Network Paper 33: The Political Economy of War

Author(s)
Le Billon, P.
Publication language
English
Pages
48pp
Date published
01 Jul 2000
Type
Research, reports and studies
Keywords
Conflict, violence & peace
Organisations
ODI
This paper suggests that a ‘political economy’ approach
to war – one which focuses on how the distribution of
wealth and power is affected during conflict – has far
reaching implications for relief work.
 
Chapter 1 sets out to distinguish
the key features of war economies. Chapter 2 examines
the relations between vulnerability and war. Chapter 3
places relief in a political economy perspective and
considers the risks of its manipulation. Chapter 4 details
the dimensions of international action in war and ways
to enhance the protection of populations through a
political economy framework. The concluding Chapter 5
draws out the implications for the way relief agencies
organise their activity.