Resilience to Conflict - A New, Integrated, Granular Measure
Channel: INCORE Ulster University
Date: 2017-05-30

Presented by Dr David Backer, Assistant Director, Center for International Development and Conflict Management & Associate Research Professor, Department of Government & Politics, University of Maryland.

Resilience has emerged as an important buzzword that is in vogue among development professionals, including those who focus on various aspects of societal instability. The general concept of resilience in this context is relatively clear. 

For example, the US Agency for International Development (2012) articulates a useful definition: "The ability of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to mitigate, adapt to and recover from shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth." Such an understanding has been translated to apply to circumstances of conflict and peacebuilding, capturing aspects of risk, recovery, and transformation. As yet, however, empirical assessment of resilience to conflict has been lacking. This talk proposes a novel analytical methodology for measuring resilience to conflict. 

A provisional implementation of the methodology is demonstrated using Nigeria as an illustrative case. The goal of the talk is to stimulate reflective discussion that can lead to refinement of the methodology and its applications.