Pathways out of fragility. The Case for a Research Agenda on Inclusive Political Settlements in Fragile States

Abstract

This is one part of a two-part preliminary study. It focuses on political settlements that follow violence or episodes or imminent threatened violence, to provide an exegesis of the argument that 'inclusive enough' settlements matter to stability and thus development in fragile states. It is designed to help establish a research agenda that could test and refine that proposition.

The accompanying study is designed to excavate, through interviews with development field staff, perspectives and story lines on how it is that donors can influence the degree of inclusiveness of political settlements. This is an interim step to a longer-term, more comprehensive study to assess the causal relationship between donor programming and political settlements. The purpose of this initial study is to narrow the field of inquiry by providing 'theories of change' that can then be tested.

Citation

Jones, B.; Elgin-Cossart, M.; Esberg, J. Pathways out of fragility. The Case for a Research Agenda on Inclusive Political Settlements in Fragile States. Center on International Cooperation, New York University (CIC), New York, UK (2012) 24 pp.

Pathways out of fragility. The Case for a Research Agenda on Inclusive Political Settlements in Fragile States

Published 1 January 2012