Book
Peacekeeping in the Midst of War (with Lisa Hultman and Megan Shannon). 2020. Oxford University Press. Winner of the American Political Science Association Conflict Processes Section Best Book Award.
Are United Nations peacekeeping missions effective at reducing violence in civil wars? Although UN peacekeeping is a notable intervention tool, the international community lacks systematic knowledge of how well it mitigates civil war violence. Given that UN peacekeeping is increasingly used in the midst of war, this is a significant research gap with direct policy relevance. This book systematically explores if and how the capacity and constitution of UN peacekeeping missions affects the amount of violence in civil conflicts. It argues that peacekeeping effectiveness needs to be assessed in relative terms, theorizing that more robust missions are increasingly capable of addressing combatant incentives for employing violence. The analyses reveal that increasing UN military troop and police personnel deployed to a conflict significantly reduces violence against civilians, and increasing UN military troop personnel significantly mitigates battle-related violence. The book complements the large-n analyses with qualitative explorations of peacekeeping mechanisms on violence in Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While peacekeeping is not without detriments, it is an effective tool of violence reduction.
For a roundtable review of the book via H-Diplo, go here.
Are United Nations peacekeeping missions effective at reducing violence in civil wars? Although UN peacekeeping is a notable intervention tool, the international community lacks systematic knowledge of how well it mitigates civil war violence. Given that UN peacekeeping is increasingly used in the midst of war, this is a significant research gap with direct policy relevance. This book systematically explores if and how the capacity and constitution of UN peacekeeping missions affects the amount of violence in civil conflicts. It argues that peacekeeping effectiveness needs to be assessed in relative terms, theorizing that more robust missions are increasingly capable of addressing combatant incentives for employing violence. The analyses reveal that increasing UN military troop and police personnel deployed to a conflict significantly reduces violence against civilians, and increasing UN military troop personnel significantly mitigates battle-related violence. The book complements the large-n analyses with qualitative explorations of peacekeeping mechanisms on violence in Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While peacekeeping is not without detriments, it is an effective tool of violence reduction.
For a roundtable review of the book via H-Diplo, go here.
Published Articles & Book Chapters
"Punching Before the Bell Rings: United Nations Signaling and Pre-Deployment Violence in Civil Wars" (with Michelle Benson and Paul F. Diehl). Forthcoming in International Studies Quarterly.
"Sticking it Out: Instability, Regime Type, and Troop Withdrawals from UN Peacekeeping Operations" (with Molly M. Melin). Forthcoming in Conflict Management and Peace Science.
"United Nations Peacekeeping Effectiveness and Negative Peace" (with Chris Newton, Chhandosi Roy, and Colin Tucker). Forthcoming in International Peacekeeping.
"Understanding Violence Against Civilians by Government and Rebel Forces, Perspectives from Political Science and Health Behavior" (with Sarahmona M. Przybyla). 2020. In Transforming Global Health: Interdisciplinary Challenges, Perspectives, and Strategies, edited by Korydon H. Smith and Pavani K. Ram. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
"Cut Short? United Nations Peacekeeping and Civil War Duration to Negotiated Settlements" (with Michelle Benson). 2019. Journal of Conflict Resolution 63(7): 1601-1629.
"Who Keeps the Peace? Understanding State Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations" (with Molly Melin). 2017. International Studies Quarterly 61(1): 150-162.
"Personnel Composition and Member State Contributions to United Nations Peacekeeping Operations." 2017. Forum: "The Known Knowns and Known Unknowns of Peacekeeping Data," edited by Govinda Clayton. International Peacekeeping 24(1): 1-62.
"United Nations Peacekeeping Dynamics and the Duration of Post-Civil Conflict Peace" (with Lisa Hultman and Megan Shannon). 2016. Conflict Management and Peace Science 33(3): 231-249. [Awarded the Palmer Prize for Conflict Management and Peace Science's article of the year.]
“Stopping the Killing during the ‘Peace’: Peacekeeping and the Severity of Post-Conflict Civilian Victimization” (with Reed M. Wood). 2016. Foreign Policy Analysis 12(2): 149-169.
"Ripe for Resolution: Third Party Mediation and Negotiating Peace Agreements" (with Megan Shannon). 2016. In What Do We Know about Civil War? edited by T. David Mason and Sara McLaughlin Mitchell. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlfield.
"Competing for the Crown: Inter-Rebel Competition and Civilian Targeting in Civil Conflict" (with Reed M. Wood). 2015. Political Research Quarterly 68(1): 168-179.
“Beyond Keeping Peace: United Nations Peacekeeping Effectiveness in the Midst of Fighting” (with Lisa Hultman and Megan Shannon). 2014. American Political Science Review 108(4): 737-753.
“Too Much of a Bad Thing? Civilian Victimization and Bargaining in Civil War” (with Reed M. Wood). 2014. British Journal of Political Science 44(3): 685-706.
“UN Bias and Force Commitments in Civil War” (with Michelle Benson). 2014. Journal of Politics 76(2): 350-363.
"United Nations Peacekeeping and Civilian Protection in Civil War” (with Lisa Hultman and Megan Shannon). 2013. American Journal of Political Science 57(4): 875-891.
"United Nations Peacekeeping Personnel Commitments, 1990-2011." 2013. Conflict Management and Peace Science 30(5): 532-549.
“Armed Intervention and Civilian Victimization in Intrastate Conflicts” (with Reed M. Wood and Stephen Gent). 2012. Journal of Peace Research 49(5): 647-660.
“Reputation for Alliance Reliability and Alliance Formation” (with Mark J.C. Crescenzi, Katja Kleinberg, and Reed M. Wood). 2012. International Studies Quarterly 56: 259-274.
“Civil War Diffusion and Regional Motivations for Intervention” 2011. Journal of Conflict Resolution 55(6): 847-876.
“Managing Threats, Costs, and Incentives to Kill? The Short- and Long-Term Effects of Intervention in Mass Killing” (with Reed M. Wood). 2011. Journal of Conflict Resolution 55(5): 735-760.
“Oil Discovery and the Potential for Conflict in Uganda” (with Megan Shannon). 2011. African Studies Quarterly 12(3): 23-45.
“Civil War and the Transnational Diffusion of Domestic Violence” 2011. In War: An Introduction to Theories and Research on Collective Violence, edited by Tor Georg Jakobsen. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
“Civil War Contagion and Neighbor State Intervention” 2010. International Studies Quarterly 54(4): 989-1012.
“Reputation, History, and War” (with Mark J.C. Crescenzi and Stephen B. Long). 2007. Journal of Peace Research 44(6): 651-667.
"Sticking it Out: Instability, Regime Type, and Troop Withdrawals from UN Peacekeeping Operations" (with Molly M. Melin). Forthcoming in Conflict Management and Peace Science.
- For the replication materials, click here.
"United Nations Peacekeeping Effectiveness and Negative Peace" (with Chris Newton, Chhandosi Roy, and Colin Tucker). Forthcoming in International Peacekeeping.
"Understanding Violence Against Civilians by Government and Rebel Forces, Perspectives from Political Science and Health Behavior" (with Sarahmona M. Przybyla). 2020. In Transforming Global Health: Interdisciplinary Challenges, Perspectives, and Strategies, edited by Korydon H. Smith and Pavani K. Ram. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
"Cut Short? United Nations Peacekeeping and Civil War Duration to Negotiated Settlements" (with Michelle Benson). 2019. Journal of Conflict Resolution 63(7): 1601-1629.
- For the replication materials, click here.
"Who Keeps the Peace? Understanding State Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations" (with Molly Melin). 2017. International Studies Quarterly 61(1): 150-162.
- For the replication materials, click here.
- Molly provides a nice write up referencing this research in an article at The Hill, which can be found here.
"Personnel Composition and Member State Contributions to United Nations Peacekeeping Operations." 2017. Forum: "The Known Knowns and Known Unknowns of Peacekeeping Data," edited by Govinda Clayton. International Peacekeeping 24(1): 1-62.
"United Nations Peacekeeping Dynamics and the Duration of Post-Civil Conflict Peace" (with Lisa Hultman and Megan Shannon). 2016. Conflict Management and Peace Science 33(3): 231-249. [Awarded the Palmer Prize for Conflict Management and Peace Science's article of the year.]
- For the replication materials, click here.
“Stopping the Killing during the ‘Peace’: Peacekeeping and the Severity of Post-Conflict Civilian Victimization” (with Reed M. Wood). 2016. Foreign Policy Analysis 12(2): 149-169.
- For the replication materials, click here.
"Ripe for Resolution: Third Party Mediation and Negotiating Peace Agreements" (with Megan Shannon). 2016. In What Do We Know about Civil War? edited by T. David Mason and Sara McLaughlin Mitchell. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlfield.
"Competing for the Crown: Inter-Rebel Competition and Civilian Targeting in Civil Conflict" (with Reed M. Wood). 2015. Political Research Quarterly 68(1): 168-179.
- For the replication materials, click here.
“Beyond Keeping Peace: United Nations Peacekeeping Effectiveness in the Midst of Fighting” (with Lisa Hultman and Megan Shannon). 2014. American Political Science Review 108(4): 737-753.
- For the replication materials, click here.
- A blog post about this and our related AJPS piece can be found at the Early Warning Project here. Also, see a write-up at Global Policy here.
“Too Much of a Bad Thing? Civilian Victimization and Bargaining in Civil War” (with Reed M. Wood). 2014. British Journal of Political Science 44(3): 685-706.
- For the replication materials, click here.
- See the Monkey Cage post about this article here or Reed's write-up here at Political Violence @ a Glance.
“UN Bias and Force Commitments in Civil War” (with Michelle Benson). 2014. Journal of Politics 76(2): 350-363.
- For the replication materials, click here.
"United Nations Peacekeeping and Civilian Protection in Civil War” (with Lisa Hultman and Megan Shannon). 2013. American Journal of Political Science 57(4): 875-891.
- For the replication materials, click here.
- See the Monkey Cage post about this article here. Check out Meg's blog post about the article at the AJPS website here, Lisa's at the E-International Relations site here, or our guest post at The Early Warning Project here. Businessweek made mention here, Erik Voeten commented at Washington Monthly here, and Global Policy considered both the AJPS and APSR pieces in tandem here.
"United Nations Peacekeeping Personnel Commitments, 1990-2011." 2013. Conflict Management and Peace Science 30(5): 532-549.
- For both the aggregate data (mission-month units) and the disaggregated data (contributor-mission-month units) described in the above article, click here.
- For updated data, see the United Nations Peacekeeping Personnel Data Project.
- See the review here over at the Blue Helmets, Big Data blog or here at the Center for Data Innovation.
“Armed Intervention and Civilian Victimization in Intrastate Conflicts” (with Reed M. Wood and Stephen Gent). 2012. Journal of Peace Research 49(5): 647-660.
- For replication materials, click here.
- See the Monkey Cage post about this article here, The Atlantic's mention of our research here, or a reference to our research in the New York Times here.
“Reputation for Alliance Reliability and Alliance Formation” (with Mark J.C. Crescenzi, Katja Kleinberg, and Reed M. Wood). 2012. International Studies Quarterly 56: 259-274.
- For replication materials, click here.
“Civil War Diffusion and Regional Motivations for Intervention” 2011. Journal of Conflict Resolution 55(6): 847-876.
- For replication materials, click here.
“Managing Threats, Costs, and Incentives to Kill? The Short- and Long-Term Effects of Intervention in Mass Killing” (with Reed M. Wood). 2011. Journal of Conflict Resolution 55(5): 735-760.
- For replication materials, click here.
“Oil Discovery and the Potential for Conflict in Uganda” (with Megan Shannon). 2011. African Studies Quarterly 12(3): 23-45.
“Civil War and the Transnational Diffusion of Domestic Violence” 2011. In War: An Introduction to Theories and Research on Collective Violence, edited by Tor Georg Jakobsen. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
“Civil War Contagion and Neighbor State Intervention” 2010. International Studies Quarterly 54(4): 989-1012.
- For replication materials, click here.
“Reputation, History, and War” (with Mark J.C. Crescenzi and Stephen B. Long). 2007. Journal of Peace Research 44(6): 651-667.
- For replication materials, click here.
Working Papers
“UN Peacekeeping Aid and Violence against Peacekeepers in Civil War” (with Jori Breslawski). Under review at the Journal of Politics.
“Quick. But Impactful? United Nations Quick Impact Projects and Violence against Peacekeepers in Civil War” (with Jori Breslawski). Under review at the British Journal of Political Science.
“Mandate Complexity and Personnel Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations” (with Lisa Hultman and Megan Shannon).
“Violence against Civilians and the Duration to UN Peacekeeping Deployment” (with Michelle Benson and Paul F. Diehl).
“United Nations Resource Allocations and Peacekeeping Effectiveness” (with Michelle Benson).
"Tokenism in UN Peacekeeping Personnel Contributions" (with Molly M. Melin).
"Puppeteers, Puppets, and Persecuted Publics: Regime Imposition and State Repression."
“Quick. But Impactful? United Nations Quick Impact Projects and Violence against Peacekeepers in Civil War” (with Jori Breslawski). Under review at the British Journal of Political Science.
“Mandate Complexity and Personnel Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations” (with Lisa Hultman and Megan Shannon).
“Violence against Civilians and the Duration to UN Peacekeeping Deployment” (with Michelle Benson and Paul F. Diehl).
“United Nations Resource Allocations and Peacekeeping Effectiveness” (with Michelle Benson).
"Tokenism in UN Peacekeeping Personnel Contributions" (with Molly M. Melin).
"Puppeteers, Puppets, and Persecuted Publics: Regime Imposition and State Repression."