Sean Byrne

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.

Civil Society Leaders’ Perceptions of Hopes and Fears for the Future: The Impact of the International Fund for Ireland and the European Union Peace III Fund in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties

Civil society actors such as nongovernmental voluntary community group leaders as well as funding agency development officers have taken a leading role in implementing grassroots-level peacebuilding efforts in post peace accord Northern Ireland. It is important to map these civil society leaders’ direct experience and their perceptions to assess the impact of the funding in the overall peace process in Northern Ireland. This article captures the hopes and fears of 120 civil society leaders and funding agency development officers in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties whose projects are funded by the International Fund for Ireland and/or the European Union Peace III Fund. Many respondents concurred that both funds have genuinely contributed toward achieving the overall goals of peacebuilding (though mostly at the grassroots level) while some were skeptical about the future sustainability of the peace process. Their skepticism was evident, as few tangible changes at the macro political–economic level have occurred since 1998 as the funding draws to an end in 2013. However, the respondents also highlighted the uncertain future that now exists for the younger generation. There is also an absence of effective leadership in the wake of the recent trend of dissident violence, which has a denegrating effect on envisioning a peaceful and just society for all citizens in Northern Ireland.

Development interventions and conflict transformation: An exploration of perceptions about the impact of economic aid in peacebuilding and the economic development in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties

This article analyzes perceptions of the impacts of the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) and the European Union (EU) Peace II Fund on economic development in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. It draws on interviews of 98 study participants conducted during the summer of 2006. The perceptions of community group leaders, funding agency civil servants, and development officers are explored. The images of the respondents and aid recipients of the EU Peace II Fund and the IFI are discussed in the broader context of peacebuilding and economic development in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties.