Cities and Populations (2012-2015)

Over half the world’s population now lives in cities. By 2050 this number will reach almost 70 percent. This process of urbanization and the accompanying changes to population structure and composition are altering socio-economic and political relations in important ways. While generating considerable opportunities, these transitions can also create significant challenges. Focusing on the city as a site, and urbanisation and population change as processes, the Cities and Populations research group at PRIO seeks to understand how these places and processes can affect livelihoods of citizens, shape social, economic, and political outcomes, and create conditions for peace and conflict.

28/09/2015
Gudrun Østby inducted into the Young Academy of Norway

PRIO's Gudrun Østby beat out fierce competition to become one of the first researchers to join the newly established Young Academy of Norway.

24/10/2014
Succesful Doctoral Defence by Kristian Hoelscher

Kristian Hoelscher succesfully defended his PhD thesis at the Department of Political Science, University of Oslo. His thesis is titled Institutions and Social Violence.

The evaluation committee:

* Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach, GIGA, Hamburg
* Prof. Gary LaFree, University of Maryland
* Prof. Carl Henrik Knutsen, ISV

Supervisors:

* Research Prof. Henrik Urdal, PRIO
* Prof. Anne Julie Semb, Institutt for statsvitenskap, UiO

15/05/2014
Electing India's Future

In April, 800 hundred million people began casting their ballots all across India in the largest election the world has ever seen. When we think of voting in India, we often picture a poor elderly villager showing a big ink-stained thumb and boasting a wide smile as proof of democracy in action. But elections in today's India mean big money, big ideas and a growing focus on big urban centers as the drivers of development that will continue to catapult it from a 20th century agrarian laggard to a 21st century global power.

25/09/2013
Blog Post: Fight the Youth!

Ragnhild Nordås and Christian Davenport have written a blog post based on their upcoming article in AJPS (American Journal of Political Science); http://ajps.org/2013/09/24/guest-post-by-ragnhild-nordas/

15/04/2013
Study on youth bulges and state repression published in American Journal of Political Science

Ragnhild Nordås (PRIO) and Christian Davenport (University of Michigan) have published the article "Fight the Youth: Youth Bulges and State Repression".

06/03/2013
Urbanizing India (URBIN)

A new three-year research project on urban security in India was initiated on 1 March, funded by the Research Council of Norway’s INDNOR program. It involves PRIO researchers Halvard Buhaug (project leader), Kristian Hoelscher, Jason Miklian, and Gerdis Wischnath, as well as researchers from the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation. URBIN will study the interaction between three related social challenges in India: (1) managing an inclusive and peaceful transition from rural to urban society; (2) ensuring sustained social and economic inclusion; and (3) tackling environmental change. The project is explicitly multi-disciplinary and will combine quantitative analysis with qualitative fieldwork-based research. URBIN is a collaborative project between PRIO and Observer Research Foundation, lasting from March 2013 through December 2015.

20/02/2013
Elgar Handbook of Civil War and Fragile States

A new edited volume on civil war and fragile states has just been published by Edward Elgar. The book contains no less than four PRIO articles:

Håvard Hegre & Helge Holtermann: Poverty and conflict
Ole Magnus Theisen, Nils Petter Gleditsch & Halvard Buhaug: Climate change and armed conflict
Henrik Urdal: Demography and armed conflict
Nils Metternich, Kristian Skrede Gleditsch, Han Dorussen & Andrea Ruggeri: International dimensions of armed conflict