Peacebuilding and Economic Recovery: Lessons from Liberia and Uganda

Featuring
Christopher Blattman
Assistant Professor of Political Science & Economics
Yale University

Hosted by
Michael Clemens
Senior Fellow
Center for Global Development

How can policymakers reduce the risk of violence after war? Can employment and anti-poverty programs reduce the risk of violence, and what does this tell us about the causes of conflict? Alternatively, can conflict be mitigated through programs of behavior change? At a CGD brownbag on Friday, April 27, Chris Blattman will give an overview of lessons and key insights from five randomized evaluations recently completed in northern Uganda and Liberia. Four examine poverty reduction and employment strategies for war-affected youth, with new lessons for economic program design and the effects of poverty alleviation on violence. Two look at behavior change and the promise that behavior change programs hold for avoiding violence and disputes, especially when justice and security sectors are weak.