Preventing Conflict: Policies for Peace

Armed conflict around the world imposes huge costs on societies and economies alike. The burden of war ranges from fatalities over economic costs to societal damage. One of the most immediate concerns and easiest cost to grasp is in terms of human suffering.

Also the economy of a war-torn country can be damaged in various ways. The physical destruction of the infrastructure not only takes a toll, but also the days spent fighting correspond to a loss in productive labour. Unsurprisingly, the economic costs of conflict are sizeable by any standards. Collier (2007) estimates war to reduce annual economic growth by on average 2.3 percentage points, leading to a total loss of 15 percent of GDP for the average war duration of 7 years, and to a total financial cost of $64 billion. In recent years there has been a surge in high-quality research on what actual policies can help to curb the risk of conflict.

Events

The Preventing Conflict: Policies for Peace RPN hosts several events, including regular in-person and online workshops. The RPN also co-organizes the CEPR Political Economy Webinar (together with the RPN on Populism and the Political Economy Programme). There is also currently an e-book project underway.