NWO grant for project 'Human Security and Conflict in Ukraine: Local Approaches and Transnational Dimensions'
Prof. André Gerrits and dr. Max Bader have been awarded a grant by the WOTRO Science for Global Development of NWO for their project on human security and conflict in Ukraine.
André Gerrits, Professor of International Studies, and Max Bader, University Lecturer in Russian- and International Studies have been awarded a € 300,000 grant by the WOTRO Science for Global Development of NWO for the project Human Security and Conflict in Ukraine: Local Approaches and Transnational Dimensions.
The project will focus on post-conflict reconciliation and the strengthening of government capacity at the local level. The researchers are particularly interested in how the implementation of policies and practices related to reconciliation and the strengthening of government capacity at the local level can contribute to confidence-building and restoring human security in the Odesa en Kharkiv regions of Ukraine. The project will be carried out in cooperation with Carnegie Europe, the Ukrainian Institute for Public Policy, and the Ukrainian Charitable Foundation 'Right to Protection' (R2P).
Project details
Human security is at risk in fragile and conflict-affected Ukraine. The conflict has a clear transnational dimension as many people in the South and East identify with a foreign state (Russia) and are influenced by its media. This undermines the legitimacy and efficacy of government and complicates post-conflict reconciliation. This project aims to bring new insights on the complex connections between the transnational dimensions of conflict, human security, and state fragility.
Research focuses on two related areas: post-conflict reconciliation and the strengthening of government capacity at the local level. We are particularly interested in how the implementation of policies and practices related to post-conflict reconciliation and the strengthening of government capacity at the local level can contribute to confidence-building, restoring human security, and strengthening local governance.
Through its knowledge-sharing activities, the project will reach a variety of stakeholders, including government officials at the national and local levels, civic actors, practitioners, and experts and scholars. On the basis of substantial empirical research, the project will contribute to the academic literature on the transnational dimensions of conflict, state fragility, and human security. The project also seeks to generate insights that can feed into government policies and the programs of (domestic and international) practitioners and their implementation at the local level. Finally, the project aims to strengthen the capacity of local researchers to conduct high-quality research on project-relevant subjects and of civic actors to effectively address issues pertaining to post-conflict reconciliation and local government reform.