World Bank, NGOs and the private sector in post-war reconstruction

Addressing violent conflict is increasingly becoming an integral part in the agenda of many international organizations, including those traditionally involved in development assistance. Their approach and operational practices, however, continue to be based on the postulates of a neo-liberal economic paradigm, which lacks the conceptual tools for understanding conflict as a specific social construct. This analysis looks at recent experience - their roles and relevance - of the World Bank, NGOs and the private sector in assisting the rehabilitation of war-torn societies. It argues that the engagement of these three social actors in reconstruction in the aftermath of new types of conflict characteristic of the contemporary era has failed to penetrate to the root causes of conflict. It suggests that a new approach to understanding the nature of contemporary violence is needed as a precondition for formulating a response that can adequately correspond to the needs of the conflict-affected population.