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161. Women’s Financial Inclusion and Economic Opportunities in Fragile and Conflict-Affected States: An overview of challenges and prospects

Author:
Jeni Klugman and Yvonne Quek
Publication Date:
02-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
It is well established that women’s participation is essential for growing economies—and that inclusive growth is critical to creating sustainable peace. Yet women face the most severe economic exclusion in fragile and conflict-affected countries—precisely the nations that critically need their participation. This GIWPS report focuses on financial inclusion as an important tool to economically empower women and speed the pace of recovery after conflict. The report, supported by Bank of America, is the first in a series of Georgetown research studies on advancing women’s economic opportunities in fragile states. The report describes the status of women’s economic participation worldwide. Only 4 in 10 women are in paid work (compared to 7 in 10 men) in the 36 countries classified by the World Bank as fragile and conflict-affected states. The situation is even worse in countries with protracted conflict. Afghanistan has a 60 percentage point gap between male and female employment rates, and Syria and Yemen both have gender gaps of over 50 percentage points. Rates of financial inclusion – access to formal financial services as well as mobile accounts – are also systematically lower for women in fragile and conflict-affected settings, even though these are the conditions where such access is vitally important. “Financial accounts can be a lifeline for women and their families – and can have larger cumulative effects on the economy,” said Dr. Jeni Klugman, managing director of GIWPS. “Surveys suggest a strong demand for financial services among women.” The Georgetown report suggests innovations to formal financial services to make them more accessible to women in difficult environments. Mobile banking accounts, for example, can expand women’s occupational options and increase their consumption, especially given ongoing infrastructure and mobility constraints. Digitized social transfer payments from governments directly into women’s financial accounts can also be a route to inclusion with multiple benefits. “Emerging evidence shows that the private sector can play an integral role in addressing the unmet financial needs of women in fragile and conflict-affected countries,” adds Yvonne Quek, the Clinton-McLarty research fellow at GIWPS. Future research by GIWPS will focus on what is working to create economic opportunities for women in conflict-affected countries. GIWPS will use case study methods to underscore successful approaches to advance women’s economic opportunities and financial inclusion.
Topic:
Women, Finance, Conflict, Peace, Inclusion, and Opportunity
Political Geography:
Global Focus

162. Climate Crisis: ‘Listening to the Science’ Not Enough

Author:
Sofiah Jamil
Publication Date:
11-2019
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Abstract:
Greta Thunberg has called on politicians to “listen to the science” and take climate change seriously. But climate communication strategies can be more effective when “listening to the science” is complemented with “listening to society”.
Topic:
Climate Change, Science and Technology, Conflict, and Society
Political Geography:
Global Focus

163. Gender, Law, and Security (volume II)

Author:
Beth English
Publication Date:
12-2019
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, Princeton University
Abstract:
This volume is a sampling of research conducted by student fellows in the Project on Gender in the Global Community (GGC) at the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University. Over the course of the 2018-19 academic year, GGC fellows pursued independent, academically rigorous research around a topic of their choosing. The papers in this volume represent a variety of disciplines and methodologies, and the range of work undertaken by students throughout the year—some in connection to course work, junior policy seminars and senior theses, others as stand-alone research papers, and still others as short framing essays intended to serve as starting points for larger long-term research projects. The volume is divided into three sections focusing on 1) gender and domestic political contexts, 2) violence against women and women in conflict, and 3) policy and political leadership.
Topic:
Gender Issues, Law, Leadership, Gender Based Violence, and Conflict
Political Geography:
Global Focus

164. System Dynamics Modeling in International Relations

Author:
Ali Fisunoğlu
Publication Date:
07-2019
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
Institution:
Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
Abstract:
This article provides an introduction to system dynamics modeling with a particular focus on the use of system dynamics models in political science and international relations. A system dynamics approach offers an alternative to traditional qualitative and quantitative methods by providing a dynamic and endogenous point of view, which allows for understanding the dynamic interactions between variables and making short- and long-term projections for alternative policy choices. This approach is particularly useful to tackle the complex problems of contemporary politics, in which the solutions require combining the insights from different disciplines. Applications of a system dynamics approach in the social sciences cover a broad spectrum, from war initiation and termination to social inequality, from demographics to human development and democratization. This article starts by presenting the brief history of system dynamics models and their use in social sciences, and comparing a system dynamics approach to traditional qualitative and quantitative research methods by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each one. This discussion is followed by the explanation of the essential components of system dynamics models. Finally, the article provides several applications from international relations via developing models of arms races and spread of intrastate conflicts.
Topic:
Politics, Conflict, Quantitative, Methods, and Arms Race
Political Geography:
Global Focus

165. Large-N Analysis in the Study of Conflict

Author:
Belgin San-Akca
Publication Date:
07-2019
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
Institution:
Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
Abstract:
In this paper, I examine the generation and use of large-N datasets and issues related to operationalization and measurement in the quantitative study of inter-state and intra-state conflict. Specifically, I critically evaluate the work on transnational dimensions of internal conflict and talk about my own journey related to my research on interactions between states and nonstate armed groups. I address the gaps in existing research, the use of proxy measures in large-N data analysis, and talk in detail about observational data collection and coding. I argue that future research should bridge the gap between studies of conflict across the fields of Comparative Politics and International Relations. I make suggestions laying the standards of academic scholarship in collecting data and increasing transparency in research.
Topic:
International Relations, Civil War, War, Research, Conflict, and Data
Political Geography:
Global Focus

166. Terrorism: Two Faces of Women

Author:
Lea-Grace B. Salcedo
Publication Date:
02-2019
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
Abstract:
Societal support for both terrorist groups and state-led counterterrorism efforts is dependent upon the extent to which the populace believes that these organizations reflect the societies in which they operate. The composition of the society as well as the society’s ability to address grievances and meet the expectations of the populace are of key importance when it comes to the integration of women into both types of organizations. In the past, women have primarily played support roles to men but increasingly, especially in recent years, they have also served in nontraditional roles in both terrorist organizations and the security sector.
Topic:
Security, Gender Issues, Terrorism, Women, and Conflict
Political Geography:
Global Focus

167. Safeguards and Verification in Inaccessible Territories

Author:
Chen Kane
Publication Date:
10-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Abstract:
The paper aims to assist the international community and international organizations (IOs), such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to better prepare for challenges related to verification and safeguards of nuclear materials, chemical weapons, and facilities in inaccessible territories. The paper identifies lessons from past and ongoing cases (Iraq, Libya, Syria, Fukushima/Japan, and Crimea/Ukraine) and presents policy, legal, and technical recommendations to the IAEA, OPCW, and their member states to overcome some of these challenges. The challenges in verifying and safeguarding nuclear materials in inaccessible sites have existed for decades. Past cases include Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Serbia during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. Nevertheless, the number of cases in which international organizations such as the IAEA and the OPCW had to verify the status of declared materials in territories they could not access increased significantly since 2010. This report discusses three categories of situations from which the IAEA and the OPCW have been barred from accessing sensitive materials or facilities. One category consists of locations that are insecure or unsafe and thus involve high risk to IO staff such as in Libya, Iraq, and Fukushima (Japan). The other two categories involve territory over which the state responsible for securing access does not have de facto control. This occurs when the site is controlled by either nonstate actors, such as some sites in Iraq and Syria, or by another state, as in Crimea, Ukraine. In many of these instances, securing access involves a range of political sensitivities, such as civil war, occupation, or natural disaster, which has broader implications and complexities beyond nuclear or chemical nonproliferation, further complicating an IO’s ability to gain access to the site or use other means to gather required information. Each of these situations poses different political, legal, and technical challenges and limitations, but they also offer potential novel solutions.
Topic:
Nuclear Weapons, Conflict, Chemical Weapons, Nuclear Safety, and Disaster Management
Political Geography:
Global Focus

168. Safe but Not Settled: The Impact of Family Separation on Refugees in the UK

Author:
Oxfam Publishing
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Refugees in the UK often find themselves separated from their families by their brutal experiences of conflict and persecution, just at the time when they need each other the most. This separation can drag on for years or sometimes indefinitely because of the UK’s restrictive rules on refugee family reunion. This joint report by the Refugee Council and Oxfam is one of the first to look at how family reunion and ongoing forced separation from loved ones affect the ability of refugees to successfully integrate into UK society.
Topic:
Migration, Refugee Crisis, Displacement, Conflict, Borders, Family, and Humanitarian Crisis
Political Geography:
United Kingdom, Europe, and Global Focus

169. Adaptive Mediation

Author:
Cedric De Coning and Stephen Gray
Publication Date:
09-2018
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Conflict Trends
Institution:
The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
Abstract:
When United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres took up his post in December 2016, he observed that “conflicts have become more complex and interlinked than ever before”.1 The increase in complexity that Guterres refers to stems in part from a proliferation in the range of national and transnational stakeholders and interests that affect peace processes. We are now concerned with, for instance, the roles that governance, corruption, organised crime, increasingly fragmented opposition movements, violent extremism, the environment, gender, youth and natural resource management play in contributing to – or hindering – conflict resolution. The proliferation of actors and threats stretches the limits of traditional state and multilateral mediation processes. The challenge of navigating complex stakeholder landscapes is compounded by dynamic, interconnected and unpredictable local to global societal processes. Digital interconnectivity allows people to mobilise in ways that was not possible just a few years ago. The more the world is globalised, the more changes one factor can have in unpredictable and unintended political, economic, migration or conflict consequences elsewhere. The consequence of increasing complexity for peacemakers is that there are more variables that can affect peace processes, less stability in the behaviour of these variables, and less predictability when it comes to how peace and conflict processes are likely to unfold. Complexity therefore renders rigid adherence to analysis, plans and structures ineffective and potentially harmful. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), for instance, Eriksen has argued that the state-building project of external actors has failed, in part, because their designs have been based on fixed, non-negotiable conceptions of what the state should eventually look like, without due regard to the complex and evolving interests and relations between domestic powers.2
Topic:
Globalization, United Nations, Conflict, and Mediation
Political Geography:
Global Focus

170. National Security in the Age of Hybrid War

Author:
Ilhami B. Değirmencioğlu
Publication Date:
10-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
Abstract:
During the course of the past 10 years, the security environment has become more complex due to the blurring of the lines of warfare. Therefore, the ‘gray zone’ between peace and war expanded and became a battlefield of non-conventional warfare such as counterinsurgency, terrorism, cyber-attacks, etc. (Mansoor, 2012: 1). The failed and fragile states in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, as well as non-recognized de facto states in the Caucasus played catalytic role in the expansion of the non-conventional warfare. Moreover, Great Powers inclined to use increasingly the non-conventional warfare in the proxy and delegated wars waged by them. In the recent years, the non-state actors used innovative and complicated tactics against legal authorities in many countries. The prevalence of the new complex threats transformed the classic war concept into a concept called ‘new wars.’ Due to the combined use of the conventional and non-conventional warfare, many scholars and politicians started to call the new model of war as ‘hybrid war.’
Topic:
National Security, Conflict, Peace, and Hybrid Warfare
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Global Focus, and United States of America