Can employment build peace? A pseudo-meta-analysis of employment programmes in Africa

Abstract

Abstract We examine an implicit theory of change in multiple strands of development programming —\xa0that a desired outcome can be brought about by programming typologies that aim to spur development in another area. In what we call a “pseudo-meta-analysis” across five African countries, we link the location of employment programmes to stability-related outcomes. While we show some positive impacts, specifically on fear of crime, these outcomes are far from universal. We conclude that there are some grounds for optimism but more case-studies are required at the programmatic level.