With more than 1.5 billion people living in countries affected by  conflict, the World Development Report 2011 (WDR) looks into the  changing nature of violence in the 21st century. Interstate and civil  wars characterized violent conflict in the last century; more  pronounced today is violence linked to local disputes, political  repression, and organized crime. The report underlines the negative  impact of persistent conflict on a country’s or a region’s  development prospects, and notes that no low income, conflict-affected  state has yet achieved a single Millennium Development Goal.    The risk of major violence is greatest when high levels of stress  combine with weak and illegitimate national institutions. Societies are  vulnerable when their institutions are unable to protect citizens from  abuse, or to provide equitable access to justice and to economic  opportunity.    These vulnerabilities are exacerbated in countries with high youth  unemployment, growing income inequality, and perceptible injustice.  Externally driven events such as infiltration by foreign combatants,  the presence of trafficking networks, or economic shocks add to the  stresses that can provoke violence.    The WDR 2011 draws on the experiences of countries that have  successfully managed to transition away from repetitive violence,  pointing to a specific need to prioritize actions that build confidence  between states and citizens, and develop institutions that can provide  security, justice, and jobs. Government capacity is central, but  technical competence alone is insufficient: institutions and programs  must be accountable to their citizens if they are to acquire  legitimacy. Impunity, corruption, and human rights abuses undermine  confidence between states and citizens and increase the risks of  violence. Building resilient institutions occurs in multiple  transitions over a generation, and does not mean converging on western  institutional models.    The WDR 2011 draws together lessons from national reformers  escaping from repetitive cycles of violence. It advocates a greater  focus on continuous preventive action, balancing a sometimes excessive  concentration on post-conflict reconstruction. The report is based on  new research, case studies, and extensive consultations with leaders  and other actors throughout the world. It proposes a toolkit of options  for addressing violence that can be adapted to local contexts, as well  as new directions for international policy intended to improve support  for national reformers and to tackle stresses that emanate from global  or regional trends beyond any one country’s control.

World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development PDF

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