A New Approach to Postwar Reconstruction

Abstract

In countries emerging from war, the immediate post-war period rarely lives up to the hopes and expectations of the country's citizens or the international community. An upsurge in corruption and a lack of accountability, which frequently become entrenched during this time, can erode trust in democracy and its institutions, thereby eating away at the legitimacy of the postwar state. The authors argue that an anticorruption approach that builds on local resources and competencies in distinctive ways and that emphasizes local accountability such as citizen-based monitoring is more likely to succeed in stemming corruption as well as increase participation and trust in the reconstruction process.

Can peace be purchased? A sectoral-level analysis of aid’s influence on transnational terrorism

“…Aid has also been shown to have positive impacts on the economy in post-conflict societies if granted at the right times (Collier and Hoeffler 2004). Aid possibly increases confidence in a new regime while its absence may weaken such confidence and lead to further problems, such as what occurred in some regions of Afghanistan (Galtung and Tisne 2009). As conflict aid is effective at preventing the occurrence or recurrence of war, a number of important side effects occur.…”

Bringing the Local Back In: Haiti, Local Governance and the Dynamics of Vertically Integrated Peacebuilding

“…There is, as well, at least some evidence to suggest that involving local-level actors in reform processes and/or policy networks generates beneficial impacts in terms of both increasing public demand for more accountable governance and strengthening public sector incentives for improved (and less corrupt) performance (Unsworth 2010, 38;Galtung & Tisne 2009). While the challenges of such a project should not be underestimated, the longer-term imperative of strengthening state -society relations as a -perhaps the -sustainable path to peace does suggest that local governance is one area where international support can expand 'the opportunities available in a given society for negotiation, consensus building and joint action on establishing the rules of the game' (Muggah et al 2012, 20, 63).…”

Reversing the Trend of Corruption in South Sudan

“…It is said that in order to develop integrity within the process of statebuilding, those tasked with anti-corruption activities could benefit from adopting a state-building lens (Galtung & Tisne, 2009). A state-building lens enables policymakers to better understand "which reforms and risks of corruption to prioritise, and when; which reforms to prioritise and how; how to approach trade-offs between corruption and stability; and how best to mitigate the unintended consequences of anti-corruption interventions" (Hussmann & Tisne, 2009, p. 24).…”