NWO invests 6 million euro in conflict research

7 July 2009

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has honoured 11 proposals within the theme Conflict and Security. This will allow 9 postdocs and 20 PhDs to carry out research for 5 years and shall release 8 researchers from their teaching obligations. Their research shall provide new insights into the societal consequences of conflicts.

A total of 27 proposals were submitted. The proposals were assessed by scientists from the Netherlands and abroad, as well as by a Social Advisory Council, which included representatives from Randstad Holding, Forum and Cordaid. The assessment procedure not only considered the scientific quality of the proposals but also the importance of the research to society. Ultimately, 11 proposals were granted and about €6 million will be invested in these.

NWO theme Conflict and Security

As a result of globalisation, transnational migration and mobility, societies are becoming increasingly diverse. Cultural, ethnic, religious, class and language differences can then lead to sharp confrontations. Research within the theme Conflict and Security focuses on the most important societal questions which arise from such conflicts. The various programme lines have been set up in such a manner that scientists from different disciplines can work together.

At the start of 2010, a second call for short research projects shall open. In addition to this, this summer NWO launches the programme Cocoon in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This programme is part of the theme Conflict and Security and is targeted at research into conflict and cooperation around natural resources in developing countries. The first call for proposals opens this July.

The theme Conflict and Security is an initiative of the NWO divisions Social Sciences, Humanities and WOTRO Science for Global Development. Various external parties were involved in shaping the theme, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment as well as a number of public institutions. The theme also has a Committee of Recommendation whose members are four (former) politicians. These are Dr Job Cohen, Prof. Jan Pronk, Mr Doekle Terpstra, and Prof. Joris Voorhoeve.

A brief summary of the grants awarded

The projects funded are listed below, in alphabetical order of the main applicants.

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List of projects

Contagious social conflict: Industrial conflict as a source of strategic learning
Dr A. (Agnes) Akkerman, Radboud University Nijmegen
This project studies under which conditions industrial conflict is contagious. The key
hypothesis is that industrial conflict provides important strategic information to other unions and employers. The project shall investigate whether the transmission of this strategic information results in waves of industrial conflict. The following aspects shall be studied: (a) the diffusion of strategic information in formal and informal networks of negotiators for unions and employers; (b) worker mobilisation by negotiators and the mass media; (c) institutional factors that hinder or facilitate the diffusion of strategic information. The communication infrastructure of industrial stakeholders actively supports the dissemination of results and recommendations.

Political conflict in five European systems: the role of citizens, the media, and parties in the politicisation of immigration and European integration
Prof. W. (Wouter) van der Brug, University of Amsterdam
Politics essentially concerns conflicts about issues. Yet, we know little about the factors which explain why certain issues become the object of heightened conflict at a particular time or in a certain country. This study aims to increase our understanding of how issues evolve by comparing political conflict about immigration and European integration in five institutionally very similar political systems (the Netherlands, Flanders, Denmark, Sweden and Wallonia) which differ in the degree of politicisation of both issues. Three interrelated PhD projects shall study the roles and reciprocal influences of the media, citizens, and parties in the politicisation of immigration and European integration.

The embeddedness of criminal networks in local ethnic communities: a source of (ethnic) conflict?
Prof. H.G. (Henk) van de Bunt, Erasmus University Rotterdam
We challenge the assumption that criminal involvement of specific ethnic minorities is the result of poverty and poor integration, and question whether this involvement is the target of local conflicts. Criminal activities can be interpreted as an expression of resistance against a dominant society and as attractive means of acquiring a certain (luxurious) lifestyle. Research in two neighbourhoods on the interactions between criminal networks, local ethnic groups and global linkages will provide answers as to whether and how criminal involvement of immigrants leads to conflicts within their group, influences the group's integration into Dutch society and fuels conflicts in the broader community.

Reconstructing Political Philosophy and Legal Doctrine: Doing Justice to Dynamics and Hybrid Identifications
Prof. W. (Wibren) van der Burg, Erasmus University Rotterdam
The presence of Islamic minorities in the Netherlands gives rise to such intractable controversies as quarrels about headscarves in public spaces and the refusal to shake hands. The dominant political theories and legal doctrines (e.g., doctrines of human rights, neutrality and the separation of church and state) cannot adequately conceptualise these conflicts, partly because they are static and focus on distinct groups. This project aims to reconstruct those doctrines so that they better deal with conflicts concerning religion in the public realm, especially with regard to their dynamics and to their connection with hybrid identification processes.

Representative Negotiation: Cross-Level Influences in Inter-group Conflict
Prof. C.K.W. (Carsten de Dreu) , University of Amsterdam
This project takes a multi-level/multi-function perspective on representative negotiation in intergroup conflicts in policy and industry so that a reliable diagnosis, training and advice can be provided. Three key outcomes – (a) the development of creative agreements, (b) within-constituency conflict and consensus, and (c) intergroup perceptions and hostility – are considered to depend on (1) the representative’s individual-level cognition, affect, and motivation, (2) within-constituency dynamics, and (3) the broader intergroup relationship. In 2 PhD projects and 1 postdoc project, hypotheses shall be tested by means of experiments, case studies, and quantitative surveys. The results shall be communicated in academic and professional publications and will serve as input for training and development programmes.

Value conflict: How differences in values affect conflict-escalation and effectiveness of interventions
Prof. N. (Naomi) Ellemers, Leiden University
Previous research has addressed conflicts concerning the allocation of scarce resources (money, space). However, differences in core values (justice, religion), which are often embedded in people's sociocultural identities, have become common sources of conflict. Unfortunately, we know very little about the mechanics involved in the development, escalation and reconciliation of value conflicts. This project aims to address this issue, by taking a cross-level approach to examining how group identities affect interpersonal value conflict. We shall study (1) the development and escalation, (2) the effectiveness of different interventions for reconciliation, and (3) the impact of cultural differences in value conflict.

The dynamics of contemporary antisemitsim in a globalising context. ‘The Jew’ as a framing model in the Netherlands, Morocco, Poland and Turkey
Prof. E.E. (Evelien) Gans, Netherlands Institute for War Documentation
Since early Christianity 'the Jew' has been viewed as 'the Other', the incarnation of conflict. Anti-Semitism therefore served as a meaningful framework for interpreting threatening developments in society. This project shall examine the dynamics of contemporary anti-Semitism in a globalising context, choosing the Netherlands as point of departure. It will (a) analyse the chemistry between Dutch 'traditional' and post-Holocaust anti-Jewish stereotypes and those within the Turkish, Moroccan and Polish communities, (b) thoroughly explore the relationship between anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and Israel criticism, and (c) move from The Netherlands to Morocco, Poland and Turkey, and back again.

The role of communication in conflict escalation and de-escalation between ethnic groups
Dr E.H. (Ernestine) Gordijn, University of Groningen
Dutch society seems to have transformed from a former “beacon of tolerance” to a society in which intolerant ideas are acceptable and enacted. This observation has inspired the proposal of a novel and dynamic psychological model of conflict escalation and de-escalation between ethnic groups. The model describes cross-level influences of communication about conflict within and between groups. These communications transform perceptions that individuals have about themselves and other groups into destructive conflict behaviours or more constructive behaviours through the experience of specific emotions. This research proposal aims to test the new model, develop interventions to de-escalate conflict, and evaluate their success.

Ethno-religious conflicts in Indonesia and the Philippines: a comparative study
Prof. F.A.M. (Frans) Hüsken, Radboud University Nijmegen
This research investigates the influence of ethno-religious identification in supporting collective violence in areas of actual and potential conflict in Indonesia (Maluku and Yogyakarta) and the Philippines (Mindanao and Metro-Manila), while taking into account theoretically relevant contextual variables at the individual and societal levels. Its innovative character lies in the application and development of an integral theory of intergroup conflict, and in the formulation and empirical testing of hypotheses to explain cross-cultural and interindividual differences of latent conflicts. It integrates theories and specific insights from anthropology, sociology and religious studies.

Relationships of ethnic diversity in local communities with solidarity regarding the in-group and exclusion of out-groups
Prof. P.L.H. (Peer) Scheepers, Radboud University Nijmegen
We shall test hypotheses concerning the relationships between ethnic diversity in localities with inter-ethnic contacts versus inter-ethnic conflicts which, in turn, affect solidarity with the (majority) in-group as well as exclusion of (minority) out-groups. These hypotheses will be tested in a wide selection of European countries with broad ranges of local ethnic diversity, by taking advantage of high-quality, and very similar, secondary data. These data shall be analysed using hierarchical structural equation models that shall provide ample analytical possibilities to specify elaborate (path) models whilst simultaneously taking the structure of the data (i.e. individuals nested in localities) into account.

Post-conflict-justice and ‘local ownership’
Dr C. (Carsten) Stahn, Leiden University
International judicial responses to conflict have been characterised by ad hoc approaches and deference to externally driven reform agendas. This project revisits contemporary practice from the perspective of domestic constituencies. It examines the role of ‘local ownership’ from three angles. Pillar 1 reviews rationales and methodologies of external intervention in justice responses. Pillar 2 examines the societal impact of international criminal proceedings, based on an analysis of the initial practice of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Pillar 3 analyses whether and under what circumstances ICC justice may contribute to capacity building and legal harmonisation in post-conflict situations.

last modified on 21 July 2009