Peacebuilding in Developing Countries

Panel 3

Peace and Development at the Local and Community Level

Chair: Herbert Wulf, Institute for Development and Peace, University of Duisburg Essen, Germany

Discussant: Kevin Clements, University of Otago

Michael Canares: In Violence as it is in Peace: The Changing Face of Entrepreneurship in Post-Martial Law Rural Philippines

The argument that violent conflict, or the expectation of it, hampers economic activities and leads to further impoverishment is prevalent in development literature with the conventional argument that insecurity and ‘unpeace' is a disincentive to individual private agents to engage in profitable livelihood activities or that poverty fuels resentment against oppressive and ineffective governments.  But complex emergency theorists argue that violence has its functions and that there is an economic incentive for opposing camps to prolong violence than end it. It may be helpful to look at violence and war not only on the basis of victims, but also of beneficiaries.

However, this is the point of departure of this paper. While acknowledging that indeed people involved in conflict may also benefit from it and may have the interest to ensure its continuity, this paper argues that people involved in and affected by conflict painstakingly find means to endure, if not survive it. The argument is located in Bohol, a province in central Philippines, where the regional command of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) was once stationed and where intermittent violent encounters between the CPP-NPA insurgents and the government occurred. 

The case studies yielded significant realizations. First, in both conflict and peace situations, entrepreneurial drive (at least in the context of rural Philippines) to respond to either the need to survive or to the existence of opportunities is present, questioning the argument that the existence of conflict stifles the will to invest. The "necessity" is not necessarily a good predictor, as in most cases, it's the window of "opportunity" that defines the decision to engage. Second, the barriers to entrepreneurship are significantly similar in both conflict and peace situations (though the forms may differ), causing informality of entrepreneurial activities.  Thirdly, the "foundations for the private sector" and the "pillars of entrepreneurship" (UNDP 2004) are wanting in rural Philippines that to scale up, much more sustain these economic activities remain a tremendous challenge.

Ayub Sajid: An Analytical Study on the Situation of Peace in the District of Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, Pakistan

Pakistan's history is riveted with all sorts of conflicts but nowadays Religious extremism and terrorism have been flourishing in western boarder of country. Militancy in these areas is actively fed and supported by radical and regressive forces of other areas of Pakistan. Therefore, in this study the ideas and opinions of various strata of population were explored on the issues of radicalization and militarization that will be helpful to prevent from conflicts and finding the solution of conflicts by peaceful means .This may provide base-line information to conduct more comprehensive study in the future. In present study, we selected the population of Dera Ghazi Khan District because of its unique geographical location and demographic structure. For preparing the respondents and quantitative study, a questionnaire with 18 questions was introduced among all the participants to know their view about various aspects of peace situation in district Dera Ghazi Khan. For qualitative study, eight focus groups and key informants were selected from different strata of population on the bases of professions and geographical settings. In response to the query regarding the situation of peace in the area, it is concluded that the situation of peace is unsatisfactory in the study area and various responsible factors like establishment of sectarian based madrissas, illiteracy, poverty, non-execution of rule of law, illegal transfer of foreign aid, social and gender discrimination, rapid population growth etc were found that are effecting peace and instigating sectarian and cultural violence. In addition possible solutions and preventive measures were also recommended.

Claudia L. Hale/Ann Shoemake: Preserving Peace and Harmony When Your Neighbor is Fighting: The View from South Kalimantan

In 2001, violence between Madurese and Dayaks living in Central Kalimantan gripped that region and began to affect neighboring provinces as refugees (especially Madurese) fled Central Kalimantan. In South Kalimantan, the Banjar-dominated government and security forces went on the alert, commissioning peace banners while preparing for the onset of ethnic violence. The threat posed by the violence in Central Kalimantan was perceived as real and palpable. But somehow the violence in Central Kalimantan did not cross the border. South Kalimantan remained a peaceful province. How could a line as imaginary as a provincial border have held back the wave of violence that spread throughout Central Kalimantan and ejected the entire Madurese community from its territory? What conditions, dynamics, relationships, actions, explanations, and interpretations made intergroup relations tolerable in one province, and yet utterly impossible 30 kilometers away? And what measures are being taken in the present to strengthen the bonds of community? Working from individual and focus group interviews with a diverse collection of residents, field observations, and document analysis, this research seeks not only to address these questions but to illustrate ways in which South Kalimantan did not remain as uninvolved in Central Kalimantan's conflict as some sources might wish to claim.