Payoff of Promises: Articulating, Negotiating, and Implementing Wealth-Sharing

The primary objective of this project is to trace dynamics of peacebuilding, emphasizing wealth-sharing. We will examine the cases of Burundi, Nepal, Nigeria and Sierra Leone across the phases of peacebuilding: from the initial stages of disagreement and clashes, through peace agreements, to the post-agreement implementation of wealth-sharing and distributive measures. The process that we are studying can be divided into three phases: Promise, Peace and Payoff. In the project, we examine:

• How and why do rebel group promises transmute or transform during the negotiation process, and what types of promises are eventually included in peace agreements?

• What happens if rewards based on original promises from rebel groups do not satisfy the accumulated expectations of rebel group supporters?

• What are the implications of distributive and redistributive aims in peace agreements?

• What role does the international community play in this dynamic? What can donors do to facilitate wealth-sharing?

Publications in the pipeline:

Binningsbø, Helga Malmin & Siri Aas Rustad, 2011. ‘Sharing the Wealth: A Pathway to Peace or a trail to Nowhere?’, Unpublished manuscript. CSCW/PRIO.