Needs Versus Expediency: Poverty Reduction and Social Development inPost-Conflict Countries

Addison, Tony; Gisselquist, Rachel M.; Niño-Zarazúa, Miguel; Singh, Saurabh

Abstract

This chapter explores the issues around the need to strengthen and sustain peace in post-conflict societies. These issues include the amount of focus to be given to absolute poverty reduction versus broader social inclusion, including the reduction of inequality. The chapter sets out a framework that can help country-level policy and action, then moves on to address specific interventions: health, education, livelihoods, and social protection, reviewing the (often limited) evidence available, and drawing out some tentative recommendations for sequencing. This provides the basis for a discussion of the politics of post-conflict inclusion, which delves deeper into the issues around crafting a politics of recovery that also embraces the needs of the poor. A final section concludes that a ‘first best’ outcome for poverty and human development is unlikely, as the political economy of recovery will impose powerful constraints.

Citation

Addison, T., Gisselquist, R. M., Niño-Zarazúa, M., & Singh, S. (2016). Needs Versus Expediency: Poverty Reduction and Social Development inPost-Conflict Countries. In A. Langer, & G. K. Brown (Eds.), Building Sustainable Peace: Timing and Sequencing of Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Peacebuilding (32-50). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780198757276.003.0003

• Publication Date: Aug 23, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jun 27, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 27, 2022
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Pages: 32-50
• Book Title: Building Sustainable Peace: Timing and Sequencing of Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Peacebuilding
• ISBN: 9780198757276
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780198757276.003.0003
• Keywords: peace, post-conflict reconstruction, poverty, human development, social protection
• Publisher URL: https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198757276.001.0001/acprof-9780198757276-chapter-3
• Related Public URLs: https://doi.org/10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2015/952-7