Eyob Fissuh

The EU Peace II Fund and the International Fund for Ireland: Nurturing Cross-Community Contact and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland

Economic aid is one component of peacebuilding that has been given increasing prominence in its ability to build both sustainable peace and development. This article analyses the impact of economic aid on peacebuilding initiatives, looking at the case study of Northern Ireland. Through qualitative and quantitative data analysis, this article addresses whether international economic assistance is able to target the structural forces that have been known to exacerbate ethnic conflicts, and points to both its successes and failures in the perception of the civilian population.

Economic Assistance, Development and Peacebuilding: The Role of the IFI and EU Peace II Fund in Northern Ireland

This article examines the images of 98 study participants interviewed during the summer of 2006 and a public opinion survey of 1,023 adults conducted in October 2006 with regards to the role of the European Union (EU) Peace II Fund and the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) in community development, reconciliation, and sustainable peacebuilding. The perceptions of community group leaders, funding agency civil servants, and development officers are explored with regards to the role of both funds in building the peace dividend in Northern Ireland. Further, the article explains the importance of community development and cross-community contact through joint economic, peace and justice, and social development projects.

Building Trust and Goodwill in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties: The Impact of Economic Aid on the Peace Process

Abstract This article examines attitudes to the impacts of the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) and the European Union Peace II Fund on building trust and goodwill in Northern Ireland. It draws on interviews of 98 study participants conducted during the summer of 2006, and a public opinion survey of 1,023 adults conducted in October 2006. The perceptions of community group leaders, funding agency civil servants and development officers are explored. The experiences of the study participants with the EU Peace II Fund and the IFI are discussed in the wider context of development, peacebuilding and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and in the Border Counties of the Republic of Ireland.

Building the Peace Dividend in Northern Ireland: People's Perceptions of Self and Country

The role of the International Fund for Ireland and the European Union Peace II Fund is examined through the perspectives of a public opinion poll of 1,023 of Northern Irelands citizens, and interviews with 98 community groups, civil servants, and development officers. This article explains that while some of the respondents are optimistic about their life changes others are concerned that the conflict could reignite in the future. In particular, the respondents images indicate the importance of the self–society relationship and the necessity of tailoring economic assistance to the distinctive socioeconomic needs of the targeted communities, and how third parties must include local perspectives in their efforts to build the peace.

Economic Aid: The End of Phase II and the Impact on Sustainable Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland

Abstract Economic aid has been a critical component of the peace process in Northern Ireland allowing for community-based interventions, employment, social inclusion and regional stability. With the second round of funding coming to a close this essay explores the thoughts and perceptions of civil servants, fund administrators and community group leaders in Derry, Belfast and the Border Area to consider peoples reflections on the outcome of funding, concerns for the future once funding ends, what vital work is still needed and what strategies exist to continue the work of peace after the cessation of Phase II.

Measuring the Attributes of Poverty and its Persistence: A Case Study of Eritrea

This paper tries to identify the correlates of poverty in urban Eritrea using an estimation technique (the DOGEV model) that also allows for the inclusion of a measure of persistence- in poverty levels from cross-sectional estimation. The results suggest that 17 percent of the probability of being moderately poor and 22 percent of the probability of being extremely poor in Eritrea was attributable to this persistence - a predisposition toward poverty likely due to latent attributes related to past experience of poverty itself. The results also suggest that, in the post-war economy of the mid-1990s, those with vocational training fared best among all education groups. Being a war veteran also had a strong negative association with the poverty - reflecting successful attempts to support that group. The receipt of remittances also reduced the likelihood of poverty; though receipts from outside Eritrea had a much stronger effect than receipts from within Eritrea.