New Pathways for Human Security and Multilayered Peacemaking in Colombia is an LSE IDEAS initiative that examines how Colombia’s long tradition of peace innovation is evolving in response to changing forms of organised violence. Exploring the government’s Total Peace agenda and new Human Security policy, the project analyses how peace efforts are shifting from a focus on territorial control toward protection, participation, and dignity, grounded in community agency and adaptive governance. Led by the Civic Engagement Project (CEP) and the Conflict and Civicness Research Group (CCRG), it connects comparative research, practitioner dialogue, and civic insight to link evidence from affected communities with national and international debates on peacemaking and security reform.
This programme brought together a network of diverse Afghan experts and activists in exile with select non-Afghan experts and academics in order to develop policy-relevant research and reflections that respond to the complex and interlocking crises emerging in Afghanistan today. The aim of the programme was: to support the work and expertise of Afghan researchers who recently fled Afghanistan; to ensure that they are able to provide their expertise to inform contextually-appropriate international policies and practices on Afghanistan; and to deepen understanding of evolving political, security and economic dynamics.
This programme advances understanding of the theoretical foundations and real-world impact of civic ecosystems as a concept and set of practical approaches to social innovation. It draws on ideas and insights from complexity science, ecosystem thinking, and social change research and practice across multiple issues, scales, and geographies.
This project seeks to foster understanding of the risks for the future of civic space arising from the ‘emergency’ framing and securitization of the climate crisis and to explore possible openings for preventing or mitigating some of these risks.
This two-year research project seeks to cover the history and current debates about non-nuclear deterrence; the idea of defensive, comprehensive or in-depth defence and what this means for manpower, equipment, and new technologies; the economic and political aspects of non-nuclear deterrence; and the implications for nuclear arms control and disarmament.
Project 2022 is a research project supported by the European Union in which we investigate the consequences of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine for knowledge communities working in and on post-Soviet societies. We collaborate closely with academics, students, NGOs, think tanks, activists, archivists, and creators of innovative educational content from diverse disciplinary and cultural backgrounds. Our aim is to map and analyse the experiences and difficulties faced by researchers, educators, and students as a result of war, violence, and political repression.
The South Sudan and Sudan programme draws upon Dr Matthew Benson-Strohmayer’s, Raga Makawi’s and Hannah Logan’s extensive in-country networks in both Sudans. In South Sudan, we frequently collaborate with the Bridge Network of South Sudanese researchers, which is an in-country research network that was co-produced during previous LSE research collaborations in the country. Whereas in Sudan, research draws upon feminist activist networks in the country. The programme is an example of international civil society in action, with research agendas frequently driven by the research questions and demands among on-the-ground actors.
The Somalia programme draws on the long-established research networks of Dr Nisar Majid and Khalif Abdirahman and builds upon the body of work developed under the Conflict Research Programme. The aim of the programme is to develop cutting-edge research, grounded in evidence collection on the ground that contributes to policy and that brings together Somali and international researchers, research institutes and policy makers.
The Syria programme aims to understand and analyse the underlying political economy of violence with a focus on informing policy.The programme focuses on five interrelated research topics: the function and legitimacy of public authority, identity politics, economic drivers of the conflict, civicness and reconstruction.
The Ukraine programme brings together six global institutions, including the Kyiv School of Economics, and a network of researchers in Ukraine and the wider region to develop cutting-edge research, grounded in evidence collection on the ground that seeks to contribute directly to the protection of Ukrainian sovereignty and democracy.