Forskning vid institutionen
Huvudsyftet med forskningen vid institutionen är att ta reda på orsakerna till och förstå dynamiken bakom väpnade konflikter, samt att analysera fredsprocesser och förutsättningarna för en hållbar fred. I Sverige är denna inriktning unik och idag befinner sig flera projekt vid den internationella forskningsfronten. Det rör sig om teoribaserad empirisk forskning men flera projekt är policy-inriktade och resultaten kan vara direkt användbara för praktiker. Sedan 1980-talet har institutionen utvecklat ett eget konfliktdataprogram Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) som utan kostnad erbjuder forskare såväl som allmänheten unika data om väpnade konflikter värden över. Programmet är världsledande och har nått stor internationell ryktbarhet. En internationell utvärderingspanel har betecknat det som ett av Uppsala universitets ”flaggskepp.”
Merparten av forskningen är externfinansierad och bedrivs inom program och projekt. Institutionen erhåller ekonomiskt stöd från de största svenska bidragsgivarna såsom Vetenskapsrådet och Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. Det nystartade programmet Violence Early-Warning System (VIEWS), är EU-finansierat och syftar till att utveckla, testa och succesivt förbättra möjligheter att göra databaserade prognoser om konfliktmönster i världen.
Forskingsprogram/skolor
Forskningsområden
- Causes of conflict
- Communal conflict
- Conflict dynamics
- Environment and conflict
- Gender and conflict
- Human Rights
- Negotiation and mediation
- Non-violent conflict
- Peace, peacebuilding and reconciliation
- Peacekeeping
- Political institutions and conflict
- Psychological dimensions of conflicts
- Security and foreign policy
Research themes
The Department houses a wide range of research projects. Browse the research themes listed below to learn more about the research projects:
Uppsala Conflict Data Program
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) is the world’s main provider of data on organized violence and the oldest ongoing data collection project for civil war, with a history of almost 40 years. Its definition of armed conflict has become the global standard of how conflicts are systematically defined and studied. Explore and download data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program.
ViEWS: a Violence Early-Warning System
ViEWS develops, tests, and iteratively improves a Violence Early-Warning System (ViEWS) that is rigorous, data-based, transparent, and publicly available to researchers and the international community. View the monthly public predictions from ViEWS: a political Violence Early-Warning System.
Resolving Jihadist Conflicts?
One of the most pressing challenges on the contemporary agenda for peace and security is armed conflicts involving militant groups with self-proclaimed Islamist aspirations, such as IS (Islamic State) in Syria and Iraq, Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, we know surprisingly little about the conditions under which jihadist conflicts, partly or completely, may be resolved through peaceful means. In particular, there is a gap in peace and conflict research concerning if, how, and to what extent, our existing theories on conflict resolution are applicable to solve jihadist conflicts. The research project ““Resolving Jihadist Conflicts? Religion, Civil War, and Prospects for Peace” sets out to fill this lacuna.
The Sanctions Program: SPITS
Sanctions research has long been associated with the Department. SPITS (the Stockholm Process on the Implementation of Targeted Sanctions) was initiated as the "Stockholm Process" by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs together with the Department in November 2001. The report "Making Targeted Sanctions Effective" was delivered to the UN Security Council on February 25, 2003. The work has since then continued by deepening academic research on targeted sanctions, contributing to policy making in the sanctions field, and keeping a website continuously updated on development on sanctions issues in the UN.
Research School for International Water Cooperation
Since 2014, the Department houses the Research School for International Water Cooperation, which aims to address water cooperation in its broadest sense with a primary focus on water for peace and development. The Research School is part of the International Centre for Water Cooperation (ICWC), the first UNESCO Category II Centre in Sweden.
