
the appropriate infrastructure, the
World Bank opted instead to pilot
three different types of programs:
nancing for existing vocationalschools; vouchers that ex-combatants
could cash with the provider of
their choice; and wage subsidies
for small businesses willing to train
three to ve ex-combatants for six
months. The program with the best,
most cost-effective results? The
small business apprenticeships. The
voucher program required so much
administrative capacity that it was
never launched, while the vocationalschools provided adequate training,
but at double the cost of the small
business program. Meanwhile, ex-
combatants working side-by-side
with entrepreneurs learned how to
run a business, and in many cases
were hired after the program
concluded. While the small business
owners likely would not have been
motivated to hire the ex-combatants
at the program outset, the programenabled them to train future
employees at no cost to the business
and benet from their labor,
easing both the hiring decision
and ex-combatants transition
into the workforce.
TAPPING THE POTENTIAL
OF LOCAL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
An IGO member proled the
International Labour Organizations
work in local economic development,
which is a grassroots approach to
fostering community recovery and
development. Actors reach out to
local and provincial agencies to
help local stakeholders use dialogue
and knowledge sharing to design
a strategic framework that meets
the unique needs of the community.To revitalize the local community,
actors help communities create or
reestablish links with vital resources,
such as production-market chains,
technical and production knowledge,
and networks with suppliers and
customers. The IGO member said
that actors seeking to implementa local economic development
model should survey local needs
and foster community ownership
of the approach, before creating a
forum where stakeholders can share
ideas and cooperatively develop
a strategy and coordination and
implementation mechanisms. The
local economic development model
has been deployed in Iraq and was
subsequently used as a foundationfor a large-scale private sector
development program, she said.
Pictured: Major Sean Sutherland, US Air Force, shares his insights on
military-led reconstruction projects with Dr. Moyara Ruehsen, Monterey Institute
for International Studies.
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TENSIONS AND TRENDS WITH ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Participants discussed the tensions
that exist between donors, host
nations, and actors who often have
competing priorities for economic
recovery. Donors may favor expensive,
long-term reconstruction programs
that fail to deliver near-term results
communities can see, but are easierto fund, contract, and manage. Host
nations may have a high awareness
of the societal ills that beset them,
but may struggle to prioritize needs
or favor projects that benet just a
subset of their citizens. And actors
sometimes seek to implement
Western economic and business
norms such as privatization and
economic competition at a time
when host nations are ill-equippedto absorb their impacts. Systemic
changes only work well when an
enabling environment has been
created, the host nation has the
political will to execute them, and
they are capable of being sustained
over the long-term.
Despite donors penchant for
big bang projects, many actors
believe that grassroots, small-scale
projects provide the best mechanism
for creating community goodwill
and generating new economic
opportunities. Local projects
typically reect real needs, aremore efcient than large-scale
development initiatives, are less
likely to go awry in implementation,
and can create easy-to-sustain
processes communities are motivated
to maintain. Of equal importance,
these initiatives give community
members a say in how money is
spent. When there is a nite
amount of money involved, people
get very smart about how tospend it, stated a participant.
Programs such as animal inoculation,
agricultural training, and small
business loans may pay longer-lasting
dividends than high-cost vocational
training or infrastructure projects,
especially if these initiatives are
implemented in the absence of
the basic infrastructure required
to sustain them.
Tensions and Trendswith Economic Recovery
While donors often favor expensive, long-term
reconstruction programs, many actors believe that
grassroots, small-scale projects provide the best
mechanism for creating community goodwill and
generating new economic opportunities.
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TENSIONS AND TRENDS WITH ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Using the UNsJob Creation Framework
Most actors administering community-
level projects promote democratic
decision making, giving disenfranchised
populations, such as women and
youth, a voice in how initiatives
are selected and implemented.
However, a government civilian
agency representative stated thatthese types of initiatives can be
difcult to run, as agencies do not
have the infrastructure to manage
myriad small initiatives unless they
outsource their management
to local contractors.
An educator provided a cautionary
tale of what can go wrong when
actors ignore local needs and
implement Western best practices.The Army Corps of Engineers
undertook a major development
initiative at the Erbil Maternity
Hospital in Iraq, installing a reverse
osmosis system, boilers, and an
incinerator. Within seven months,
the hospital had suffered major
process failures, as staff did
not understand how to use or
maintain new equipment.
One Programme on Three Concurrent Tracks(curves measure intensity of programmes)
Stabilization Track:Stabilizing Income Generation& Emergency Employment
Local Reintegration Track:Local Economic Recoveryfor Employment Opportunities and Reintegration
Transition Track:Sustainable Employment Creationand Decent Work
Peace Building Process
PeaceNegotiation
Pre-PeaceAccord
Planning
PilotProgrammes
A presenter proled the United Nations (UN) employment and reintegration
framework for post-conict environments. The framework, which was designed
to maximize the effectiveness and ensure the coherence of UN agencies working
in a fragile state, seeks to help restore the economy; generate employment
for special needs populations such as ex-combatants, refugees, and IDPs; and
contribute to the peace dividend. It is governed by ve guiding principles: to
be coherent and comprehensive, to do no harm, to be conict-sensitive, to
aim for sustainability, and to promote gender equality.
The framework has three tracks, all of which are designed to be launched in
post-conict environments before peace accords are signed. (See graphic below.)
The stabilization track provides emergency employment for special needs
populations, such as cash and food for work projects and short-term skills training,
as well as startup kits and seed money for livelihoods. The reintegration track
targets specic geographies and seeks to build local capacity and promote
community recovery by using local labor for infrastructure reconstruction projects
and providing a wide array of business services, including counseling and referral,
short-term vocational training, and micronance opportunities. Finally, the
transition track works on the macroeconomic level to promote sustainable
employment by implementing the right policies and ensuring rule-of-law.
Recognizing that donor involvement is nite, the UN also seeks to involve
the private sector in recovery and development efforts.
Source: United Nations Policy for Post-Conict Employment Creation, Income
Generation and Reintegration, United Nations (May 2008), p. 8.
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TENSIONS AND TRENDS WITH ECONOMIC RECOVERY
As a contrast, when offered
development assistance to update
failing pumps at the Sadr Water
Station, local government ofcials
accepted, but opted to manage
the design and contracting process,
maintaining tight control over
all decision making. Rather than
implement state-of-the-art
technology, the ofcials decided
to replace their existing systems.The pumps remain in use to this
day in large measure because
maintenance personnel know
how to repair them.
So what are some of the best practices
and emerging trends with economicrecovery? Participants discussed:
Replacing commodities grants, which
can undermine the local economy
and create a high cost, complex
supply chain, with cash for work.
Cash for work is an important
part of stabilization, said an
IGO member. By putting cash in
peoples hands actors empower
recipients, letting them prioritizetheir needs. Funds are usually
spent in the local community,
fueling recovery and providing a
trickle-down effect that improves
quality of life for many.
Pairing employment programs
with basic life skills and psychosocial
programs. In countries as various
as Colombia and Uganda, actors
have taught ex-combatants theprinciples of basic nance by
depositing funds into bank accounts,
enabling them to build credit and
plan for expenses. Meanwhile,
special needs populations often
have complex psycho-social issues
and need access to counseling
services, mentoring, and other
resource-intensive programs to
address the legacy of conict.
Pictured from left to right: Ben Oppenheim, University of California at Berkeley; Ineba
Elizabeth Bob-Manuel, International Foundation for Education and Self-Help; Paul
Greening, International Organization for Migration; and David Odigie, MARKETS.
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TENSIONS AND TRENDS WITH ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Considering gender issues and
creating programs that help women
build livelihoods and provide for
their families, while respecting
cultural norms. In cultural milieus
where patriarchalism and domestic
violence is rampant, it can be
extremely difcult to design
programs that empower women.
However, many organizations
have realized that women are
vital to a countrys economic
recovery. The Grameen Bank and
other micronance entities havedemonstrated that women often
use small business loans more
effectively than men, may be the
nancial mainstay of their families,
and are more likely to repay loans
than their male counterparts. In
fact, as of May 2009, 97 percent
of Grameen Banks 7.86 million
borrowers were women.7
Working with states to develop
business-friendly policies, easing
regulation and taxation for start-ups
and addressing resource inequities
and needs such as property rights,
access to credit, and materials.
An IGO member cited a state with
a 29-step registration process,
which discouraged local citizensfrom legitimizing their businesses
and deprived the state of vital tax
revenues. In the short-term, the
informal economy absorbs a lot of
labor, stated the IGO member. But
in the long-term, it holds states back.
Involving multi-nationals in
creating vital capacity by assessing
skill needs, partnering with trade
associations to design trainingprograms, and creating tax breaks
and other benets to motivate
employers to hire local employees
and expand their operations.
Fully considering the long-termimplications of major policy
and programmatic interventions.
While actors efforts to promote
competition and restructure
existing industries may be well-
intentioned and represent desirable
long-term objectives, they may
have unforeseen negative impacts
if abruptly implemented. The
US Governments decision to
privatize the Iraqi Army and remove100,000 troops, including its most
highly educated and managerially
experienced ofcers, had a hugely
detrimental impact on the local
economy, stated an educator.
Each military member supported
a subsistence network of ve or
more individuals, meaning that
job losses reverberated far
throughout the community.
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ECONOMIC RECOVERY INITIATIVES
Economic Recovery Initiatives
REBUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE
AND PROMOTINGJOB CREATION IN IRAQ
Two military ofcers presented on
armed forces-led reconstruction and
job creation projects in Iraq. They
stated that the militarys short eld
assignments made it difcult to study
critical issues and interdependencies
before launching programs. One of
the ofcers cited his work in Iraq as
an example, where black market fuel
sales, illegal energy and water use,
and load-shedding issues complicated
the militarys attempts to provide
businesses with power. If the militaryhad discussed these issues at the
provincial and national level with
host nation agencies, they could
have been better addressed. Military
forces involved in reconstruction
programs often operate in a data-
starved environment: lacking access
to vital socio-economic data, insights
to connect micro-economic activity
with macro-economic policy, and
relationships with other privatesector and civilian actors operating in
the same space. I would never send
a mission to take out a target with
such depraved data, and yet we did
it every day in the economic realm
in Iraq, stated an ofcer.
Participants heard presentations from practitioners with a wealth of experience in
designing and implementing job creation and alternative livelihood strategies.
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ECONOMIC RECOVERY INITIATIVES
In addition, ill-thought-out
reconstruction projects can meet
with failure or potentially worsen
the economic environment. The
military ofcer cited the example
of a clinic, built to appease a local
sheik, that could not get adequate
stafng, because it had no support
from the Ministry of Health. And the
trucking industry, which ourished
when the US military closed the rail
network, now employs thousands
of people. When a renery in Anbar
began transporting fuel by rail,rather than truck, truckers retaliated
by placing improvised explosive
devices on the track. If we started
the railroads again, we would
steal livelihoods from a second
economy that has now sprung up,
the ofcer stated.
The opportunity in Iraq lies not
with state-owned industries, which
continue to pay their employeeseven as operations lie idle, but
with small businesses and private
enterprises, said the ofcer. Small
businesses spring up to meet market
needs, employ local citizens, and are
non-energy-intensive. While small
businesses typically qualify for grants
and micro-loans, other enterprises
often have nancing challenges as
they are too large for micro-loans
or too small for venture capital
or investment bank funding. The
growth problem is with the missing
middle, stated the ofcer. The
middle market isnt served well by
most programs. They dont needjust $1,000; they need $10,000 to
$300,000. To provide organizations
in Anbar with lending opportunities,
the military contracted with a non-
prot organization which will qualify
businesses readiness for funding and
facilitate access to capital markets.
We measure internal rates of return
for businesses, nancial rates of
return for investors, and economic
rates of return for communities. Weshould also measure a stabilization
and reconstruction rate of return.
Is a happier wealthier, entrepreneur
more likely to be a peaceable,
law-abiding citizen? We need to
gure that out, stated the ofcer.
UNDERSTANDING GENDER
ISSUES IN COLOMBIA
An NGO member presented on
gender issues in Colombia that
affect job creation and livelihood
programs. Educational achievement
for women has risen over the past
several decades, but only 22 percent
complete college. Women also earn
signicantly less than their malecounterparts in the workforce.
While oil, mining, and private
security provide many of the best
employment opportunities for
Colombians, women are excluded
from these industries. In addition,
they lack access to day care
services that would enable
them to take advantage of work
opportunities, a critical problem
since women head 40 percent ofhouseholds in Colombia.
While the Colombian government has
launched a comprehensive program
to reintegrate ex-combatants, it has
ignored female victims of the conict
who have been displaced, raped, and
forced into polygamous relationships
with guerilla or paramilitary ghters.
Domestic violence and polygamy is
culturally accepted in Colombia,the NGO member said.
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ECONOMIC RECOVERY INITIATIVES
Women need legal protection to
settle labor disputes, protect land
rights, and pursue domestic violence
claims. While cultural change is slow
in coming, there have been small-
scale successes. A new law makes it
impossible for women to withdraw
from domestic disputes once they
have led suit. Since many victims
withdraw their cases due to societal
pressure or stigma, this law could
help more women pursue justice
against their attackers, she said.
INCREASING CITIZEN
INVOLVEMENT IN GUATEMALA
An IGO member presented a case
study on a new vision for security
in Guatemala. Deep-rooted social
inequalities and a failed attempt at
democratization have fed a thirty-year conict in the country. While
the government negotiated a peace
accord in 1996, it has not yet been
implemented, due to a lack of
political will and capacity. Critical
issues that fed the conict, such
as inequitable land distribution,
insufcient reparations, and human
rights, have not been satisfactorily
addressed, and the countrys
current economic gains benet theprivileged at the expense of the
poor. As a consequence, the country
has suffered a signicant upswing in
organized crime and social violence,
with the majority of homicides
occurring in poor, non-indigenous
municipalities. If Guatemala is to
create sustainable employment
and livelihoods, international
governments must apply pressure
on the country to fulll its peace
accords, as well as provide vital
investment and technical support.
The speaker also stressed the
need for a new model ofpolitical involvement he called
citizen security, providing local
communities with choice and
voice in political decision making.
PREPARING FOR REINTEGRATION
IN NORTHERN UGANDA
A presenter offered his insights
into an IGOs efforts to generate
employment in Northern Uganda.
The country faces numerous
challenges, including the return
and reintegration of IDPs and ex-
combatants, an economy that is
heavily dependent on subsistence
farming, and continued insecurity.
Donors, government authorities,
and NGOs have worked together at
the district level to set priorities and
fund programs. Community groups
were used to deliver basic services
to IDPs in the camps, includinghealthcare, education, and water
during the conict, and UN agencies
are now providing services through
the cluster system. Donors are
providing training and cash grants
villagers can use to purchase supplies
and start businesses such as tailor
shops and transportation services.
Villagers contribute earnings to
savings cooperatives, enabling
others to borrow money and createbusinesses of their own. Subsistence
farmers, who represent 88 percent
of the population in transition sites
and villages, receive supplies such
as seed, oxen, and ploughs, as
well as basic literacy classes.
Melanie Peyser, Ofce of the Secretary of Defense, discusses government civilian
agency priorities with Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Chisholm, US Marine Corps.
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ECONOMIC RECOVERY INITIATIVES
According to the presenter, Consolidated
Appeals Process (CAP) funding has
been cut 50 percent, from $450
million to $225 million, as donors
seek to move into the recovery
phase. However, systemic problems
still remain: While ex-combatants
from the Lords Resistance Army
are participating in cleansing
ceremonies to gain community
acceptance, many of the youth
will likely not want to return to
home villages from which they
were kidnapped up to two decadesearlier. Senior combatants have
assumed positions of authority
in the districts,exercising undue
sway over contracting decisions.
And villages lack basic infrastructure,
including access to water, sanitation,
and medical services, making IDPs
reluctant to leave camps. However,
most of the camps are located on
private land, which landowners
are now seeking to reclaim fortheir own use.
We are taking the people to
villages where there is no water,
no toilets, no classrooms, stated
the presenter. There is no structure,
and yet we are trying to move
swiftly from stabilization to
recovery. This country case study
provides a cautionary tale of what
can happen when conict driversand infrastructure issues are not
addressed, yet donors still strive
to adhere to rigid funding models
and implementation frameworks.
PROMOTING SOCIAL
COHESION AND
REINTEGRATION IN ACEH
An NGO member proled a project
to promote economic recovery and
social cohesion in Acehs rural villages.
Villagers work together to develop
proposals for grants of $8,000 to
use on small-scale reconstruction
project or revitalization projects,select implementation teams,
and monitor progress to ensure
accountability. The villagers do the
work themselves. With contractors,
you get corruption, stated the NGO
member. Villages that opted to
use the work for reconstruction
projects built roads or dug drainage
ditches to prevent flooding,
making land usable year-around.
Some villages used grants to
purchase agriculture equipment
such as tractors and threshing
machines, which could be rented
to generate income. However, most
villages chose to purchase wedding
and party equipment. The reason
why? Village weddings and ceremonies
were highly elaborate and a
source of civic pride. Purchasing
equipment allowed the villages to earn
rental income by renting it to other
villages and make it available to poor
residents, who previously were not
able to afford such luxuries.
Actors required that projects had to
include the participation of at least
40 percent of the villages women
to ensure that they had a voice in
decision making processes. Most of
the villages also selected womenas their project bookkeepers,
since they were deemed to be more
honest and reliable than their male
counterparts. Ex-combatants were
included in the implementation
phase of projects.
Because the project emphasized
transparency, inclusiveness, and
democratic decision making, it
was widely accepted by areacommunities. In many cases,
villagers added their own money
to grants to expand the scope of
what they undertook. Villagers
were eager to learn new skills,
such as preparing proposals and
budgets, monitoring projects, and
keeping books. And at the end of
each project, villages hosted a
handover and a blessing ceremony,
creating social cohesiveness.
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ECONOMIC RECOVERY INITIATIVES
LEVERAGING THE PRIVATE
SECTOR IN HAITI
An NGO member highlighted a job
creation program funded by the US
Agency for International Development
which was designed to legitimize the
government and reduce the potential
for conict in Haiti. The four-year
program, which targeted urban areas
where unemployment was high,sought to create 100,000 short-term
jobs and 10,000 long-term jobs. Youth,
who were involved in gangs and
drug trafcking, were among
the groups targeted.
To focus efforts effectively, donors
conducted a workforce gap analysis,
identifying the critical skills required
by private sector companies and
the gaps that existed betweenprospective employees abilities
and these benchmarks. The program
delivered entrepreneurship training,
helped beneciaries link to local
micronance institutions and apply for
loans, and facilitated private sector
investment and market linkages.
Since textile manufacturing is one
of the countrys most successful
industries, the NGO designed a three-
track program that would capitalizeon the countrys preferential trade
agreements with the United States.
At the national level, the program
sought to build up the industrys
infrastructure; at the sector level,
actors partnered with private sector
companies to establish a training
center that would help prospective
workers learn garment making and
life skills; and at the individual rm
level, companies received operational
assistance and training. A lot of
people consider the private sector as
the bad guys, but it makes sense
to build on pre-conict industries
and leverage existing relationships,
stated the speaker.
The NGO member stressed the
tension between donors desire to
achieve rapid results and the long
timeframes and high investment
required to accomplish institution
building. Theres a tendency tohit numbers, instead of make
the critical investments that are
needed to build up the government
and the private sector, she stated,
adding that it can take years to
build the right relationships with
private sector rms.
Pictured in foreground: Arturo Matute, United Nations Development Programme.
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ECONOMIC RECOVERY INITIATIVES
AN NGO TARGETS
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Although Nigeria has abundant
natural resources, the country lacks
vital infrastructure and its people
live in poverty, with more than 70
percent dependent on subsistence
agriculture. A participant proled the
work of an agriculture-focused NGO,
which seeks to work collaboratively
with local communities to deploy
quick-impact, high income projects
that address the entire agricultural
value chain. Not everyone can
work on farms, said an NGO
member, but agriculture can
also generate jobs in production,
marketing, and transportation.
The NGO trains community members
on agricultural best practices,including seed replacement,
fertilization, and cultivation of
indigenous crops, holding eld
demonstrations so that farmers will
be able to replicate new techniques
on their own. The NGO also works
on the sector level, facilitating
credit and micronance opportunities
for farmers. The system is working
so well, stated the NGO member,
that farmers in the Ebonyi Stateare now able to plan for the future
by building homes, buying cars or
motorbikes for transportation, and
educating their children. While
the NGO has had success in several
states, it has also had to abandon
some projects due to insecurity.
The presence of afuent
multinationals, some of whom
work for companies that havedespoiled natural resources, is
a concern for NGOs and other
actors operating in the area. If a
politician dangles money and tells
citizens to burn houses, they will
do it. We need to give people the
opportunity to create a livelihood,
so that they have choices and
dont resort to violence.
CSRS holds workshops
on a wide array of
cutting-edge topics for
S&R practitioners.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR:
Cognitive learning
Practical skills development
Professional, cross-community networking
CSRS Workshops
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PUTTING NEW INSIGHTS TO WORK
To help participants practice new
skills, workshop facilitators assigned
case studies, instructing participants
to perform country analyses and
then design a job creation strategy
that met the unique needs of that
particular post-conict environment.
Countries included Aceh, Afghanistan,
Colombia, Liberia, and Timor-Leste.
The facilitator challenged the group
to design specic projects that wouldpromote social reconciliation and
jumpstart the economy, while
also laying the groundwork for
longer-term recovery.
Aceh:Since Aceh has a functioning
government and economy, the
Aceh group stated that they would
implement public works projects
such as irrigation initiatives in remote
areas to bolster the economy. Mid-term, actors would work with local
governments to implement supportive
policies, such as tax breaks and
anti-corruption campaigns, promote
exchange programs to build internal
capacity, and increase media and
governmental transparency.
Putting NewInsights to Work
Pictured from left to right: Master Sergeant Miguel Espinoza, US Army; David Odigie;
and Dr. Isabel Londono, Women for Colombia Foundation.
Participants practiced new skills by performing
country analyses and designing job creation
strategies for countries as various as Aceh,
Afghanistan, Colombia, Liberia, and Timor-Leste.
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PUTTING NEW INSIGHTS TO WORK
Afghanistan: Since illicit agribusiness
dominates the Afghan economy,
the Afghanistan group decided to
focus on promoting sustainable
livelihoods. The group decided to
work collaboratively with tribal
leaders, district ofcials, women,
and other stakeholders to design
a local job creation strategy. To
create short-term gains, the group
would fund public works projects
such as bridge and road building
and reforestation and offer formal
security training to provide youthwith the opportunity to join police
or local security forces, rather
than the Taliban. In addition,
the group decided to offer civic
education to strengthen public
involvement in political decision
making. Longer-term, the group
hoped to make Kandahar the primary
source of midwives for the Middle
East. Two facilitators challenged
the group and asked members ifthey had considered developing
institutional capacity, strengthening
nancial systems, and developing
pro-business economic policies.
However, the group stated that they
wished to consult with local leaders
before developing a longer-term vision.
Colombia:Since Colombia has such
a high number of ex-combatants,
the group decided to develop a
life skills and vocational training
program. Each ex-combatant,
who would be paired with a
civilian, would receive basic life
and vocational skills training, with
the goal of passing the General
Education Development exam and
entering a new career path such
as forest preservation or poultry or
dairy farming. Each ex-combatant
would also be eligible for a grantof $5,000 to start a new business.
Civilians would receive remuneration
for administering training, which
would reduce community ill-will to
ex-combatants and motivate their
participation in the program.
Timor-Leste:While Timor-Leste
benets from oil revenues, the
government has committed to
overly generous pensions, whichcould hurt the economy if resources
diminish or oil prices fall. The group
decided to focus on the Baucau
region, which suffers from high
unemployment, an unskilled labor
pool, environmental problems, and
infrastructure destruction, among
other ills. The group decided to
involve village chiefs, women, and
civil society organizations in the
design and implementation of a
local economic development and
income generation program. Social
objectives included a drive to
increase school enrollment for youth
and women in an effort to reduce
high illiteracy and decrease fertility
rates and the promotion of karate
groups to provide participants with a
socially appropriate outlet for their
aggression to help reduce family
violence. Job creation efforts would
include small business training, the
creation of irrigation systems, andenvironmental projects to prevent
erosion and clean up local rivers
and communities. To create new
nancial systems, the group proposed
developing agricultural credit unions
that would provide small business
loans. To encourage the diaspora to
return, the group would offer loan
forgiveness programs in return for
short-term volunteerism. However,
the group acknowledged that it hadnot adequately considered how to
build and mobilize local capacity.
Liberia:The Liberia group proposed
conducting an assessment to
determine the state of agricultural
infrastructure and supply processes.
Job creation programs would include
public works such as roads and small
bridges and training in the areas
of communication and agriculture.The program would also address
critical issues such as land ownership
and allocation, the availability of
agricultural supplies such as tools
and seeds, and the development of
agricultural cooperatives. Longer-
term, the program would strive to
strengthen related industries such
as food processing and packing.
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CONCLUSION
ConclusionViolence and poverty: The two
are inextricably linked, yet can be
broken with the right interventions.
Decades of academic research
have conrmed what S&R actors
have long suspected, which is that
rebuilding broken states economiescan not only stop the vicious cycle
of conict, but can also help build
bridges over the sharp religious,
ethnic, and other schisms that have
historically fractured them. At the
most basic level, actors seek to
work with host nations to replace
economic incentives for perpetuating
conict with economic incentives
for sustaining peace.
How to bolster fragile states
economies remains a topic of
much debate. Actors know that
they must help host nations with
some formidable challenges.
Bloated militaries will need to be
reduced, social services restored,
inequities rectied, and special
needs populations employed. But
how to accomplish these goals
will necessarily vary with each
country. However, some constants
remain: ensuring host government
ownership, involving the full range
of stakeholders in program design;
considering community needs;
working at the local, regional, andsectoral levels; and planning for
sustainability. Workshop participants
also stressed the need for exibility
in crafting programs that address
the needs of local populations and
the limits of degraded environments,
in funding and sequencing economic
recovery phases, and in deploying
teams for longer assignments to
post-conict environments. Too
often, they said, donor requirements,political objectives, and organizational
mandates limit the effectiveness
of what actors can accomplish on
the ground by prescribing or
circumscribing initiatives.
Violence and poverty are inextricably linked, yetcan be broken with the right interventions. At themost basic level, actors implementing job creation
programs are replacing economic incentives for
perpetuating conflict with economic incentives
for sustaining peace.
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If actors and host nations can craft
the right mix of programs that
improve the lives of ordinary citizens
while setting the stage for long-
term recovery, they can help a
nation begin to build a different
kind of future. In this new future,
the state creates an enabling
environment, while citizens exhibit
entrepreneurialism and risk-taking,
investing in their own futures.
Economic gains help citizens reap the
benets of the peace dividend and
give a state vital time to strengtheninstitutions, build capacity, and
implement good governance.
Getting Back to Workhelped
practitioners, many of whom have
been instrumental in rebuilding
fragile states economies around
the world, understand the full
range of issues, resources, and
best practices involved with
designing and implementing job
creation and alternative livelihood
programs. Workshop presenters
shared strategies, illuminating both
successes and shortcomings from past
initiatives, as well as frameworks
participants could put to use infuture eldwork. As practitioners
work hand-in-hand with host nation
counterparts to design culturally
appropriate, sustainable programs,
they will be able to leverage a wealth
of insights and tools gleaned from
Getting Back to Work.
CONCLUSION
Endnotes
1A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility: Report of
the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change,
United Nations (2004),p. 11.
2 Ibid, p. 15. Graphic based on research undertaken by Macartan
Humphreys (Columbia University), using data provided by
the World Bank, the Department of Peace and Conict
Research at Uppsala University and the International
Peace Research Institute, Oslo.
3Paul Collier. Breaking The Confict Trap. (Washington, DC:
The World Bank and Oxford University Press, May 2003), p. 3.
4Paul Collier and Anke Hoefer. Civil War. (Oxford, England:
University of Oxford, March 2006), p. 24.
5Paul Collier. Breaking the Confict Trap, p. 2.
62008 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Inter-
nally Displaced and Stateless Persons, UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (June 16, 2009), p. 2. Available online at: http://www.
unhcr.org/4a375c426.html (accessed June 11, 2009).
7 Grameen Bank website, available online at http://www.
grameen-info.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id
=16&Itemid=112. Accessed on June 11, 2009.
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Dr. Howard Anderson
Chief, Field Assistance Division
US Peace Corps
Ms. Rachel Blum*
Senior Advisor, Economic Development
CHF International
Ms. Ineba Elizabeth Bob-Manuel
Regional Programs Manager, South
International Foundation for Education
and Self-Help
Major Amy Bumgarner, US Air Force
Graduate StudentUS Naval Postgraduate School
Mr. Jeffrey Callahan
Director, Development
Global Majority
Mr. John Calogero
Consultant
Armadillo at Large
Mr. Norberto Celestino
Senior Program Ofcer
Emergency and Reintegration Unit
International Organization for Migration
Dr. Wayne Cheatham
Special Assistant to the Surgeon
General US Navy
Ms. Knowledge Chikondo
Operations Director
World Vision Zimbabwe
Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Chisholm,
US Marine Corps*Civil Affairs Ofcer, 3rd Civil Affairs Group
US Marine Corps
Lieutenant Jihoon (Perry) Choi, US Navy
Graduate Student
US Naval Postgraduate School
Ms. Erin Cornish
Livelihoods Program Manager
for Aceh, Indonesia
International Organization for Migration
Major Herb Daniels, US Army
Graduate Student
US Naval Postgraduate School
Master Sergeant Miguel Espinoza, US Army
A Company
Civil Military Operations Center
Non-Commissioned Ofcer in Charge
98th Civil Affairs Battalion
US Army
Lieutenant Kristin Garrott, US Navy
Team 106 Ofcer in Charge
Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron ONE
US Marine Corps
Staff Sergeant Juan Giraldo, US Army
A Company
Civil Military Operations Center
Non-Commissioned Ofcer
98th Civil Affairs Battalion
US Army
Event Speakers and Participants
27
EVENT SPEAKERS AND PARTICIPANTS
* Event speaker
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EVENT SPEAKERS AND PARTICIPANTS
* Event speaker
CSRS TEAM
Mr. John Christiansen
Senior Program Advisor
Dr. Nat J. Colletta
Workshop Co-facilitator
Mr. Jesse Darling
Multimedia Designer
Dr. Sophal Ear
Workshop Co-facilitator
Ms. Shukuko Koyamo
Workshop Presenter
Ms. Holly Larson
Report Writer
Mr. Ben Oppenheim
Rapporteur
Ms. Miriam Turlington
Program Assistant
Mr. Nicholas Tomb
Program Coordinator
Mr. Matthew Vaccaro
Program Director
Mr. Paul Greening*
Project Manager
Post-Conict Community Reintegration
International Organization for Migration
Mr. Andrew Harris
Graduate Student
US Naval Postgraduate School
Chief Petty Ofcer Dennis Harris, US Navy
Team 107 Leading Petty Ofcer
Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron One
US Navy
Ms. Sabrina Hill
Logistics Portfolio Manager
Department of Homeland Security
Ms. Shukuko Koyama*Socio-economic Reintegration Expert
International Labour Ofce
Mr. Brian Kriz
Safety Nets and Livelihoods Recovery Specialist
Save the Children
Dr. Isabel Londono*
Executive Director
Women for Colombia Foundation
Ms. Lana Lynn
West Coast Representative
Center for Humanitarian Cooperation
Mr. Arturo Matute*
Program Specialist on Violence Prevention
United Nations Development Programme
Mr. Maxie Joseph Muwonge
Senior Program Assistant
Information Counseling and Referral
Services, Uganda
International Organization for Migration
Lieutenant Brian Nichols, US Navy
Team 107 Ofcer in Charge
Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron One
US Navy
Mr. David Odigie*
Program Ofcer/Financial Services Specialist
MARKETS
Mr. Ben Oppenheim*
Research Fellow
University of California, Berkeley
Lieutenant Commander Aaron Park, US Navy
Graduate Student
Naval Postgraduate School
Ms. Melanie Peyser
Program Director, Civil Military Initiative
Ofce of African Affairs
Ofce of the Secretary of Defense
US Department of Defense
Ms. Georgianna Platt
Regional Advisor, East Central Africa
US Agency for International Development
Ms. Shannon RogersProgram Manager, Peace and Security
US Agency for International Development
Lieutenant Colonel Charles Royer,
US Marine Corps*
Economic Advisor, 3rd Civil Affairs Group
1st Marine Expeditionary Force
US Marine Corps
Dr. Moyara Ruehsen*
Associate Professor
Monterey Institute for International Studies
Ms. Gwendolyne Sanders
Graduate Student
US Naval Postgraduate School
Chief Petty Ofcer Daniel Scholler, US Navy
Team 106 Leading Chief Petty Ofcer
Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron One
US Navy
Major Sean Sutherland, US Air Force
Graduate Student
US Naval Postgraduate School
Lieutenant Colonel Carol White, US Army
Civil Affairs Plans Ofcer
US Special Operations Command
Lieutenant Khalid Woods, US Navy
Graduate Student
US Naval Postgraduate School
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C
For more information about CSRS, its philosophy, and programs,
please visit www.csrs-nps.org.
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