Breaking the Conflict Trap : Civil War and Development Policy

Most wars are now civil wars. Even though international wars attract enormous global attention, they have become infrequent and brief. Civil wars usually attract less attention, but they have become increasingly common and typically go on for years. This report argues that civil war is now an important issue for development. War retards development, but conversely, development retards war. This double causation gives rise to virtuous and vicious circles. Where development succeeds, countries become progressively safer from violent conflict, making subsequent development easier. Where development fails, countries are at high risk of becoming caught in a conflict trap in which war wrecks the economy and increases the risk of further war. The global incidence of civil war is high because the international community has done little to avert it. Inertia is rooted in two beliefs: that we can safely 'let them fight it out among themselves' and that 'nothing can be done' because civil war is driven by ancestral ethnic and religious hatreds. The purpose of this report is to challenge these beliefs.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Collier, Paul, Elliott, V. L., Hegre, Håvard, Hoeffler, Anke, Reynal-Querol, Marta, Sambanis, Nicholas
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC: World Bank and Oxford University Press 2003
Subjects:	ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES, ADULT MORTALITY, AIDS PANDEMIC, ARMAMENTS, ARMED CONFLICT, ARMED FORCES, ARMS, ARMS RACE, ARMY, ASYLUM, ASYLUM SEEKERS, ATROCITIES, BABIES, BAN, BASIS FOR ACTION, BOMBING, BOUNDARIES, CENTRE FOR RESEARCH ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGY, CHILDBEARING, CITIZENS, CIVIL CONFLICT, CIVIL DISORDER, CIVIL RIGHTS, CIVIL SOCIETY, CIVIL WAR, CIVIL WARS, CIVILIAN CASUALTIES, CIVILIAN POPULATION, COLD WAR, COLONIALISM, COMBAT, CONFLICT PREVENTION, CONFLICT RESOLUTION, CONFLICTS, CONTRACEPTIVE PREVALENCE, COST OF WAR, COUNTERINSURGENCY, COUNTERPARTS, COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, CRIMINALITY, DEATHS, DECOLONIZATION, DEFENCE, DEMOBILIZATION, DEMOCRACY, DEPENDENCE, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES, DISABILITY, DISARMAMENT, DISASTER, DISASTERS, DISEASES, DISPLACED PERSON, DISPLACED PERSONS, DISPUTES, DISSEMINATION, DRUG, DRUGS, EARTHQUAKES, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC POLICIES, ECONOMIC STATUS, ENTREPRENEURS, EPIDEMIC, EX-COMBATANTS, EXTERNAL DEBT, FAMILY MEMBERS, FAMILY SIZE, FARMERS, FATALITIES, FIGHTING, FLOODED, FOOD PRODUCTION, FORCED MIGRATION, FORCED SEX, GENOCIDE, GLOBAL EFFORT, GLOBAL POVERTY, GOVERNMENT POLICIES, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, HEALTH CENTERS, HEALTH FACILITIES, HEALTH PROBLEMS, HEALTH SYSTEM, HEALTHY LIFE, HIV, HIV INFECTION, HOST COUNTRY, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HUMAN RIGHTS, HURRICANES, IMF, IMPOSED PEACE, INFANT, INFANT MORTALITY, INFANT MORTALITY RATE, INFANT MORTALITY RATES, INFECTIOUS DISEASE, INFECTIOUS DISEASES, INSURANCE, INTERCOURSE, INTERNAL WARS, INTERNATIONAL ACTION, INTERNATIONAL BANK, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION, INTERNATIONAL POLICIES, INTERNATIONAL POLICY, INTERNATIONAL REFUGEES, INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT, INTERNATIONAL WAR, LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, LAND- MINE, LANDMINE, LANDMINES, LARGE NUMBERS OF REFUGEES, LARGE POPULATIONS, LEGAL STATUS, LIFE EXPECTANCY, LIVE BIRTHS, LIVING CONDITIONS, LOCAL POPULATION, LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES, LOW-INCOME COUNTRY, MALARIA, MASS VIOLENCE, MEASLES, MENINGITIS, MENTAL HEALTH, MILITARIZATION, MILITARY ACTIVITY, MILITARY EXPENDITURE, MILITARY EXPENDITURES, MILITARY INTERVENTION, MILITARY INTERVENTIONS, MILITARY PERSONNEL, MILITARY SPENDING, MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL, MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, MINESWEEPING, MINORITY, MORTALITY, MORTALITY RATE, NATIONAL LEVEL, NATIONALISM, NATIONS, NATURAL RESOURCE, NATURAL RESOURCES, NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT, NEGOTIATION, NEIGHBORING STATES, NONCOMBATANTS, NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION, NUMBER OF REFUGEES, ORDNANCE, PEACE, PEACE RESEARCH, PEACEKEEPING, PEACEKEEPING FORCES, POLICY RESEARCH, POPULATION DEVELOPMENT, POPULATION SUBGROUPS, POSTCONFLICT SETTINGS, PREGNANCY, PREGNANCY RELATED CAUSES, PREGNANT WOMEN, PREMATURE DEATH, PROSTITUTION, PUBLIC HEALTH, RAINFOREST, RAPE, RAPISTS, REBEL, REBEL ARMIES, REBELS, RECONSTRUCTION, REFUGEE, REFUGEE CAMPS, REFUGEE POPULATIONS, REFUGEES, RELIGIOUS GROUPS, REPATRIATION, RESCUE, RESPECT, RETURNEES, RIOTS, RISK OF DEATH, RISK REDUCTION, RISKY BEHAVIOR, ROADS, RURAL AREAS, SAFETY, SANITATION, SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS, SEXUALITY, SEXUALITY ISSUES, SEXUALLY ACTIVE, SEXUALLY ACTIVE MEN, SOCIAL CHANGE, SOCIAL COHESION, SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES, SOCIAL CONTROLS, SOCIAL POLICIES, SOCIAL PROGRESS, SOLDIERS, SPILLOVER, SUPERPOWER, TERRORISM, TRAUMA, TREATY, UNFPA, URBAN AREAS, USE OF RESOURCES, VICTIMS, VIOLENCE, VIOLENT CONFLICT, WARFARE, WARS, WARTIME, WEAPONS, WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, YOUNG MEN,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/01/12811034/breaking-conflict-trap-civil-war-development-policy https://hdl.handle.net/10986/13938
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