In the new INEF-Report Roman Krtsch probes into the drivers of individual participation in post-conflict protest, focusing on developments in Uganda.

The article can be found here

In a new article published in the journal "Studies in Conflict & Terrorism", Jannis Saalfeld probes into the relationship between electoral politics and Salafi (non-)radicalisation in Tanzania and Kenya.

The article can be found here

In their new article "From detection to sentencing: A homicide case flow analysis of the Dutch criminal justice system" Marieke Liem, Pauline Aarten and Johannes Vüllers investigate under which conditions homicide cases are prosecuted or not.

The article is available for download here

The European Union (EU) faces enormous challenges. The erosion of the international order in recent years shows that Europe has to become a more effective actor in global power politics. Against this background, the Peace Report 2021, published by Germany’s leading peace research institutes, analyses current violent conflicts, identifies trends in international security and development policy, and provides policy recommendations.

Karin Gaesing and Frank Bliss have published an new weltohnehunger article on the relationship between secure land rights, gender and soil fertility in Benin.

Research in recent years shows that there is still a lack of extension services targeted at women. The additional disadvantage of women in securing access to land leads to untapped economic potential and exacerbates social problems.

The blog entry can be read here

Having released a new INEF Report on “Digital Technologies, Peacebuilding and Civil Society”, INEF together with the German Platform on Peaceful Conflict Management jointly hosted a web event on 21 May 2021 that focussed on how civil society actors can use and actively shape the development of digital tools in peacebuilding.

What repercussions do these tools have on the character of conflicts and their dynamics? How can digitalization contribute to empowering communities? The author, Julia Hofstetter, presented her key insights. Together with three renowned commentators she argued for a paradigm shift in peacebuilding.

An report of the online event is available for download here

Inequality between states has been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. The economic consequences have been particularly devastating in countries of the Global South. In the new "Global Trends. Analysis" issue, Ignacio Saiz argues that this makes it all the more important that the wealthier countries and the international financial institutions cooperate by lifting the barriers their debt and tax policies impose on the fiscal space of low- and middle-income countries.

The publication is available for download here

On May 20, 2021, INEF and the German Platform for Peaceful Conflict Management will jointly host an online event titled "Peacebuilding in a Digital Age. Which Role(s) for Civil Society?" The event will take as a point of departure the insights offered by the new INEF Report  “Digital Technologies, Peacebuilding and Civil Society” authored by Julia-Silvana Hofstetter.

Further information and the online registration form are available here

The INEF Board has elected Prof. Dr. Christof Hartmann as its new Spokesperson.  Prof. Dr. Christof Hartmann is a renowned expert on international relations and the politics of Africa and holds a professorship at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Given his election as Spokesperson, he will assume the office of INEF Director for the next six years.

How does digitalization affect the work of peacebuilders from civil society? In this new INEF Report author Julia-Silvana Hofstetter discusses opportunities and challenges of digital technologies in the new field of “digital peacebuilding”.

The INEF Report is available for download here.

On April 22/23, 2021, the Centre for Global Cooperation Research (KHK/GCR21) will host its third annual conference in cooperation with INEF and the UDE Main Research Area "Transformation of Contemporary Societies".

The conference is titled "Ideas for Re-ordering the World in Times of Multiple Crises: Continuity and Change beyond Covid-19". Information on registration and the conference program are available here.

In his new contribution to the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, Johannes Vüllers provides an overview of the triggers and effects of constitutional crises.

The publication can be found here.

"Towards political stability without democracy" - Christof Hartmann probes into the politico-economic dynamics that have accompanied recent parliamentary elections in Côte d’Ivoire.

The entry can be read here.

In his new contribution to the Development and Peace Blog, INEF researcher Arne Rieber draws attention to the development dilemma of khat cultivation in the Mount Kenya region.

The entry can be found here.

In their new article "Does counter-mobilization contain right-wing populist movements? Evidence from Germany ", Johannes Vüllers and Sebastian Hellmeier explore the effect of counter-demonstrations on right-wing populist movements. 

The article is published in the European Journal of Political Research. It can be found here.

In “Transformation through ‘Meaningful’ Partnership“ Elena Sondermann and Cornelia Ulbert operationalize the concept of partnership according to different levels of accountability and participation.

They assess if and how these principles have been met in the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All (GAP) with respect to civil society engagement. The article was published in Politics and Governance as part of a Special Issue on “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Transformative Change through the Sustainable Development Goals?”.
The article is available here.

Focussing on the recent elections in Uganda and Namibia, in his new contribution to the Development and Peace Blog BICC researcher Markus Bayer draws attention to the growing electoral support for second/third liberation movements in sub-Saharan Africa.

The entry can be found here.

In their "New Political Economy" article "Human Rights and Corporate Reinsurance: From Ensuring Rights to Insuring Risks" Christian Scheper and Johanna Gördermann examine how a European reinsurance company links its global human rights policy with its core business, the underwriting of risks.

The article is available here.

How do private military companies shape African security governance? In his blog entry Markus Bayer, senior researcher at the Bonn International Center for Conversion, sheds light on the failures of the Russian Wagner Group and the reactivation of the notorious South African company Executive Outcomes. 

The blog entry can be read here.

Human rights have become an important concern to govern the global economy based of international standards. At present two complementing, but also competing approaches shape the discourse. On the one the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights of 2011 and on the other negotiations for an international treaty on the same topic. In her new article “The Struggle for Legitimacy in Business and Human Rights Regulation–A Consideration of the Processes Leading to the UN Guiding Principles and an International Treaty”,  INEF Senior Associate Fellow Brigitte Hamm compares the processes leading to these two instruments.

The article is available for download here.

Together with the Käthe Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research, INEF invites submissions of abstracts for their joint Annual Conference, which will take place from 22-23 April 2021 under the theme "Ideas for Re-ordering the World in Times of Multiple Crises: Continuity and Change beyond Covid-19."

To propose a conference contribution, please fill out the submission form on the bottom of this page.

On the Development and Peace Blog Jannis Saalfeld and Christof Hartmann provide an insight into the complex relationship between Salafism and secular electoral politics in sub-Saharan African countries. 

The entry can be found here.

The technologisation and digitisation of public services is advancing rapidly. However, the hoped-for increase in efficiency and cost reduction is associated with the risks of discrimination and surveillance. The Guatemalan human rights lawyer Renata Ávila Pinto therefore calls for the design of tech interventions in the public sector to be guided more strongly by human rights, democratic rules and the objectives of sustainable development.

The publication is available for download here.

The authors critically engage with narratives of global health security and show how the logic of exceptionalism is limiting current responses to the pandemic. They conceptualize an alternative narrative based on the logic of solidarity. The article is a short contribution to the journal’s Corona forum.

The article can be found here.

The new INEF Insights present some of the highlights of our latest projects and publications and locate them in INEF's current research programme.

They can be downloaded here.

In GLOBAL TRENDS. ANALYSIS 2|2020 Peter Draper investigates how COVID-19 has affected the (dis-)integration of global trade. 

The publication can be found here.  

On September 25/26, the Development and Peace Foundation (sef:) and INEF will host the international expert workshop "The World Trade System after COVID-19: Pathways towards welfare-oriented trade policy". 

The workshop programme can be found here. 

INEF researcher Dr. Johannes Vüllers is co-author of the International Area Studies Review article "The value of sub-national data: The dynamics of contentious politics in Nepal".

The article can be found here.

In the new edition of "Global Cooperation Research" Tobias Debiel and Johannes Vüllers derive from the Peace Report 2020 four trends of crucial importance to peace and development policy. In addition, Tobias Debiel shares his views on current developments within German peace and conflict research in a short interview.

The magazine can be read here.

In his new article "Between grassroots contention and elite manoeuvring: sub-nationalism in Zanzibar and coastal Kenya", INEF-researcher Jannis Saalfeld investigates divergent dynamics of federalist and secessionist mobilisation in the territory of the former Sultanate of Zanzibar.

The article can be found here.

Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, arms control became an integral part of the global security architecture. However, in 2020, we live in a different reality. In GLOBAL TRENDS. ANALYSIS 01|2020, Angela Kane and Noah Mayhew criticise the fact, that arms control is still oriented to realities of the past.

The publication is available for download here.

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic is keeping the world in suspense. It is consuming vast quantities of resources and has led to sweeping political interventions in the life of societies. Against this background, the Friedensgutachten 2020 ("Peace Report 2020") analyses current violent con­flicts, identifies trends in inter­national foreign, security and development policy, and provides policy recommendations.