Understanding the Tipping Point of Urban Conflict: Introduction to the Study
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The document discusses a research project exploring urban violence in developing countries and its links to poverty, youth, political exclusion, and gender-based insecurity. It introduces the concepts of tipping points and violence chains to analyze when large-scale violence occurs in cities, emphasizing a focus on processes rather than just violent phenomena. The research employs a participatory violence appraisal methodology to gather data and insights from affected communities.
Understanding the Tipping Point of Urban Conflict: Introduction to the Study
- 1. Understanding the Tipping Point of Urban Conflict: Violence, Cities and Poverty Reduction in the Developing World Introduction ttoo tthhee ssttuuddyy Caroline Moser Global Urban Research Centre, University of Manchester
- 2. Background to the research project Urban violence acknowledged as increasingly significant global phenomenon Conventional wisdom associating it with four factors: Poverty Youth bulges Political exclusion Gender-based insecurity Violence is understood as the forcible imposition, by individual or group of their interests to the disfavour/exclusion of others
- 3. Background to the research project Underpinning conventional wisdom Cities are inherently conflictual spaces Conflict is understood as aa ssiittuuaattiioonn wwhheerree individuals or groups have incongruent, or differing, interests that are contradictory and potentially mutually exclusive Conflict is generally ‘managed’ by a range of peaceful mechanisms
- 4. Introduction of new research concepts 1. Tipping points ‘Small events and actions tthhaatt pprroodduuccee bbiigg cchhaannggeess’’ ((GGllaaddwweellll) ‘‘AA ccrriittiiccaall ttuurrnniinngg ppooiinntt iiss aann eevveenntt tthhaatt cchhaannggeess tttthhhheeee ttttrrrraaaajjjjeeeeccccttttoooorrrryyyy ooooffff ddddeeeevvvveeeellllooooppppmmmmeeeennnntttt ((((WWWWaaaallllbbbbyyyy)))) Research Question: What determines a tipping point of urban conflict when violence breaks out on a large scale?
- 5. Introduction of new research concepts 2. Violence chains Builds on notion of ‘commodity cchhaaiinnss’’ ttoo iiddeennttiiffyy tthhee pprroocceesssseess tthhaatt iinnccrreeaassee tthhee ssccaallee aaaannnndddd iiiinnnntttteeeerrrr--ccccoooonnnnnnnneeeecccctttteeeeddddnnnneeeessssssss ooooffff ddddiiiiffffffffeeeerrrreeeennnntttt ttttyyyyppppeeeessss ooooffff vviioolleennccee Research Focus: On processes rather than violence phenomena, identifying the shift from one state to another
- 6. Combined research components 1. City profile City-level data to provide general characterization of city as well as urban violence trends Based on quantitative secondary data 2. Sub-city study Perceptions of focus groups within informal settlements of types of conflict and violence , tipping point factors that results in violence, and the chains linking different types of violence Based on qualitative primary data using participatory violence appraisal methodology (PVA) and informant interviews
- 7. What is a participatory violence appraisal? Origins: Includes work of Robert Chambers, Paulo Freire, Indian Environmental NGOs Principles: Reversal of power - learning from local people rather than extracting Shift from verbal to visual, individual to group Robustness: Purposive sampling from focus groups representative of community members, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, economic activities and culturally Previous research using participatory methodology: Violence: Colombia, Guatemala (Moser McIlwaine 1999, Moser McIlwaine 2004) Community adaptation to climate change: Mombasa, Esteli, Cartagena, Pondicherry (Moser et al 2010; Moser and Stein 2011)
- 8. Research Partners Research Centre Researchers Country and city Paradigmatic factor GURC/BWPI, U. of Manchester Caroline Moser Dennis Rodgers (PI) (CI) Eco-Build Africa Alfred Omenya Grace Lubaale Kenya, Nairobi Political exclusion Corporacion A. Rodriguez Santiago, Gender-based SUR M. Saborido Chile insecurity Centre on Conflict, IDS, Geneva C. Moser Oliver Jutersonke Dili, East Timor Youth Institute for Human Dev. Alakh Sharma Dennis Rodgers Patna, India Poverty
- 9. Research process 1. 2010 Nov: Manchester - Inception Workshop (4 teams) 2. 2011 March –April: Nairobi - City profile and PVA (AO/GL) 3. 2011 April: Nairobi – Analysis Workshop (AO/GL/CM) 4. 2011 Nov: Manchester -Mid-term Workshop (4 teams) 5. 2012 March: Nairobi: City Consultations: Community consultation Kibera Consultation with Strategic Partners and Public*** 6. 2012 March: South- South consultations, Santiago 7. June 2012: Final Global Workshop: Geneva DONOR: ESRC/DFID Research Grant