Mitigating 'Non-Conflict' Violence by Creating Peaceful Political Settlements

Understanding and addressing ‘non-conflict’ violence is a key challenge for development. Different types of ‘non-conflict’ violence, such as homicide, massacres, armed robbery and gender-based violence, which occur outside of armed conflict contexts involving state or other parties, are not only reflections of social problems like youth unemployment and gang culture. They should not be unlinked from political processes. Given the weakness of formal institutions and the strength of hybrid political orders in most violence-affected settings in the developing world, the political settlements approach helps to understand the political factors that underpin and drive ‘non-conflict’ violence; and develop policy responses that tackle the roots of the problem, not just its symptoms.