Research
Peacebuilding and Stabilisation Research Programme (PSRP)
A central component of the research programme of the Conflict Research Unit (CRU) is the 5-year research programme for the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the Peacebuilding and Stabilisation Research Programme (PSRP). The PSRP aims to support the Ministry in its task to coordinate and support Dutch activities in relation to fragile states. As stated in the strategy note ‘Security and Development in Fragile States – Strategy for Dutch interventions 2008-2011, the Netherlands aims to improve the security of civilians, (re)build the state, and stimulate development (peace dividend) in fragile states. The ultimate aim is for the government of the state concerned to be able to protect people from conflict, so that the rule of law functions properly, human rights are upheld and basic services are delivered. In line with these objectives, the Dutch fragile states policy is built around three main dimensions: 1) enhancing the security of citizens; 2) contributing to a legitimate government with sufficient capacity; and 3) creating a socio-economic peace dividend.
These dimensions correspond with three of the four main research themes of the PSRP: security and stability; political and governance development; socio-economic development; and integrated approaches. This last theme, ‘integrated approaches’, was added to formalise the increasing attention for questions on how to establish an integrated, comprehensive approach towards fragile situations. It aims to identify and underline the interconnectedness of the themes security, governance and socio-economic development as the three main components of such an integrated approach.
The PSRP aims to provide high-quality, policy relevant, applied research in the area of peace, security and development in fragile and conflict-affected situations. As such, it pays special attention to lessons learned and best practices with regard to principles for policy formulation and implementation. The PSRP research programme is composed of a mix of projects with a short-term and long-term duration. Short-term projects can respond more quickly to ad hoc demands and issues that are high on the political and policy agendas, while longer-term projects allow the strengthening of knowledge on more fundamental issues.
Activities under the PSRP include conducting political-economy analyses (both country-specific and regional analyses); stability and governance assessments; SSR and DDR related assessments; and assessing and analysing the interventions of international actors in fragile and conflict-affected situations. The CRU has developed (analytical) instruments for conducting such analyses and assessments, such as the Stability Assessment Framework , the Security Sector Governance Assessment Framework and the Strategic Governance and Corruption Assessment framework.