Violent conflict remains a key force not only in national politics and international relations, but for shaping individual behavior and welfare around the world. Between the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan, the ongoing fighting in Yemen, Syria or DRC or the many forgotten or hidden conflicts around the world, lives and livelihoods are being affected by political violence every day. For example, UNHCR figures indicate that 2022 has set a historic record in the number of forcibly displaced persons, totalling 108 million. Studying how individuals experience and respond to violent conflicts is critically important – both to understand the social, political and economic dynamics of these conflicts and their victims but also to understand how governments, agencies and NGOs can best offer effective support. At the core of these challenges is the social contract within and between groups and within and between countries. Trust, or a lack thereof, is critical for the emergence of violent conflict and for overcoming conflict. Trust also matters for the ‘re-construction’ of societies and economies when the guns fall silent.
Since 2005, the Households in Conflict Network has fostered academic research and discussion on the micro-level experiences and consequences of conflict in its annual workshop. The 2023 edition will take place at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, under the theme of Trust and Development. Prof. Julie Chytilova, of the Institute of Economic Studies at Charles University in Prague will present the Keynote Lecture.
As was the case in our previous annual workshops, we invite papers that deal with causes, functioning and consequences of violent conflict around the world. We are particularly interested in empirical papers that offer an in-depth analysis of one phenomenon – from migration and forced displacement, via health, education and gender, to elections, impact evaluation and trust, to name but a few topics.
Full papers need to be sent to hicnannualworkshop23@gmail.com for consideration by 1 September 2023 at the latest. We will inform selected papers by 15 September 2023. Participants will need to finance their own travel to Brussels and accommodation. In addition, the workshop organiser charges a fee of 150 Euro to pay for the venue, coffee, lunches and dinner.
