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 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.