World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development
A conversation with Nigel Roberts, Special Representative and WDR Director, and Gary Milante, WDR Research Economist
Wednesday April 13, 4:30 p.m.
Robertson Hall (WWS) Bowl 01
Building peaceful nation-states which respond to the aspirations of their citizens takes strong leadership, both international and domestic. The international community has an important role to play in assisting countries to avoid, contain and recover from conflict, and the recent past demonstrates how much can be achieved when global and national incentives align, and program implementation is appropriately designed and well-managed. Too often, though, efforts have failed to decisively address the motives and opportunities which help to mobilize violent conflict; to integrate political, security and development approaches; or to align local, national, regional and global actions. As a result, some areas have seen new waves of conflict and violence in recent years and some “post-conflict countries” have not yet managed to make a decisive shift to successful and stable development.
Nigel Roberts has worked in international development for over 30 years, spending much of this time in the field. He was based for extended periods in Malawi, Thailand, Hong Kong, Nepal, Kenya, Ethiopia and Jerusalem, as well as working on the Pacific out of Australia. Since 1968 he worked for various development NGOs, including Oxfam and Save the Children Fund. Nigel joined the World Bank in 1981 as an agricultural economist, and before co-leading the WDR team was for almost 20 years a field-based Country Manager (Nepal, Ethiopia) and then Country Director (West Bank & Gaza, the Pacific).
Gary Milante came to the World Bank in 2003 as a researcher, focusing on the causes and impacts of conflict and fragility as well as on effective post-conflict recovery. His interests are in applied game theory and modeling the political economy of peaceful compromise. Before joining the WDR 2011 team, Gary held a joint position in the Development Economics Research Group and the Bank’s Fragile and Conflict Affected Countries Group. He led the Bank’s "Peace and Development" research project focusing on successful post-conflict economic recovery through effective powersharing arrangements, political systems and macroeconomic policy. He has conducted research in Sudan and has recently written on the upcoming referendum. Additionally, he manages research projects on landmines and geography of conflict data, has written on the "Arab Democracy Deficit" and was a guest editor for a special edition on post-conflict transitions for the Journal of Peace Research. Gary has taught the World Bank's core course on fragility and conflict for internal and external audiences and leads the "Carana" post-conflict recovery simulation exercise for the course.
Sponsored by the Innovations for Successful Societies (ISS) Program, a joint initiative of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Bobst Center for Peace and Justice