CRG Seminar: From war to peace in Eastern DRC

Since March 2017, Ntanyoma joined the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam, as a PhD researcher within the Economics of Development & Emerging Markets (EDEM) Programme. His research project focuses on microeconomic analysis of dynamic choices, incentives, alternatives and expectations of combatants who have engaged into the Eastern Congo violence. The researcher project seeks to understand combatant’s motivations of joining, leaving or remaining active within any “military forces” or armed groups. Though scholars have paid more attention on the Eastern Congo conflict, most of these have largely covered the macro level and community level to a lesser extent; while the individual one is likely being disregarded. Therefore, the ongoing project intends to fill the gap by conducting a research at micro level. As a multidisciplinary project combining microeconomics’ principles, conflict theories and political economy, the recommendations of the research will bridge from the macro findings to the micro in order to help in designing policy prospects fitting the context.

Carolien Jacobs is Assistant Professor at the Van Vollenhoven Institute. She has a background in International Development (MSc, Wageningen University) and in Legal Anthropology (PhD Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology/Wageningen University). She is interested in interdisciplinary research. Her research interests are in the fields of law, governance and international development, especially in Africa and in conflict-affected countries. Carolien acquired most of her research experience in Africa, where she has worked on the role of religion in disputes and dispute resolution (Mozambique), on an evaluation of the impact of Dutch development aid on Congolese NGOs and civil society development.