The New School Graduate Program in International Affairs

Project Proposal for New School Independent Study Project

November 2009

The Policy Planning and Mediation Support Unit in the UN's Department of Political Affairs proposes this project option for the New School Independent Studies Team under the supervision of Ambassador Rafat Mahdi.

I. Building a Knowledge Base on Conflict Prevention

This project would assist the Policy Planning Unit's efforts to strengthen the UN Department of Political Affairs' conflict prevention policies. As part of these efforts, PPU intends to establish a "knowledge base" on conflict prevention theory and practice.

In this context, the proposed project would, as a first step, undertake a thorough review of the academic and policy literature on conflict prevention. This literature review would distill the state of the theoretical debate, review quantitative studies, explore trends, and compile key findings of case studies, including successes and failures of conflict prevention efforts.

The second part of this project would consist of a mapping of the regional and subregional conflict prevention architecture. This would include an analysis of the normative frameworks, structures, policies, capacities and past performance of regional and subregional organizations in the area of conflict prevention.

A third part of this study would explore the state of knowledge on causes of and dynamics around electoral violence and on available tools to prevent such violence. The second and third part of this project would involve both reviewing the academic and policy literature as well as a series of interviews with practitioners.

II. Translating conflict assessment methodologies into effective strategies.

Over the past decade, governments, aid agencies and think tanks have developed increasingly sophisticated conflict assessment methodologies. A common challenge facing all organisations carrying out such assessments is to translate them into effective peacebuilding or conflict prevention strategies.

As a first step, the team would undertake a comparative evaluation of a number of existing conflict assessment methodologies used by governments, international organizations, aid agencies, and think tanks. It would explore the respective strengths and weaknesses of these methodologies. As a second step, the project would explore how different actors translate the results of these assessments into effective (conflict prevention and/or peacebuilding) strategies and policies and what challenges they encounter along the way. The research will be based on existing documents as well as interviews with key practitioners in governments and international organizations in charge of developing and implementing the assessment methodologies.

Last year the UN has produced a guidance note on conflict assessment tools. In the coming year this note will be revised, with a particular focus on the challenge of translating assessments into strategies. The proposed research project would provide most useful background research for this endeavour.