Fragile & Post-conflict States

The World Bank estimates that fragile states contain 14% of the world’s population, and up to 33% of the world’s poorest people (living on less than $1 per day).  The resultant developmental and security challenges are amongst the most complex faced by the international community.

Our Approach

theIDLgroup believes that effective strategies to aid post-conflict reconstruction and promote effective and responsive governance should be informed by detailed understandings of the historical, social, political and economic ‘drivers’ of conflict and state fragility.

The Way We Work

Our team of country and regional advisors draws on a range of disciplines, including sociology, politics, anthropology, conflict analysis, peace-building and community development. With a strong emphasis on social research and political analysis we provide guidance to a range of agencies working in ‘fragile’ and post-conflict states. Our objective is to inform policy dialogue and ensure the design and implementation of post-conflict reconstruction programs that support socio-economic transition from war to sustainable development. Whilst we work with all stakeholders at all levels, we strive to ensure that our interpretations and analysis are grounded by the perceptions of ‘grass-roots’ informants, including marginal groups, ‘traditional’ authorities, civil society representatives and former combatants. We use social assessment tools to analyse the underlying drivers of conflict and translate our research into policy and project design. We have a specific interest in using community-driven development approaches to promote more inclusive notions of community and social cohesion in post-war rebuilding processes.

Our Clients

Our clients Include international development agencies, UN agencies, developing country governments, local and international NGOs.  We also work for corporations and trade associations in the mining, extractive and other industries, who need long-term strategies for their engagements with communities and governments in fragile states. 

Core Competencies

Our core competencies include Rapid social assessments (RSAs) in conflict-affected areas, political economy analysis, Policy advice to governments and aid agencies on interventions in conflict affected areas, design, monitoring and evaluation of Disarmament,  Demobilisation  Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR) programmes, research and analysis on the underlying causes of conflict, including transboundary and regional effects, conflict mapping and assessments, social surveys and interviews with combatants and ex-combatants, transparency and accountability mechanisms in fragile states, strategies for conflict resources in “resource-curse” environments

examples of OUR Development strategies in Friagile and Post-Conlict states include:

• rapid Social Assessments in conflict zones (Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote D’Ivoire)
• design of Community-Driven  Development programmes (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, South Sudan)
• country governance assessments and drivers of change studies in Pakistan and Sierra Leone
• review of social, governance and political structures Liberia (DFID)
• options paper for the UK government on new instruments for tackling ‘conflict resource’ problems
• Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI):  framework contractor for the EITI Secretariat, Oslo for assessments of country compliance

• provision of interim advisors to aid agencies, including: the design of Disarmament,  Demobilisation and Rehabilitation in Rwanda and DRC; design of DFID’s engagements in Rwanda and Sudan (DFID Africa Great Lakes & Horn Dept); post-conflict programmes in Sierra Leone (Interim NR Adviser, DFID West Africa Department); design of Rights-Based Food Security Programmes (Angola); illegal timber and forest governance in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia (DFID Africa Equatorial Dept).