Reports and Briefs

Johnson Institute Announces 2016 Annual Report..

The Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership is pleased to release its 2016 annual report featuring exemplars of leadership, teaching, research, and the ongoing public service efforts of the institute.

By Natalie Swabb "Military Intervention in Syria is Not a Viable Policy Option".University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2013).

By Joumana King "Intervention in Syria is a Necessary Assault on State Sovereignty".University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2013).

By Joumana King "The Responsibility to Protect: Humanitarian intervention or state sovereignty?".University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2013).

“Protecting Civilians: Key Determinants in the Effectiveness of a Peacekeeping Force" .University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2009).This final report is the culmination of an extended research project that produced four additional reports, listed below. It examines eight conflicts in seven African countries to find the determinants of successful and unsuccessful peacekeeping operations. Findings and charts from this paper were published in the article "Soldiers of Misfortune" in the March 2009 edition of Foreign Policy. Click here to view the full report.

“What Makes a Camp Safe?: The Protection of Children from Abduction in Internally Displaced Persons and Refugee Camps".University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2008).A final report on What Makes a Camp Safe: The Protection of Children from Abduction in Internally Displaced Persons and Refugee Camps. This report reflects findings drawn from the second phase of an expansive, continued study, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Government of Canada.

By R. Charli Carpenter "Protecting Children Born of Sexual Violence: A New Report to the Humanitarian Sector" .University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2006).Children born of sexual violence and exploitation in conflict zones represent a particular vulnerable category of war-affected children, but their needs have been understudied by researchers, and underserved by the humanitarian sector. IN a recently released report entitled, “Protecting Children Born of Sexual Violence and Exploitation in Conflict Zones: Existing Knowledge and Practice Gaps” which was based on a series of consultations with humanitarian practitioners, R. Charli Carpenter, an affiliated faculty member of the Ford Institute for Human Security, makes several recommendations to the international organizations engaged I the protection of war-affected children. She suggests undertaking a multi-country study to report on victims of wartime rape and their children born as a result, providing assistance to survivors of gender-based violence and new mothers in conflict zones, as well as ensuring that children in this category are not falling through the cracks of existing programs. Dr. Carpenter also proposes that awareness of the issue should be raised within the context of advocacy of children’s human rights without exposing specific children through programming initiatives designed to reach them.

By Penelope Bissett, Christopher P. Farnsworth “Does Deployment Matter? Examining the Conditions under which Peacekeeping Missions Effectively Protect Displaced Persons and Refugees”.University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2008).Ford Institute for Human Security first policy brief regarding the effectiveness of peacekeepers in protecting displaced persons and refugees, entitled Does Deployment Matter? Examining the Conditions under which Peacekeeping Missions Effectively Protect Displaced Persons and Refugees. This report reflects findings drawn from the third phase of an expansive, continued study, funded by the United States Institute of Peace.

By Daniel S. Carik, Megan Carniewski “Simply a Matter of Timing? Examining the Effectiveness of Peacekeeper Deployment During Different Phases of a Conflict”.University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2008).Ford Institute for Human Security second policy brief regarding the effectiveness of peacekeepers in protecting displaced persons and refugees, entitled Simply a Matter of Timing? Examining the Effectiveness of Peacekeeper Deployment During Different Phases of a Conflict. This report reflects findings drawn from the third phase of an expansive, continued study, funded by the United States Institute of Peace.

By Pamela S. Daley, Owen Foley “Does Force Composition Matter? Determining if the Relative Homogeneity of a Peacekeeping Operation Leads to Decreased Attacks on Civilians” .University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2008).Ford Institute for Human Security third policy brief regarding the effectiveness of peacekeepers in protecting displaced persons and refugees, entitled Does Force Composition Matter?, it determines if the relative homogeneity of a peacekeeping operation leads to decreased attacks on civilians. This report reflects findings drawn from the third phase of an expansive, continued study, funded by the United States Institute of Peace.

By Daniel S. Carik “Porous Borders and the Insecurity of Civilians: Cross-border Violence in Darfur and Eastern Chad".University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2008).Ford Institute for Human Security third policy brief regarding the effectiveness of peacekeepers in protecting displaced persons and refugees, entitled Does Force Composition Matter?, it determines if the relative homogeneity of a peacekeeping operation leads to decreased attacks on civilians. This report reflects findings drawn from the third phase of an expansive, continued study, funded by the United States Institute of Peace.

By Francisco Javier Moreno-Fuentes "To Jump or to Sail?: Analyzing the Flows of Undocumented Migration into the European Union through the Southern Spanish Border".University of Pittsburgh Ford Institute for Human Security (2006).Only nine miles at its narrowest point, the geographical separation between Spain and Morocco is a natural entrance to the southwestern flank of the European Union (EU), and is the world’s greatest development gap between two bordering nations. The "borderless Europe" policy of the Schengen Agreement has made stringent enforcement of border control policies a necessity for the Spanish government. Such policies have been unsuccessful and do not address the fundamental problems at the root of the migratory flow into Spain. Instead, the result has been greater profits for traffickers seeking to smuggle undocumented migrants from Morocco to Spain, and a segmentation among potential illegal immigrants. Moreno-Fuentes argues that the EU should focus on the linkages between immigration, integration and development policies in an adequate manner, rather than simply manning geographic borders.

By Vera Achvarina, Simon Reich "Why Do Children Fight?: Explaining Child Soldier Ratios in African Intrastate Conflicts" ..Child soldiers are a growing and an increasing publicized phenomenon. Yet theory regarding the causes of child soldier rates is underdeveloped and empirical evidence is largely anecdotal. In this paper we examine the two most popular explanations for child soldiers – poverty and orphan rates – and contrast them with an alternative explanation that focuses on the protection of internally displaced persons on refugee camps. Employing a variety of quantitative techniques, we then provide systemic tests involving intrastate conflicts in Africa for all three explanations. While by no means definitive, our research findings provide support for our explanation focusing on the protection of camps, suggesting that more empirical research along these lines is warranted.