• Corpus ID: 157617440

A measure of peace: peace and conflict impact assessment (PCIA) of development projects in conflict zones.

@inproceedings{Bush1998AMO,
  title={A measure of peace: peace and conflict impact assessment (PCIA) of development projects in conflict zones.},
  author={Kenneth David Bush},
  year={1998}
}

• K. Bush
• Published 1998
• Political Science

FOREWORD Formally established as a separate entity in late 1996, IDRC's Peacebuilding and Reconstruction Program Initiative (PBR PI) supports research, policy development and capacity building as tools to assist countries emerging from violent conflicts to make the difficult transition to peace, reconciliation, social equity and sustainable development. Among IDRC's programs, the PBR PI is distinctive in two key respects: first, because it focuses specifically on the developmental challenges of post-conflict societies, and second, because its programming approach is designed to contribute actively to the process of peacebuilding and reconstruction. The program initiative supports a wide range of research projects at the national, regional and global levels. The unique and fluid nature of the research and development problematique in post-conflict societies requires a programming approach which is highly responsive and reflexive to changing contexts. With the end of the Cold War, local wars and intra-state armed conflicts have come to centre-stage in international affairs, and the international community can no longer approach the twin issues of peace and development in a fragmented fashion. New conceptual and methodological tools are urgently required to understand and respond to the precarious and fragile political, economic, and social environments found in conflict-torn countries. Policy and practice must be informed by lessons drawn from the field as well as new analytical approaches. The PBR PI's Working Paper series is intended to stimulate creative and critical thinking about practice and research undertaken in the field of peacebuilding and reconstruction by diverse actors involved in post-conflict settings. The papers that appear in the series should be viewed as dynamic works in progress, designed to provoke discussion and dialogue. Conflict Zones is an excellent piece to launch the Working Paper series in that it examines the critical linkages between peace/conflict and development. Peacebuilding, the paper argues, should not be regarded as a specific activity but as an impact. There is, therefore, a tremendous need to avoid " ghettoizing " peacebuilding as a type of project separate from " conventional " development. Rather, all development activities (especially those in 2 environments of potential conflict) should be assessed in terms of their peace and conflict impact. While Kenneth Bush identifies a number of important questions which may lead to a formal " tool " for peace and conflict impact assessment (PCIA), he exemplifies the spirit of this Working Paper series by acknowledging that developing such a tool " will have to …