A major research evaluation undertaken by Uppsala University gives high marks to the research at the Department. The evaluation, known as Quality and Renewal 2011 (KoF11), comprised two different parts. Firstly, a peer-review process, conducted by distinguished scholars of the international research community. Secondly, a bibliometric study of publications in the period 2007–2010.
Read more about the evaluation.
The following programs and projects have been succesfully accomplished during the last years at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research. The program and projects are listed in alphabetical order according to the name of the project leader.
Program coordinator: Anna Jarstad | Program Page
Program committee: Mats Hammarström, Kristine Höglund, Anna Jarstad, Mimmi Söderberg Kovacs, Erik Noreen, Thomas Ohlson, Margareta Sollenberg, Peter Wallensteen, Magnus Öberg.
The program brings together research projects, which analyze democracy and democratization as means of conflict management as well as potential causes of armed conflicts.
The aim of the program is to deepen the understanding of the relationship between democracy and armed conflict worldwide. It involves academic and policy oriented research based on various theoretical and methodological approaches.
Project leader: Cecilia Albin and Daniel Druckman | Project Page
The project develops multiple indicators of 'justice' and 'durability' and investigates a number of questions about the relationship between the two: whether just agreements are more durable and stable than other agreements, and whether "the more just, the more durable over time"; the importance of justice relative to other major factors known to influence the durability of agreements; and how justice and other factors interact under different circumstances and in different cases. Multi-method and multidisciplinary
Project leader: Cecilia Albin | Project Page
This project revisits and evaluates established negotiation theory in light of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process since 2000.
Project leader: Karen Brouneus | Project Page
Studies show that war spurs war. Countries in protracted conflict fall into what some call a conflict trap – a vicious circle of repeating war. Over the last decade, the concept of reconciliation has increasingly been discussed as a method to prevent further conflict in war-torn societies. However, up to date very few systematic studies have been conducted regarding reconciliation. There is need for both empirical and theoretical knowledge.
This dissertation project focuses on reconciliation after internal conflict. In particular, it focuses on the reconciliation process in Rwanda and the psychological aspects of the gacaca process. Fieldwork has recently been conducted in Rwanda to study how participation in the gacaca affects psychological health, including one survey and 16 in-depth interviews with women genocide survivors.
The dissertation was finalized in April 2008.
Project leader: Mikael Eriksson | Project Page
The Swedish Research Council has decided to support the project ”Targeted Sanctions on Individuals”. The aim of the research project is to systematically look at those factors that may affect those individuals brought under sanctions and to see under what circumstances the international community succeeds being effective (measured by compliance of the exposed).
An important part of the study is to collect empirical data that may reveal how the individual reacted and behaved when sanction was introduced. Interpretation of the result will likely be drawn from the field of social psychology and decision making under crisis.
Project leader: Mats Hammarström | Project Page
With the dramatic collapse of the Soviet Union many observers expected an escalation of the tensions between East European states over their long-standing, unresolved national minority problems.
Project leader: Mats Hammarström | Project Page
This project assesses the fruitfulness of applying network analysis to diffusion of interstate military conflict.
Project leader: Lisa Hultman | Project Page
Rebel attacks on civilians is one of the gravest threats to human security in contemporary armed conflicts. This dissertation project examines how such violence relates to the conflict dynamics and different types of violent interactions taking place during the armed struggle.
Project leader: Roland Kostic | Project Page
This dissertation project focuses on how a third party can mitigate inter-group insecurity in the aftermath of ethnic conflict.
Project leader: Claes Levinsson | Project Page
This research project deals with the transformed security concept, and the subsequent political strategies to re-shape the security environment according to the principles of cooperative security.
Project leader: Erik Melander | Project Page
This project examines the processes of forced expulsion of civilians in internal armed conflicts. To do this, it collects detailed data on severe human rights violations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo during the 1990's.
Project leader: Erik Melander | Project Page
The project studies forced migration in intra-state armed conflict. A new global dataset is created covering relevant factors since 1964.
Project leader: Desirée Nilsson | Project page
This dissertation project addresses the question of how to provide durable peace in the aftermath of a negotiated settlement.
Project leader: Kjell-Åke Nordquist | Project Page
This project studies under what conditions autonomies are likely to result in durable settlements of internal conflict.
Project leader: Erik Noreen | Project page
The project aims at explaining why certain threat images appear on the political agenda and others do not, with focus on the Baltic Sea region.
Project leader: Louise Olsson | Project page
The project will show how the relationship between men and women in the host society is affected by a multidimensional, multicultural peacekeeping operation put in place by the UN to end an armed conflict.
Project leader: Roxanna Sjöstedt | Project page
Project Period: 2005 - 2010
By analyzing the cases of HIV/AIDS and terrorism in the security contexts of Russia and the United States, this dissertation seeks to demonstrate how norms and identities at the international and domestic levels interact with the internalization processes of individual decision-makers and make a securitizing move possible.
Project leader: Ashok Swain | Project page
Why are some democratic governments in segmented societies more successful than others? Why are some protest movements more successful in mobilising support than others?
Project leader: Ashok Swain | Project page
A critical review of the social actions for education undertaken in various regions (South America, North America, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, and South Asia).
Project leader: Ashok Swain | Project page
Understanding what shapes the attitudes and behavior of diasporas is very important given their potential power to influence the situation in the homeland for better or worse.
Project leader: Ashok Swain | Project page
Investigation of how regional cooperation mechanism influence conflict management strategies in the Southeast Asia region and, by doing so, create more favourable conditions for the overall development.
Project leader: Isak Svensson | Project page
Why do parties in intra-state, armed conflict choose to negotiate in some cases, but not others? And why do some of those negotiations bring parties to end their dispute in a negotiated settlement, while others do not? This project aims to test the difference between the phases of de-escalation in armed conflicts.
Project leader: Ewa Mimmi Söderberg-Kovac | Project Page
Project leader: Peter Wallensteen | Project page
1. Studies of conflict trends in Europe
2. Civilian effects of armed conflicts
3. Prevention strategies
4. Reconciliation in intra-state conflict.
Project leader: Magnus Öberg | Project Page
The purpose of this project is to explain why ethnic groups challenge government authority, and under what circumstances this leads to war.
Project leader: Magnus Öberg | Project Page
The purpose of this project is to investigate empirically and theoretically the connections between political system, resource distribution, and the risk of civil war.
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