The Impact of Violent Conflicts on Households: What Do We Know and What Should We Know About War Widows

Posted: 11 Aug 2012

See all articles by Tilman Brück

Tilman Brück

IGZ - Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops; ISDC - International Security and Development Center; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Kati Schindler

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)

Date Written: 2009

Abstract

This paper analyses how mass violent conflict and the legacy of conflict affect households in developing countries. It does so by pointing out how violent conflict impairs a household's core functions, its boundaries, its choice of coping strategies and its well-being. The paper contributes to the literature on the economics of conflict, reconstruction and vulnerability in three ways. First, it addresses explicitly the level of analysis in the context of conflict by contrasting strengths and weaknesses of a unitary approach to the household and extending it to intra-household and group issues. Second, it identifies important research gaps in this field. Third, it highlights the economic situation of war widows in conflict-affected countries and discusses a case study of widows of the Rwandan genocide.

Keywords: houshold in conflict; economics of conflict, Rwanda, genocide, war widows

Suggested Citation

Brück, Tilman and Schindler, Kati, The Impact of Violent Conflicts on Households: What Do We Know and What Should We Know About War Widows (2009). Oxford Development Studies, Volume 37, Number 3, pp. 289-309, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2127674

Tilman Brück

IGZ - Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops ( email )

Theodor-Echtermeyer-Str. 1
Grossbeeren, 14979
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.igzev.de

ISDC - International Security and Development Center ( email )

Friedrichstr. 88
Berlin, 10117
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.isd-center.org

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Kati Schindler (Contact Author)

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

Mohrenstraße 58
Berlin, 10117
Germany

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