Ragnhild Nordås

Senior Researcher

Email: ragnhild@prio.org
Mobile phone: +47 930 65 824
Twitter: @ragnhildnordas

Research Interests

Religion and violence
The climate change-conflict nexus
Sexual and gender-based violence
State repression
Recruitment and retention in armed groups
Demography and conflict

Dr. Nordås is a recipient of PhD funding from the Centre for the Study of Civil War (CSCW), a Predoctoral Fellowship from the Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School, and has been a visiting fellow at the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame 2010-2011.She has received research grants from the Research Council of Norway, Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sweden; National Science Foundation, US; and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. Her work to date has been published in, amongst other, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Studies Quarterly and Political Geography.

Main ongoing research foci:

Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict (SVAC)

The SVAC research project responds to the gravity of the problem of sexual violence and the critical need for more systematic information by creating a comprehensive Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict (SVAC) dataset covering the twenty-year period 1989–2009 as well as targeted case studies. We will use this data to analyze patterns of sexual violence in and across conflicts and conflict actors, including in the immediate aftermath of war. By disseminating our data and findings, we seek to advance the research on conflict processes, raise awareness of the problem of sexual violence in armed conflicts, and facilitate evidence-based preventive strategies.

For more information on the global SVAC database see www.sexualviolencedata.org where an updated version of the dataset is available (November 2016) here

Female Empowerment in Eastern DR Congo (NORGLOBAL)

http://www.prio.org/Projects/Project/?x=1094

Project investigating how survivors of sexual and gender-based violence can be empowered and reintegrated into society through socioeconomic support programs; and building local research capacity through ICART research center in Bukavu.

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Background

Other information:

Languages spoken:

Norwegian (mother tongue), English (fluent), French (some)

Working experience:

Deputy editor, Journal of Peace Research, 2014-2017

Research Director, Conditions of Violence and Peace Department: 2016

Associate editor, Journal of Peace Research, 2012-2013

Visiting Research Fellow, University of Notre Dame, 2010-2011

Senior Researcher, PRIO 2010-

Research Fellow, Harvard University, 2008-2010

Book Note Editor, Journal of Peace Research, 2006-2008

Research Assistant, CSCW Environmental Factors in Civil War 2004-2005

Education:

Dr. Polit. (PhD) in political science, Norwegian University of Science and Techology, NTNU. 2010

Cand.Polit. (Master's degree) in political science, NTNU. Spring 2004.

Research Groups

Full member:

Associated member:

PRIO Departments

Current

Conditions of Violence and Peace

Historical

PRIO Projects

Ongoing:

Finished:

Beliefs & Bloodshed: Understanding Religion and Intrastate Conflict (project leader)
Civilian Dimensions of Peace and Conflict - CIVICON (project leader)
Female Empowerment in Eastern DRC (project leader)
Inside Insurgencies: Organization, Motives, and Prospects for Peace (project leader)
Positioning Women for Research Professorship (POWER)
Religion and Civil Conflict (project leader)
Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by Peacekeepers (SEAP) (project leader)
Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict (SVAC) (project leader)
State Religiosity and Civil War (project leader)
The Battle Deaths Dataset
What's the Deal with Religion? Scrutinizing Religion's role in Peacebuilding

Events

Fri, 19 January 2018 – Women, Peace and Security Research Workshop
Mon, 07 November 2016 – Religious Diversity in Europe - Past, Present and Future
Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:30-19:15 – Stopping Rape in Eastern Congo: Does Celebrity Activism Work?
Fri, 20 Mar 2015 09:00-12:30 – Religion og konflikt
Thu, 12 Jun 2014 13:00-18:00 – JPR fyller 50
Thu, 14 February 2013 – Missing Peace Symposium 2013
Thu, 08 Nov 2012 12:00-15:00 – The Problem of Religious Wars
Thu, 20 Sep 2012 12:30-14:30 – What do we know about Civil War?
11 - 12 Nov 2010 – Research Challenges on Women, Peace and Security
Thu, 11 November 2010 – Research Challenges on ‘Women, Peace and Security’
05 - 06 Nov 2010 – Strategies for Political Change: Why groups use nonviolence, violence, or both
04 - 05 Nov 2010 – Political Institutions and Conflict Resolution
Tue, 21 June 2005 – Human Security and Climate Change

PRIO started tracking events online in 2007. This listing is not complete. Past events may be mentioned in our news archive.

Publications

All Publications

Peer-reviewed Journal Article

Gleditsch, Nils Petter; Ragnhild Nordås & Henrik Urdal (2017) Peer Review and Replication Data: Best Practice from Journal of Peace Research, College & Research Libraries 78(3): 267–271.

Rustad, Siri Aas; Gudrun Østby & Ragnhild Nordås (2016) Does Artisanal Mining Increase the Risk of Sexual Violence? Micro-level evidence from Eastern Congo, Quality in Primary Care 24(2): 77–80.

Rustad, Siri Aas; Gudrun Østby & Ragnhild Nordås (2016) Artisanal mining, conflict, and sexual violence in Eastern DRC, The Extractive Industries and Society 3(2): 475–484.

Cohen, Dara Kay & Ragnhild Nordås (2015) Do States Delegate Shameful Violence to Militias? Patterns of Sexual Violence in Recent Armed Conflicts, Journal of Conflict Resolution 59(5): 877–898.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2014) Religious demography and conflict: Lessons from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, International Area Studies Review 17(2): 146–166.

Gleditsch, Nils Petter & Ragnhild Nordås (2014) Conflicting messages? The IPCC on conflict and human security, Political Geography 43: 82–90.

Cohen, Dara Kay & Ragnhild Nordås (2014) Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict: Introducing the SVAC Dataset, 1989–2009, Journal of Peace Research 51(3): 418–428.

Nordås, Ragnhild & Siri Aas Rustad (2013) Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by Peacekeepers: Understanding Variation, International Interactions 39(4): 511–534.

Østby, Gudrun; Håvard Strand; Nils Petter Gleditsch & Ragnhild Nordås (2013) Gender Gap or Gender Bias in Peace Research? Publication Patterns for Journal of Peace Research 1983–2008, International Studies Perspectives 14(4): 493–506.

Nordås, Ragnhild & Christian Davenport (2013) Fight the Youth: Youth Bulges and State Repression, American Journal of Political Science 57(4): 926–940.

Gleditsch, Nils Petter & Ragnhild Nordås (2009) Climate Change and Conflict: A Critical Overview, Die Friedens-Warte 84(2): 11–28.

Achvarina, Vera;Nordås, Ragnhild;Østby, Gudrun; & Rustad, Siri Aas (2009) Armut und die Rekrutierung von Kindersoldaten: Neue Evidenz aus einer disaggregierten Analyse der afrikanischen Regionen [Poverty and Child Soldier Recruitment: A Disaggregated Study of African Regions] , Politische Vierteljahresschrift Sonderhefte 43386–413.

Østby, Gudrun; Ragnhild Nordås & Jan Ketil Rød (2009) Regional Inequalities and Civil Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa, International Studies Quarterly 53(2): 301–324.

de Soysa, Indra & Ragnhild Nordås (2007) Islam's Bloody Innards? Religion and Political Terror, 1980–2000, International Studies Quarterly 51(4): 927–943.

Nordås, Ragnhild & Nils Petter Gleditsch (2007) Climate Change and Conflict, Political Geography 26(6): 627–638.

Book Chapter

Nordås, Ragnhild & Nils Petter Gleditsch (2015) Climate change and conflict, in Hartland, Susanne; & Wolfgang Liebert, eds, Competition and Conflicts on Resource Use. London: Springer (21–38).

Nordås, Ragnhild & Siri Aas Rustad (2015) Assessing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by Peacekeepers, in Olsson, Louise; & Theodora-Ismene Gizelis , eds, Gender, Peace and Security: Implementing UNSCR 1325. London: Taylor & Francis (138–162).

Nordås, Ragnhild & Lars Morten Bjørkholt (2014) Seksualisert vold i krig of konflikt [Sexualized violence in war and conflict], in Anita Schjølset, ed., Gender i Forsvaret. Oslo: Abstrakt Forlag (243–272).

Nordås, Ragnhild & Lars Morten Bjørkholt (2014) Seksuell utnyttelse og overgrep i internasjonale operasjoner [Sexual exploitation and abuse in international operations], in Anita Schjølset, ed., Gender i Forsvaret. Oslo: Abstrakt Forlag (273–300).

Nordås, Ragnhild & Nils Petter Gleditsch (2013) The IPCC, Human Security, and the Climate-conflict Nexus, in Redclift, Michael; & Marco Grasso, eds, Handbook on Climate Change and Human Security. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing (67–88).

Nordås, Ragnhild (2012) The Devil in the Demography? Religion, Identity, and War in Cote d'Ivoire, in Goldstone, Jack A.; Eric P. Kaufmann; & Monica Duffy Toft, eds, Political Demography: How Population Changes Are Reshaping International Security and National Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press (252–267).

Nordås, Ragnhild (2011) The Devil in the Demography? Religion, Identity, and War in Cote d'Ivoire, in Political Demography: How Population Changes Are Reshaping International Security and National Politics. Paradigm (252–267).

Binningsbø, Helga Malmin; Torbjørn L. Knutsen; Robert Ekle & Ragnhild Nordås (2003) Afghanistan under den kalde krigen [Afghanistan during the Cold War], in Blodspor. Om bakgrunnen til 11. september. Oslo: (146–173).

PRIO Report

Nordås, Ragnhild; & Dara Kay Cohen (2011) Wartime Sexual Violence: Challenges and Opportunities for Data Collection and Analysis, CSCW Report. Oslo: CSCW/PRIO.

Master Thesis

Nordås, Ragnhild (2004) State Religiosity and Civil War: How Religious Heterogeneity and the Degree of Separation Between Religion and State Influence the Risk of Intrastate Armed Conflict. MA thesis, Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2004) State Religiosity and Civil War: Does Religious Heterogeneity and the Role of Religion in States Influence the Risk of Intrastate Armed Conflict?. MA thesis, Supervisors: Tanja Ellingsen, NTNU; Nils Petter Gleditsch, PRIO (defended 13 April), Thesis for the MA degree, Department of Sociology and Political Science, NTNU, Trondheim.

Conference Paper

Nordås, Ragnhild; Vegard Skirbekk & Marcin Stonawski (2016) Religious Contention Today and Scenarios for the Future, presented at Population Association of America , Washington DC, 31/03/2016.

Leiby, Michele ; Gudrun Østby & Ragnhild Nordås (2015) The legacy of war: Intimate-partner violence in Peru, 1980-2009, presented at APSA, San Fransisco, 3–6 September.

Nordås, Ragnhild & Priyamvada Trivedi (2015) QUEST: Coding Rwandan Narratives Of Sexual Violence, presented at APSA, San Fransisco, 3–6 September.

Rustad, Siri Aas; Gudrun Østby & Ragnhild Nordås (2014) Artisanal Mining, Conflict and Sexual Violence: Micro-Level Evidence from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presented at The 49th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Toronto, 26–29 March .

Nordås, Ragnhild; & Dara Kay Cohen (2013) Recruitment Practices and Violence by Militias in Recent Armed Conflicts, presented at American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 29/08/13 – 01/09/13.

Cohen, Dara Kay; & Ragnhild Nordås (2013) Sexual Violence by Armed Actors: Who Perpetrates, When and How? Patterns from the new SVAC Dataset, 1989-2009, presented at American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 29/08/13 – 01/09/13.

Cohen, Dara Kay; & Ragnhild Nordås (2013) Why Do Militias Attack Civilians? Violence by Militias in Recent Armed Conflicts, presented at International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention 2013, San Francisco, 03/04/13 – 06/04/13.

Cohen, Dara Kay; & Ragnhild Nordås (2013) Why Do Militias Attack Civilians? Sexual Violence by African Militias in Recent Armed Conflicts, presented at The Gender Dimensions of Armed Violence, Geneva, 25/02/13.

Nordås, Ragnhild & Dara Kay Cohen (2012) Why Do Militias Attack Civilians? Violence by African Militias in Recent Armed Conflicts, presented at Conference on Paramilitaries, Militias and Civil Defense Forces in Civil Wars, Yale University, October 19–20.

Nordås, Ragnhild; & Gleditsch, Nils Petter 2009IPCC and the Climate-Conflict Nexus , presented at 50th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association15 February.

Nordås, Ragnhild 2008 Gunning for God? Religion and Conflict Severity, presented at Peace Science Society (International) 2008 North American Meeting, , 24–25 October.

Nordås, Ragnhild 2008 Identity Politics and State Building in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana: Lessons for Quantitative Civil War Studies, presented at Nasjonal Fagkonferanse i Statsvitenskap, , 28–30 April.

Nordås, Ragnhild 2008 Identity Polarization and Conflict: State Building in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, presented at 49th International Studies Association Convention, , 26–29 March.

Achvarina, Vera;Nordås, Ragnhild;Østby, Gudrun; & Rustad, Siri Aas 2008 Regional Welfare and Child Soldier Recruitment : A Disaggregated Study of African Regions, presented at Authors' Conference, PVS-Special Issue 2009, , 22–23 February.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2007) Caught in a Civilizational Fault Line? Cote d’Ivoire vs. Ghana, presented at Statsvitenskaplig Fagkonferanse, Trondheim, 3–5 January.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2007) Are Religious Conflicts Bloodier? Assessing the Impact of Religion on Civil Conflict Casualties, presented at the 48th Annual Metting of the International Studies Association, Chicago, IL, 28 February – 3 March.

Skjølberg, Katja H. W. & Ragnhild Nordås (2007) Ethnic Pluralism and State Legitimacy: Ethno-Regionalist Terrorism in Western Europe, 1950–2004, presented at the 48th Annual Metting of the International Studies Association, Chicago, IL, 28 February – 3 March.

Achvarina, Vera; Ragnhild Nordås; Siri Aas Rustad & Gudrun Østby (2007) Regional Poverty and Child Soldier Recruitment: A Disaggregated Study of Sub-National African Regions, 1990–2004, presented at the 48th Annual Metting of the International Studies Association, Chicago, IL, 28 February–3 March.

de Soysa, Indra & Ragnhild Nordås (2006) Islam's Bloody Innards? Religion and Political Terror, 1980-2000, presented at Religion and Political Terror, 1980-2000, Meeting in the Environmental Factors in Civil War Working Group, 21 September, September.

Nordås, Ragnhild; Jan Ketil Rød & Gudrun Østby (2006) Regional Inequalities and Civil Conflict in 21 Sub-Saharan Countries, 1986-2004, presented at the 47th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA), San Diego, 22–25 March.

Nordås, Ragnhild; Jan Ketil Rød & Gudrun Østby (2006) Regional Inequalities and Civil Conflict in 21 Sub-Saharan Countries, 1986-2004, presented at the workshop on Polarization and Conflict (PAC), Nicosia, Cyprus, 26–29 April.

Nordås, Ragnhild; & Gleditsch, Nils Petter 2005Climate Change and Conflict: Common Sense or Nonsense 8–10 September.

Nordås, Ragnhild; & Gleditsch, Nils Petter 2005Climate Change and Conflict: Common Sense or Nonsense? 22–23 June.

Nordås, Ragnhild 2005 The Future of Religious Values – Impacts of Globalization and Intrastate Factors, presented at The Third European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) conference, , 8–10 September.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2005) Climate Conflicts: Common Sense or Nonsense?, presented at the 13th National Conference in Political Science, Hurdalsjøen, 5–7 January.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2005) Religious Diversity and State Strategies: Impacts on Development and Conflict, presented at the 46th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Honolulu, HI, 1–5 March.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2004) Regulating Religious Minorites: For Better or Worse?, presented at ISA Annual Convention 2004, Montreal, Canada, March 2004.

PRIO Policy Brief

Nordås, Ragnhild (2015) Civilian Targeting by Militias: The Important Role of States, Conflict Trends, 7. Oslo: PRIO.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2013) Preventing Conflict-related Sexual Violence, PRIO Policy Brief, 2. Oslo: PRIO.

Cohen, Dara Kay & Ragnhild Nordås (2012) Sexual Violence by Militias in African Conflicts: Not a question of ‘delegation’ by states, CSCW Policy Brief, 1. Oslo: CSCW.

Cohen, Dara Kay & Ragnhild Nordås (2012) Sexual Violence in African Conflicts, 1989–2009: What the data show, CSCW Policy Brief, 2. Oslo: CSCW.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2012) Sexual Violence on the Decline? Recent debates and evidence suggest ‘unlikely’, CSCW Policy Brief, 3. Oslo: CSCW.

Nordås, Ragnhild (2011) Sexual Violence in African Conflicts, CSCW Policy Brief, 1. Oslo: PRIO.

PRIO Paper

Nordås, Ragnhild; Gudrun Østby; Siri Aas Rustad; Christine Amisi; Rosalie Biaba; John Quattrochi; Susanne Alldén & Aline Cikara (2016) Social Inclusion of Survivors of Sexual Violence: How Do Support Programs Work?, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Nordås, Ragnhild; Gudrun Østby; Rosalie Biaba; Christine Amisi; John Quattrochi; Susanne Alldén; Esther Namegabe & Aline Cikara (2016) From Pain to Empowerment?, PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Nordås, Ragnhild; Gudrun Østby; Siri Aas Rustad; Christine Amisi; Rosalie Biaba; John Quattrochi; Susanne Alldén & Aline Cikara (2016) L’intégration sociale des Survivantes des violences sexuelles : Comment les programmes de soutien fonctionnent ? [Social Inclusion of Survivors of Sexual Violence: How Do Support Programs Work?], PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Nordås, Ragnhild; Gudrun Østby; Rosalie Biaba; Christine Amisi; John Quattrochi; Susanne Alldén; Esther Namegabe & Aline Cikara (2016) De la douleur en pouvoir ? [From Pain to Empowerment?], PRIO Paper. Oslo: PRIO.

Report - External Series

Salehyan, Idean; Ragnhild Nordås; & Nils Petter Gleditsch (2007) Climate Change and Conflict: The Migration Link, Coping with Crisis Working Paper Series. New York: International Peace Academy.

Blog Posts

Suicide Bombing ≠ Religious Fervor

Posted by Ragnhild Nordås on Friday, 8 April 2016

Is it just religious fanatics who blow themselves up as suicide bombers? Bernt Hagtvet, Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo, has been active in the Norwegian media lately, stating that only religion (he focuses mostly on Islam) brings the fervor to commit suicide attacks as part of ... Read more »

Governments Don’t Outsource Atrocities to Militias. Here’s What Really Happens

Posted by Jessica Stanton, Ragnhild Nordås & Dara Kay Cohen on Thursday, 7 January 2016

Refugees are fleeing Syria in such astonishing numbers because armed groups continue to target civilians with violence. That’s what we heard in September when the U.N. Human Rights Council discussed the most recent report of the Commission of Inquiry on Syria. The commission’s chair, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, made a plea ... Read more »

The Time Has Come for Dr. Denis Mukwege to Win the Nobel Peace Prize

Posted by Gudrun Østby & Ragnhild Nordås on Thursday, 8 October 2015

Last year the Congolese gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, and he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several years in a row, frequently hailed among the favorites. Tomorrow the winner of the prize for 2015 will be announced. We think ... Read more »

Four Things Everyone should know about Wartime Sexual Violence

Posted by Ragnhild Nordås on Tuesday, 10 June 2014

Later this week, ministers from more than 140 countries, along with an estimated 1,500 invited delegates, are gathering in London for the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. The summit — the largest gathering of its type — is co-chaired by British Foreign Secretary William Hague and the ... Read more »