Civil war is now the dominant form of war. It inflicts tremendous human suffering, in terms of casualties and refugees, in addition to severely damaging societies, economies and the environment. Civil war is more frequent in poor countries and further weakens their prospects for economic development. Yet, civil war is less studied than interstate war.
CSCW aims to clarify the ways in which actors respond to civil war, in all its phases from onset to post conflict, whether as primary participants, general citizenry or intervening powers.
CSCW research seeks to strengthen the foundation for preventive and conflict-resolving initiatives of governments and other public bodies, organizations that participate in peacebuilding operations, and agencies assisting refugees in war zones.
CSCW staff includes PRIO researchers and eminent scholars from other institutions in several countries, including countries with a record of recent conflict. Together with doctoral candidates and selected MA students, they bring the insights and complementary strengths of economics, history, political science, philosophy, demography, geography and sociology to bear on a set of related research questions.
CSCW is an autonomous centre within the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), its host institution.
