Making Peace Work: The Challenges of Social and Economic Reconstruction

Reconstruction from conflict is a complex and demanding task, and a major challenge for post-conflict countries as well as the international community. Countries and their donor partners face multiple priorities – rebuilding infrastructure, assisting war-damaged communities, and re-creating weakened institutions – with too few resources to meet these needs. Moreover, if the poor are not prioritized then the end of war may have saved lives, but will have done little for livelihoods. And women are often left behind. Without reconstruction, countries may easily regress back to war.

This book provides an insight into some of the principal issues that arise in post-conflict economic and social reconstruction, and offers examples of what works, and what does not. Each chapter tackles a key theme, and illustrates the with illustrations from a wide selection of countries. This book will be of great interest to all working on economic and social reconstruction in post-conflict countries, as well as those working on peace and development more generally.