Governance and conflict management: implications for donor intervention

Conflict, a state of opposition between ideas or interests, is unavoidable. Indeed, conflict can be a desirable generator of positive change and improvement. However, when conflict is expressed through violence, it can lead to massive civilian casualties, displacement, economic hardship and state collapse – with the poor invariably being hit hardest. The premise of this paper is that it is possible to manage difference and divergence constructively and without resort to violence.