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Political Economy of Armed Conflicts

Module description

Since the 1980s, there has been a rapid expansion of literature on political economy of armed conflicts, civil wars or humanitarian emergencies. Traditionally, wars were perceived to disrupt conditions under which economic laws apply, however, wars generate new licit and illicit economies that, in turn, contribute to the longevity of armed conflicts.  In this module, you will study about economic networks (international, national and local) that support and feed into armed conflicts e.g. companies benefiting from wars, warlords and war economies, economies of terrorism etc.  The module will explore a range of theories in the field and will explore the applicability of these theories in examples in the Middle East (e.g. Syria and Iraq), South Asia (Afghanistan), & Africa (Sierra Leon, Angola and DRC).  In this module, you will also learn about the challenges of transforming war economies into peace economies. 

Module aims - intentions of the module

The overarching objective of the class is for you to develop interdisciplinary and scientific skills critical for understanding the complexity of the politics and economies of armed conflict.  Through a combination of readings, critical discussions, watching documentaries & media analysis, lectures, analysis of current events, and participatory exercises (e.g. group work and presentations), you will develop a core base of knowledge about war economies and resilience of illicit economies of wars.   

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of economic foundations of wars
• 2. Appreciate economic foundations of inter-state and intra-state armed conflicts through a wide range of examples of current and historical conflicts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Appreciate the complexities of the topic and the interlinkages between politics, sociology and economics perspectives aimed at providing a wholistic understanding of economic foundations of armed conflicts.
• 4. Acquire and display a range of conceptual frameworks and theories from various relevant fields.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Demonstrate empathic appreciation of policy decisions.
• 6. Demonstrate awareness of contingency in decision-making processes.
• 7. Demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited timeframe, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.
• 8. Communicate effectively in speech and writing.
• 9. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills through tutorial discussions and module assessments
• 10. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the internet, online journal databases and other IT resources for the purposes of tutorial and assessment preparation.
• 11. Demonstrate effective applied writing.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Conceptual and theoretical frameworks in studying armed conflicts
• Historical trends
• Political economy of natural resources
• Licit and illicit economic roots of armed conflicts
• Transformation of war economies into peace economies 

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

1)    Stubbs, Richard,2018, “Rethinking Asia’s Economic Miracle: The Political Economy of War, Prosperity and Crisis”, 2^nd Edition, US: Palgrave

2)    Berman, Eli, 2009, “Radical, Religious, and Violent: The New Economics of Terrorism”, London: The MIT Press,

3)    Humphreys, Macartan, Jeffrey Sachs, Joseph Stiglitz, 2007, “Escaping the Resource Curse”, New York: Columbia University Press,

4)    Journal articles and research & Policy Reports

Key words search

War & armed conflicts, political economies, resource curse, illicit economies of war machine