The Economics and Peacebuilding program of the U.S. Institute of Peace convenes a Working Group on Economic Development and Stability (EDS) that aims to foster a “community of practice” for policymakers and program implementers interested in the relationship between economic activity and stabilization outcomes. The group focuses on building a knowledge base regarding “what works” in terms of economic dynamics and violence reduction that can contribute to better program design.
Launched in March 2014, the EDS Working Group is comprised of 94 members who address key issues surrounding the effectiveness of various policy interventions. During each meeting, the group discusses questions on:
- What do we know about the effectiveness of our interventions in reducing violence or mitigating conflict?
- To what extent do the interventions lead to sustained economic growth?
- What have we learned about the role of economic assistance in mitigating conflict?
- What is the cutting-edge research on this question, and what are the best practices?
Below are the topics for past meetings:
- October 22, 2015: “Breaking the Afghan Private Sector’s Deadlock” with a presentation by Richard Ghiasy (SIPRI). Comments by Paul Fishstein (independent) and Adam Aviles (former TFBSO).
- September 29, 2015: “Measuring Impact of Stabilization Initiatives (MISTI)” with presentation by Thomas Johnson, John Roscoe, and Lynn Carter (MSI).
- May 21, 2015: “Stabilization and Development in Insecure Spaces” research workshop co-hosted with Empirical Studies of Conflict project (ESOC).
- March 24, 2015: "Poverty Reduction in Fragile and Conflict States," with a presentation by Joe Hewitt (U.S. Agency for International Development). Comments by Gary Milante (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)).
- January 21, 2015: "Roles and Responsibilities of U.S. Government and non-U.S. Government Actors in Conflict Zones," with presentations by Caitlin Tulloch and Kevin McGuinness (Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University). Comments on the presentation provided by a representative of DoD's Office of Stability and Humanitarian Affairs.
- November 5, 2014: “Entrepreneurship in Conflict-Affected States,” with featured speakers John Aldonas (Overseas Private Investment Corporation) and Adam Aviles and Brendan O'Donoghue (Department of Defense’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations).
- September 17, 2014: “Job Creation,” with presentations by Laura Ralston (World Bank) and Annette Brown (3ie International Initiative for Impact Evaluation).
- May 13, 2014: “Project Implementation In Fragile and Conflict-Affected States,” with presentations by Daniel Weggeland (U.S. Institute of Peace) on Monitoring Performance Indicators in Afghanistan, Kim Shelsby (Chemonics) on Linking Economic Growth and Stability In Egypt and Syria, and Thea Anderson (Mercy Corps) on Design Approaches in Lebanon, Nigeria and Somalia.
- June 17, 2014: Planning Meeting.
- April 15, 2014: “Macro Constraints and Opportunities Affecting U.S. Interventions,” with presentations by Justin Sandefur (Center for Global Development), and Ben Connable (RAND).
- March 12, 2014: “Programming at the Intersection of Conflict and Economics,” with presentation by Sharon Morris (U.S. Institute of Peace).