Joint IFAD-IFPRI-PIM Workshop on Enhancing Resilience to Conflict in Arab Countries through Research and Arab Spatial 2.0, IFAD Headquarter, Rome, 16 January 2014
IFAD-IFPRI-PIM Workshop on Enhancing Resilience to Conflict in Arab Countries through Research and Arab Spatial 2.0
1. Enhancing Resilience to Conflict
in Arab Countries through
Research and Arab Spatial 2.0
Joint IFAD-IFPRI-PIM Workshop
IFAD Headquarter, Rome; 16 January 2014
4. IFAD-NENA and IFPRI-MENA:
Working Together for Impact
IFAD's unique mandate is improving rural
food security and nutrition, and enabling
rural women and men to overcome
poverty.
IFPRI's mission is to provide researchbased policy solutions that sustainably
reduce poverty and end hunger and
malnutrition
OVERVIEW
5. IFAD-NENA and IFPRI-MENA:
Examples of Recent Collaboration
Trade liberalization in MENA may
benefit poor farmers (only) if:
effective extension and market
information systems are in place
costs related to infrastructure and
bureaucracy are reduced
A food secure Arab world requires:
economic growth that better
benefits the food insecure and poor
public spending that is more
efficient and better targeted
data and information that supports
evidence-based policy making
OVERVIEW
6. Motivation and Objectives of Ongoing
Resilience to Conflict Project
Conflict and development research has neglected rural
development, food security and the Arab world (incl. in the
WDR 2011).
To address this gap, IFAD issued a call for proposals and
contracted IFPRI in 2012. CGIAR-PIM is co-financing.
Project objectives are identifying:
The linkages between conflict, rural development, and food security in
Arab countries
Which policies and interventions may enhance resilience to conflicts
How better information can lead to better lives
Project includes policy communication products and
tools, capacity building, and research.
OVERVIEW
7. Project Outputs So Far
5 policy seminars and conference sessions in
Egypt, Rome, Yemen and Washington, DC
Online information tool Arab Spatial 1.0 launched
in February 2013
3 multi-day trainings workshops at CAPMAS in
Egypt (2) and MOPIC (Economic Forecasting Unit)
in Yemen (1)
46 presentations at international
conferences/workshops (33) and at development
partners‘ offices and universities (13)
17 papers and articles, incl. 5 journal papers, 3
book chapters, 5 IFPRI Discussion Papers, 1 IFPRI
Policy Note, and 3 IFPRI magazines
OVERVIEW
8. Selected Project Impacts
So Far:
1. Public opinion: Research findings have
been cited by the int‘l and Arab
media, including the Washington
Post, Wall Street Journal, and Financial
Times
2. Egypt: Our joint work with CAPMAS and
WFP has contributed to a new open-data
initiative, a revision of the HIECS
survey, and improved analytical capacity
3. Yemen: Analysis is key part of the Joint
Social and Economic Assessment (by
the World Bank, UN, EU, and
IsDB), basis for donors‘ US$ 8bn pledge
(Riyadh, Sept. 5, 2012) to support postconflict transition
OVERVIEW
9. Preview - Three Key Messages:
Food insecurity is a major cause of conflict —
in Arab countries, more than in the rest of the
world.
Thus, policies, programs, and projects that
improve food security are likely to also reduce
conflict.
Improving policies and interventions will
require more and better data and information.
OVERVIEW
10. Structure of Workshop Presentations
1. Arab Regional-level Study
What are the causes of conflict in Arab countries?
What are key policies for enhancing resilience to conflict?
2. Country Case Studies
Sudan: Climate Change, Natural Resources, and Local Conflicts
Somalia: Drought, Livestock Price Shocks, and Civil War
Yemen: Building Resilience through Policy and Programs
Egypt: Food Security Policies in Times of Transitions
3. Arab Spatial
Policy information tool and open data repository:
exploring issues and finding cross-country patterns
Policy and planning tool: displaying patterns based on research
OVERVIEW
11. Arab Exceptionalism: The Role of
Food Security
Presented by Olivier Ecker (IFPRI)
Based on:
Does Food Security Matter for Transition in Arab
Countries?
Jean-Francois Maystadt, Jean-Francois Trinh
Tan, Clemens Breisinger
(Forthcoming in Food Policy, IFPRI Discussion Paper
1196)
12. Definitions
Conflict: ―Organized violence [is] the use or threat of physical force by
groups. [It] includes state actions against other states or against
civilians, civil wars, electoral violence between opposing sides, communal
conflicts based on regional, ethnic, religious or other group identities or
competing economic interests, gang-based violence and organized crime and
international nonstate armed movements with ideological aims‖ (World Bank
2011).
―Building resilience means helping people, communities, countries, and
global institutions prevent, anticipate, prepare for, cope with, and recover
from shocks and not only bounce back to where they were before the shocks
occurred, but become even better‐off‖ (IFPRI 2020 policy consultation).
Food security is a situation ―when all people, at all times, have physical, social
and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their
dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life‖ (FAO 1996).
―Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well-being […]. It includes low incomes
and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival
with dignity‖ (World Bank 2012, adapted from Haughton and Khandker 2009).
EVIDENCE FROM RESEARCH
13. Causes and Drivers of Conflict
1. Motivation: grievances, discrimination
inequality, injustice
2. Opportunity: conflict as means of
(economic) benefit opportunity costs of
conflict participation relative to income
from ordinary activities
3. Polity: capacity of the state to promote
inclusion or to repress contestation/
uprisings
EVIDENCE FROM RESEARCH
14. Motivation and Background
The global food and financial crisis in 2008-09 hit Arab
countries particularly hard, increasing food insecurity
substantially.
Food insecurity has been identified as one of the causes of
violent conflicts worldwide (Brinkman & Hendrix 2011;
Pinstrup-Andersen & Shimokawa 2008).
Rising food insecurity has possibly contributed to triggering
civil unrests leading to the ‗Arab Awakening‘ in 2010-11
(Breisinger et al. 2011, 2012).
However, food insecurity also increased in other world regions
in recent years, without sparking major uprisings.
Are the effects of food insecurity on conflict exceptionally
strong in the Arab World?
If so, what are the implications for the transition process?
ARAB EXCEPTIONALISM
16. Results
Economic growth reduces the risk of conflict worldwide.
Countries with long peace periods in the past are less
prone to civil conflict.
There is an Arab exceptionalism in the relevance of food
security as cause of conflict.
High food prices increase the risk of conflict through
deteriorating food security (which, in turn, reduces
people‘s resistance to engage in conflict).
Food security at both the national and the household
level is significantly more important for conflict
prevention in Arab countries than in the rest of the world.
ARAB EXCEPTIONALISM
17. Conclusions
In addition to economic growth, improving food security
is not only important for enhancing the poor‘s living
conditions, it is also critical for building resilience to
conflict—in Arab countries, more than in the rest of the
world.
The high vulnerability of Arab countries to global food
price variations may explain the exceptionally strong link
between food insecurity and the risk of conflict.
Since countries in political transition are at increased risk
of sliding into conflict, improving food security is
particularly important for supporting peaceful transitions.
ARAB EXCEPTIONALISM
18. Policy and Program Implications (1)
Policies and development programs/projects which
improve food security are likely to significantly
reduce the risk of conflict in Arab countries (as a
positive externality).
Effective short-run policies to protect people
against excessive food price volatility include
public grain reserves,
social safety nets, and
emergency assistance.
ARAB EXCEPTIONALISM
19. Policy and Program Implications (2)
Effective long-run policies should focus on
economic growth that generates
income for the poor and
foreign exchange revenues for financing food
imports.
Development programs/projects should aim at
farm and off-farm income generation and
employment (particularly for young male adults),
infrastructural investments, and
health and nutrition interventions.
20. Country Case Studies:
The Pathways from Research
to Development
Presented by:
Olivier Ecker (IFPRI)
Perrihan Al-Riffai (IFPRI)
21. Sudan: Climate Change, Natural
Resources, and Local Conflicts
Based on:
Local Warming and Violent Conflict in North and
South Sudan
Jean-Francois Maystadt, Margherita
Calderone, Liangzhi You
(Rev. & Res. to PNAS, IFPRI Discussion Paper 1276)
22. Motivation and Background
Climate change causes warmer (and more extreme)
weather that increases civil conflict globally (Hsiang et al.
2013).
Is the relationship of warming and conflict also valid at
the local level and over a short time period?
If so, what are the potential factors that drive this
relationship in Sudan?
Sudan has experienced civil war/instability over the last
two decades, where competition over natural
resources—including agricultural resources—has
triggered violent conflicts frequently.
SUDAN
23. Conflict and Extreme Weather
Source: Own presentation based on ACLED and UEA-CRU data.
SUDAN
25. Results
Warmer weather increases the risk of local conflict in
Sudan substantially.
The risk of conflict will increase by an estimated 20-30
percent until 2030, depending on the climate change
scenario assumed.
(Agro)pastoralist areas are particularly vulnerable.
The effects are amplified in areas with high livestock
density and where pastoralists and agropastoralists reside
and compete over the same resources.
Competition over water seems to be one of the main
drivers of conflict.
SUDAN
26. Policy and Program Implications
Resilience building strategies and interventions
need to be developed specifically for (agro)pastoral
livelihoods, given the unique challenges associated
with the (semi)nomadic lifestyle.
Critical components include
investments in water supply (and irrigation)
infrastructure,
measures to improve water (and pasture)
resource management, and
early warning systems for herders.
SUDAN
27. Somalia: Drought, Livestock
Price Shocks, and Civil War
Based on:
Extreme Weather and Civil War: Does Drought Fuel
Conflict in Somalia through Livestock Price Shocks?
Jean-Francois Maystadt, Olivier Ecker
(Forthcoming in AJAE, IFPRI Discussion Paper 1243)
28. Motivation and Background
The number and length of warm weather spells in the Horn of Africa
have increased in recent years, causing more and more intense
droughts.
Somalia experienced its most destructive drought in 2011, with 4m
people in need of emergency assistance at its peak.
Somalia has also been shaken by an ongoing civil war since
1991, where violent disputes have become more frequent recently.
Is there a causal relationship between drought and civil war in
Somalia?
If so, what makes people to engage in violent conflict that is
influenced by the weather?
Given the importance of the livestock sector as source of
income, drought-caused livestock price shocks may be the factor of
transmission.
SOMALIA
31. Results
More intense and longer-lasting droughts lead to
more violent conflicts in Somalia.
Drought depresses local livestock prices that
reduces household incomes and therewith
enhances the risk of
conflict.
Climate change may
increase the
likelihood of conflict
by 50-56%.
Reduced-form regression:
Conflict
Two-stage regression, first:
Cattle price
Two-stage
regression, second: Conflict
Source: Own presentation based on own estimates.
SOMALIA
32. Conclusions
Drought fuels conflict in Somalia through livestock
price shocks.
Policies and investments for drought impact mitigation
and resilience building are critical for both climate
change adaptation and conflict prevention.
The costs of inaction go beyond the immediate
economic and environmental costs of climate change
and may involve substantial costs from conflict
intensification.
Economic well-being is a key determinant of individual
conflict participation, so that poverty alleviation is an
effective strategy for conflict mitigation.
SOMALIA
33. Policy and Program Implications (1)
Strategies for building resilience to conflict in
Somalia should aim at increasing the opportunity
costs of conflict participation through:
fostering sustainable growth in the livestock
sector,
providing alternative income earning
opportunities, and
establishing social safety nets.
SOMALIA
34. Policy and Program Implications (2)
Formal insurance mechanisms and credit systems
as well as investments in livestock marketing and
infrastructure can help to smooth herd destocking
and to realize fast restocking.
Financial and technical support is needed to
adapt herds toward more drought-resilient and
more fast-marketable animals and
prevent overuse of rangeland resources.
SOMALIA
35. Yemen: Building Resilience
through Policy and Programs
(Work in Progress)
Based on:
The Growth-Nutrition (Dis-)Connect in Yemen: A New Macro-Micro
Modeling Approach
Clemens Breisinger, Olivier Ecker
(Under Revision for Economic Modelling)
Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Conflict and Food Insecurity and Yemen
Olivier Ecker
(In progress)
36. Motivation and Background
Yemen has experienced increasing conflict and food
insecurity, particularly in the course of the ‗Arab Awakening‘.
Starting with the formation of the unity government in early
2012, there is new hope for political and economic
transformation leading to stability and rising living standards.
To tackle food insecurity, Yemen has a comprehensive
strategy—the National Food Security Strategy (NFSS)—since
2010 that calls for implementation.
What is the association of political instability and food
insecurity, and what are the outcomes for people’s nutrition?
Assuming that the key economic policies proposed in the
NFSS were implemented, what is the likely impact on food
security?
What is the role of IFAD development programs?
YEMEN
37. Methodology and Data
Combination of various economic analysis tools and estimation
models including:
Correlation and descriptive analyses
LS regression models with various specifications
Dynamic CGE model
Set of recent household surveys including:
Gallup Poll
UNICEF Pilot Social Protection Monitoring Survey (PSPMS)
2011/12
Household Budget Survey (HBS) 2005-06
Results and Impact Management System (RIMS) surveys of
IFAD‘s Dhamar Participatory Rural Development Project
(DPRDP)
YEMEN
38. Correlation of Conflict Exposure and
Food Insecurity
Households (%)
Conflict exposure
Food insecurity
60
ρ = 0.65
50
40
30
20
10
0
26
28
30
32
34
36
38 40 42 44 46 48
Calendar week 2011-12
2
6
Source: Own estimation based on UNICEF PSPM survey data.
Note: The presented indicators are based on the following questions and answers:
Conflict exposure: ―During the past two weeks has any child become afraid of playing outside?‖ – ―Yes.‖
Food insecurity: ―During the past two weeks have you or any family member experienced going to bed hungry due to lack of food?‖ – ―Yes.‖
YEMEN
39. Results
Non-hydrocarbon growth (%)
The recession in 2011 affected
economic growth and food
security lastingly.
Even if the economy comes back
to pre-crisis growth rates, it takes
at least five years to make up the
loss in output.
Reversing the trend of increasing
food insecurity is challenging—
even more so for chronic
malnutrition.
Calorie
deficiency
Child
stunting
Slow transition
-0.078
-0.175
0.040
0.011
0
-5
-10
Growth semi-elasticities
Source: Own estimations based on HBS 2005-06 data and national statistics.
Slow transition
Accelerated transition
Stagnation
Prevalence of calorie deficiency (%)
40
35
-0.032
Stagnation
5
-0.011
Accelerated transition
10
30
25
Slow transition
Accelerated transition
Stagnation
Baseline (no uprising)
2015
YEMEN
40. Preliminary Results
IFAD‘s DPRDP aimed at improving food security and family incomes of
small farm households in addition to upgrading community infrastructure.
Against the national trend, child malnutrition improved in the project site.
In 2012, most beneficiary households (90%) consider their community
and the surrounding Sample Survey (period)
Wasting
Underweight
communities as
Rural Yemen
2005
HBS (4/2005 - 3/2006)
13.4
38.4
peaceful.
2012
NSPMS, R1 (10-12/2012)
17.5
44.4
However, further
Average annual change
analyses and more
Percentage points
0.6
0.9
data are needed for
Percent
3.9
2.1
Dhamar Participatory Rural Development Project (DPRDP)
assessing the
RIMS (11/2006)
20.3
53.6
project impact more 2006
2012
RIMS (11/2012)
11.7
41.1
precisely.
Average annual change
Percentage points
Percent
-1.4
-8.7
-2.1
-4.3
Source: Own estimations based on listed surveys and IPC-IG et al. (2013).
YEMEN
41. Preliminary Conclusions
Political instability and food insecurity are closely associated
in Yemen.
Major policy reforms—including the implementation of the
National Food Security Strategy—are necessary to bring
Yemen back to pre-crisis achievements and further on a
development path.
Development programs/projects that aim at building resilience
through improving food security and rural development more
broadly (such as by IFAD) have high potential to also
contribute to prevent civil conflict in Yemen.
More work (and new data) are needed (and forthcoming) to
evaluate the contribution of IFAD‘s programs/projects to
conflict prevention.
YEMEN
42. Egypt: Food Security Policies in
Times of Transition
Based on:
Tackling Egypt’s Rising Food Insecurity in a Time of
Transition
Clemens Breisinger, Riham Abuismail, Noura Abdelwahab,
Perrihan Al-Riffai, Dina Armanious, Olivier Ecker, Heba ElLaithy, Jane Waite, Alaa Zohery
(Joint IFPRI-WFP-CAPMAS Country Policy Note)
43. Motivation and Background (1)
Food subsidies are one of the most important policies for social
protection.
Without food subsidies, national poverty may have increased
from 25% to about 34%.
Because:
Subsidized food accounts
for nearly 20% of poor
households‘ food
expenditure
Subsidized baladi bread
accounts for 71% of bread
consumed by poor
households.
EGYPT
44. Motivation and Background (2)
Food insecurity has reached new
heights after a succession of crises
since 2007
The fiscal deficit in Egypt is above 10
percent of GDP and rising
Source: Breisinger et al. 2012. http://www.ifpri.org/gfpr/2012/regional-developments
EGYPT
45. Motivation and Background (3)
New (preliminary) results show that food subsidies contribute to the ―double
burden‖ of malnutrition
The double burden of malnutrition is mostly prevalent in Egypt and Iraq
Source: Ecker, et al. WFP/CAPMAS/IFPRI Workshop “Tackling Food Security and Nutrition in Egypt:
Challenges and Opportunities”, Cairo, 21 May 2013
EGYPT
46. Results:
There is significant potential for improving the current food
subsidy system
Losses and leakages across the baladi bread
supply chain are estimated at 30 percent
There is significant scope for improving the
targeting:
The ration card system covers 73 percent of
nonpoor households
But it excludes 19 percent of the most
vulnerable households!
Increased poverty has resulted in an over
reliance on cheap and calorie-dense foods,
including subsidized commodities
EGYPT
47. Policy Implications
Following business as usual is not an option: Improved targeting
and complementary programs could reduce costs and improve
food security
Lessons from other countries‘ experiences and Egypt‘s previous
subsidy reform attempts stress the importance of:
Restructuring and integrating the subsidy system within a
broader national strategy of development and food security for
success
Building credibility by promoting transparency of policies and
engaging in discussion with the people
Creating an understanding
Managing expectations
Establishing a robust monitoring and evaluation system for
decision making, empowering policymakers to learn and become
versatile during any reform process.
EGYPT
51. What is Arab Spatial?
Policy information tool and open data repository on food
security and development-related research in the Arab world
Over 200 indicators national, subnational, and pixel level over time.
New Features
A gallery of downloadable and pre-made graphs about Arab
nations‘ development and food security
Customized analytical tools that allow users to compare and
explore data by indicators, regions, year, and download the results
New multi-layer maps that dynamically track IFAD development
projects geographically in the context of more than 200 food
security and development indicators; and
Enhanced user experience, with simpler navigation and greater
interactivity.
ARAB SPATIAL
56. Five Year Ongoing Partnership
Work with IFPRI on a number of programs
including:
Arab Spatial
HarvestChoice
AgWater Management
Crop Life
CRP Mapper
Members of the CGIAR-CSI
58. Stack Components
Server stack
Microsoft Windows
SQL Server 2012 R2
ESRI ArcGIS Server 10.1
Code base on GitHub
Client stack
ESRI JavaScript API
D3 and jQuery
HTML5 and CSS3
72. Identify Areas Vulnerable to Food
Insecurity
Child malnutrition rates are particularly high in Yemen and
Somalia.
Link to map: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=Stunting, Country|2012&bm=World light gray (Note:
Select the ―Latest‖ function on the timeline)
73. Investment in Infrastructure and
Access to Cities
Display physical infrastructure that enables populations to have access
to local and international food markets such as ports, airports, railroads,
grain storage facilities.
Link to left map:
light gray
http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=Railroads&ll=Grain storages&ll=Ports&ll=Airports&bm=World
Display access to small cities (travel time expressed in hours).
Link to right map: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=Access to small cities&bm=World imagery
74. Closing Yield Gaps
Display the spatial distribution of wheat yields at the pixel level
(expressed in kg/hectares), and visualize in detail which areas have
the highest and lowest wheat yields across the region.
Link to map: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=Yield - wheat&bm=World light gray
75. Food security and income per
capita
Using the GNI per capita layer, we can compare income per capita
between Arab countries.
Link to map: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=GNI per capita|2012&bm=World light gray (Note: Select the
―Latest‖ function on the timeline)
76. Visualize indicators in a chart
The ―Analytics‖ functions allows users to visualize the selected
indicators in a bar, line or scatter chart.
Link to chart: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=GNI per capita|2012&bm=World light gray (Note: Select the
―Analytics‖ function at the bottom of the screen)
77. Compare Multiple Indicators
Users can visually analyze how long term changes in precipitation
relate to spatial patterns of conflict in Sudan and Somalia.
Link to maps: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=Violent conflicts, 1997 - 2010&ll=Precipitation
variability&bm=World light gray
78. Visualize Data at the Sub-National
Level
Arab Spatial allows users to analyze the spatial distribution of child
malnutrition at the sub-national level, and target more specifically
which areas of the country are most vulnerable, and expose
disparities between governorates.
Link to map: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=Stunting, Governorate|2012&bm=World light gray (Note:
Select the ―Latest‖ function on the timeline)
79. Zoom-in to Specific Points of
Interest
The zoom-in function and World Imagery base layer to visualize
areas and points of interest in fine detail.
Link to map: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=Grain storages&bm=World imagery
80. A Valuable Tool for Targeting
Visualize whether interventions are situated in areas which are most
vulnerable to food insecurity.
Link to left map: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=Ongoing IFAD development projects&ll=Stunting,
Governorate|2012&bm=World light gray (Note: Select the ―Latest‖ function on the timeline)
Link to right map: http://www.arabspatial.org/?ll=Ongoing IFAD development projects&ll=Yield sorghum&bm=World imagery
83. Arab World
Research Products:
Beyond the Arab awakening: Policies and Investments for Poverty
Reduction and Food Security, IFPRI Food Policy Report. English | Arabic
Does Food Security Matter for Transition in Arab Countries? IFPRI
Discussion Paper 1196 Download
The Food Security System: A New Conceptual Framework. IFPRI
Discussion Paper 1166 Download
Food Security and Economic Development in the Middle East and North
Africa: Current State and Future Perspectives. IFPRI Discussion Paper
0985 Download
Policy Choices on the Ground. IFPRI 2012 Global Food Policy Report
Download
Regional Developments: Food policy taking shape at the local level. IFPRI
2011 Global Food Policy Report Download
Knowledge Products:
Arab Spatial Development and Food Security Atlas: www.arabspatial.org
PUBLICATIONS
84. Yemen
Research Products:
Managing Transition in Yemen: An Assessment of the Costs of
Conflict and Development Scenarios for the Future. IFPRI
Discussion Paper 1210 English | Arabic
Macroeconomic and Social Impact Analysis of the 2011 Crisis in
Yemen and Alternative Transition Scenarios in Joint Social and
Economic Impact Assessment for the Republic of Yemen. Led by
World Bank Download
Climate Change and Floods in Yemen: Impacts on Food Security
and Options for Adaptation. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1139 Download
Food as the Basis for Development and Security: A Strategy for
Yemen. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1036 English | Press Release
Assessing food security in Yemen: An innovative integrated, crosssector, and multilevel approach. IFPRI Discussion Paper 0982
Download
Petroleum subsidies in Yemen: Leveraging reform for development.
IFPRI Discussion Paper 1071 Download
PUBLICATIONS
85. Yemen
Policy Notes:
Overview And Action Plan: Yemen national food security
strategy English | Arabic
Health, nutrition, and risk management: Yemen national food
security strategy English | Arabic
Qat, water, and agricultural development: Yemen national
food security strategy English | Arabic
Petroleum Subsidy Reform and Food Security: Yemen
national food security strategy English | Arabic
Knowledge Products:
• Mapping Yemen: Interactive Atlas Provides Unique Insights
into Food Security (Available in CD version more information)
86. Somalia
Extreme weather and civil war in Somalia. IFPRI Discussion Paper
1243 Download
Sudan
Local Warming and Violent Conflict in North and South Sudan. IFPRI
Discussion Paper 1276 Download
Egypt
Tackling Egypt’s Rising Food Insecurity. Joint IFPRI-WFP Country
Policy Note English | Arabic
Syria
Global and local economic impacts of climate change in Syria and
options for adaptation. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1091 Download
PUBLICATIONS
Editor's Notes
Note Clemens: Put questions here and the answers later?
Differentiation between macro and micro food security.
Economic behavior is often used to explain people’s incentives to participate in violent conflict, following the seminal work by Collier and his coauthors on the causes of civil war (Collier and Hoeffler 1998, 2004; Collier and Sambanis 2002). Probably the most robust finding in the conflict literature is that slow economic growth and low per capita income contribute to civil conflict (Blattman and Miguel 2010). Economic opportunities such as expected income from being a fighter relative to ordinary labor market rates motivate people to participate in conflict rather than political and social grievances such as repression of specific social groups and societal inequality. Findings on the roles of ethnic or religious fractionalization (Easterly and Levine 1997; Fearon and Laitin 2003), natural resources dependency (Humphreys 2005; Brunnschweiler and Bulte 2009), and degree of democracy (Elbadawi and Sambanis 2002; Hegre et al. 2001) as drivers or preventers of civil conflict are inconsistent.