Resource information
What is the relationship between
employment and conflict in fragile states? Although this
question cannot be definitively answered, a large body of
research suggests that in countries emerging from conflict,
peace is likelier to endure if growth can be rapidly
restored and translated into economic opportunities for
large segments of the population. With a focus on
Sub-Saharan Africa, this report attempts to address the
challenge of employment and conflict in fragile states.
First, it reviews employment- creation activities in fragile
and conflict-affected environments to see which approaches
appear most promising. Second, it presents specific
recommendations for an employment-generation strategy over
the medium term. The report argues that in Sub-Saharan
Africa, where almost three-quarters of the labor force still
works in agriculture, agricultural value chains may have the
greatest potential to diversify rural economies, raise
household incomes, and thereby contribute to stability. The
core of value chain development involves strengthening
relationships a critical task in fragile and post- conflict
environments, where trust and social cohesion have been
shattered. The argument made by this report is developed as
follows: the remainder of this chapter briefly defines
fragility and summarizes current thinking about its
relationship to economic development. It then concludes with
a brief discussion of the historical roots of fragility in
Sub-Saharan Africa and the implications of this trajectory
for the region's current and future development. The
second chapter reviews prevailing approaches to employment
in fragile and conflict-affected environments. The third
chapter examines current and emerging practice directed at
restoring private sector activity. It briefly reviews the
World Bank's approach to private sector development in
four post- conflict countries and then introduces new
arguments for earlier and bolder efforts to restore
economies and generate employment. Chapter four concludes
with recommendations for building on this emerging practice.
