Violent Environments and Infrastructures

In its research on the topic of “Violent Environments and Infrastructures”, bicc explores how differing worldviews on access to resources, climate-driven scarcity and development projects contribute to social conflicts. The objective is to gain insight into and address the link between violent conflict and social inequalities through a sustainability perspective.

 

The divergence of perspectives among individuals regarding the accessibility, regulation, utilisation and exploitation of renewable and non-renewable natural resources, such as water, land, minerals or grazing land, provides a foundation for the emergence of social conflicts that can potentially escalate into violent conflicts.

Furthermore, many marginalised and underprivileged people across the globe are facing rising resource shortages due to climate change. Large-scale infrastructure, economic growth and nature conservation initiatives promise a better future. At the same time, these very initiatives may also obstruct some people's access to resources and jeopardise their local livelihood strategies. Climate change and long-term development strategies promote socio-ecological transformation processes that are fraught with social and political conflict.

bicc seeks to establish an applied understanding of sustainability that addresses the relationship between violent conflict and social inequality by tackling the challenges presented by the climate crisis, food insecurity, land-use change and the control of access to land.

Experts

Nadia Ali

PhD Researcher

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Dr Benjamin Etzold

Senior Researcher

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Dr Birgit Kemmerling

Senior Researcher

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Dr Katja Mielke

Senior Researcher

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Marie Müller-Koné

Senior Researcher

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Rebecca Navarro

Web Programming & Databases \ Researcher

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Evelyne Atieno Owino

PhD Researcher

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Elizabeth Mumbi Ndunda

Fellow

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Dr Lamis Saleh

Senior Researcher

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Professor Dr Conrad Schetter

Director

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Lars Wirkus

Senior Management \ Head of Research Infrastructure and Data

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Selected Publications

Report

Etzold, B., & Müller-Koné, M.

Boundary-Making in a Contested Space. Food Security and Conflict Dynamics in Marsabit, Kenya

bicc , Bonn (2023)

Open
Journal article

Navarro, R., & Wirkus, L., & Dubovyk, O.

Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Olive Orchard Intensification in the Saïss Plain (Morocco) Using k-Means and High-Resolution Satellite Data

MDPI , Basel (2023)

Open
Journal Article

Schetter, C., & Mkutu, K., & Müller-Koné, M.

Frontier NGOs: Conservancies, control, and violence in northern Kenya

(2022)

Open
Book chapter

Owino, E., & Mkutu, K., & Enns, C.

Large Infrastructure Projects and Cascading Land Grabs

Routledge , London (2023)

Open
Journal Article

Mkutu, K.

The Frontier on the Doorstep: Development and Conflict Dynamics in the Southern Rangelands of Kenya

Taylor & Francis (2023)

Open
Journal Article

Kemmerling, B., & Schetter, C., & Wirkus, L.

The logics of war and food (in)security

Science Direct (2022)

Open
Journal Article

Swatuk, L., & Thomas, B., & Wirkus, L., & Krampe, F., & Batista da Silva, L.

The ‘boomerang effect’: Insights for improved climate action

, Taylor & Francis (2020)

Open
bicc Policy brief

Grawert, E.

Towards conflict-sensitive employment in large-scale infrastructure projects in fragile and conflict-affected settings: Recommendations for donor agencies

BICC , Bonn (2018)

Open

Related Projects

FooCo - Food Security and Conflict Dynamics in northern Kenya

2022-09

running

De:link//Re:link: China's New Silk Road Initiative in North Rhine-Westphalia and Pakistan

2021-04

running

I-WALAMAR Sustainable Transformations in rural Morocco

2019-07

closed

"Future Rural Africa: Future-making and social-ecological transformation" Collaborative Research Center 228

2018-04

running

TelePAtH - Food security in West Africa

2017-06

closed

MENA SELECT – MENA Sustainable ELECtricity Trajectories

2015-05

closed

Conflict-sensitive Employment under Construction: Peace and Stability Strategies for the Private Sector in Afghanistan

2015-02

closed

Development of social requirements for concentrated solar power (CSP) plants in the MENA region

2014-01

closed

G-SEXTANT

2013-01

closed

Artisanal miners in developing countries

2011-02

closed

System for Monitoring Law Enforcement of Informal Mining (SYMIN)

2011-02

closed

Socio-economic repercussions of Chinese oil investments in South Sudan

2011-02

closed

Consultancy on regional resource governance in Sierra Leone and neighboring states

2010-01

closed

Cooperation in the ‘Fatal Transactions’ (FT) network

2009-01

closed

Digging for Peace: Private companies and emerging economies in zones of conflict. International Fatal Transactions conference 2008

2009-01

closed

Field research Cote d'Ivoire

2009-01

closed

Transportation infrastructure in Germany and its relevance to security technologies and employment

2008-01

closed

Resources for a Fairer World—Photo Exhibition

2008-01

closed

Resource conflict monitor

2007-01

closed

Transboundary water management and crisis prevention

2006-01

closed