Social Structural Change: Additional Resources

These references supplement the Knowledge Base Essay, Social Structural Change.

Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts:

Online (Web) Sources

Bachler, Gunther. "Conflict Transformation through State Reform."
http://www.berghof-handbook.net/articles/baechler-handbook.pdf [Backup Link]
This chapter discusses state reform-oriented conflict transformation. Especially for fragile states in war-torn areas, state reform is a prerequisite for civilian conflict resolution, democratic development and active involvement of the population in efforts to establish at least some 'islands' of security.

Social, Economic and Political Change.
Available at: http://gsociology.icaap.org/ [Backup Link]
The basic question of interest is "Why does society develop the way that it does?" How did the various political systems develop, how do different customs and social systems come about. Some specific topics include: what is globalization and how is it happening, why did industrialization first occur in Europe, how far will democratization spread and in what forms. This site is our attempt to study those questions. We present information that looks at long term, large scale changes in social, political and economic systems at the national and international levels. This site presents links to sites with theories, approaches, data and research. The principal aim is to present information that can be used to explain historical change, growth and development.

Offline (Print) Sources

Lumsden, Malvern. "Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Three Zones of Social Reconstruction." In Conflict Resolution: Dynamics, Process, and Structure. Edited by Jeong, Ho-Won, ed. Vermont: Ashgate Publishing, 1999.
The author argues that power-politics and institutional approaches to stopping cycles of violence in war-torn societies must be complemented by three zones of social reconstruction. First, societies must deal with maladaptive social and political systems. Second, societies must reconstruct a sense of community and promote reconciliation. Third, they must develop a rich cultural life as a transitional zone. While the social, economic, and political reconstruction associated with the first zone is crucial, it must be accompanied by increased community and cultural activities if it is to succeed.

Lederach, John Paul. Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies. Herndon, VA: USIP Press, December 1997.
Marrying wisdom, insight, and passion, Lederach explains why we need to move beyond "traditional" diplomacy, which often emphasizes top-level leaders and short-term objectives, toward a holistic approach that stresses the multiplicity of peacemakers, long-term perspectives, and the need to create an infrastructure that empowers resources within a society and maximizes contributions from outside. Primary Link [Backup Link]

Rubenstein, Richard E. "Conflict Resolution and the Structural Sources of Conflict." In Conflict Resolution: Dynamics, Process, and Structure. Edited by Jeong, Ho-Won, ed. Vermont: Ashgate Publishing, 1999.
When social structures fail to satisfy basic needs or secure vital interests, conflict is likely to result. Thus, structural conflict is often the product of a breakdown in patterned social relationships. A crucial aspect of resolving these conflicts is structural change. The author discusses both legal-political and socioeconomic structural changes that aim to transform the system of power, class, and property relations. Rubenstein also addresses the issue of whether revolutionary system changes are possible without mass violence.

Burton, John W. Conflict: Resolution and Provention. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, Inc., July 1990.
The author suggests that protracted conflict often arises out of unmet human needs. Conflict provention seeks to address the underlying systemic causes of conflict rather than merely dealing with its symptoms. It suggests that the best way to deal with serious social problems is to alter the structures of the social environments that give rise to these problems. Primary Link [Backup Link]

Kriesberg, Louis. Constructive Conflicts: From Escalation to Resolution, 2nd Edition. New York: Rowman and Littlefield, November 2002.
This volume discusses the catalysts and phases of conflict as well as the processes of conflict resolution. It identifies the complexities of constructive conflicts and outlines case studies of intractable conflict moving towards resolution.

Dukes, E. Frank. "Structural Forces in Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Democratic Society." In Conflict Resolution: Dynamics, Process, and Structure. Edited by Jeong, Ho-Won, ed. Vermont: Ashgate Publishing, 1999.
Dukes discusses conflict as a structural phenomena and suggests that "stuctural" violence often contributes to protracted conflict. He suggests that the disintegration of community and civic life, citizen alienation from governance, and the inability of public institutions to solve public problems are prime sources of contemporary social problems. The conflict resolution and peace building fields, as well as nonviolent social movements, must confront these key structural issues.

Kritz, Neil J. "The Rule of Law in the Post-Conflict Phase: Building a Stable Peace." In Managing Global Chaos: Sources of and Responses to International Conflict. Edited by Crocker, Chester A., Fen Osler Hampson and Pamela Aall, eds. Washington, D.C.: USIP Press, 1996.
The author discusses some of the structural and procedural elements essential to the functioning of the rule of law, including an independent judiciary, a law enforcement system, and a freely elected representative government. Reckoning with war crimes and other past abuses is also central to maintaining rule of law, and criminals must be held accountable for their actions. In some cases, this will involve removing government officials from their positions of power and instituting a new government. Compensation and restitution are also crucial, as well as constitutional reform and the establishment of new legal entities to deal with justice issues in the post-conflict phase.

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Examples Illustrating this Topic:

Online (Web) Sources

Prado, Tania Palencia. "Advocates and Guarantors: Establishing Participative Democracy in Post-war Guatemala." ACCORD, Vol. 2 , 1997
Available at: Primary Link  [Backup Link]

Scroll down the page and click on "Advocates and Guarantors: Establishing Participative Democracy in Post-war Guatemala." This article examines the non-consensual nature of procedures adopted to finalize the agreed upon peace accords in the mid-1990's in Guatemala. The central concerns of the peace accords include the need to transform existing relations between the state and society so that political institutions are capable, for the first time, of mediating the interests of all social groups in a poor, unequal, multi-ethnic, and multilingual Guatemala. However, this article questions the ability and potency of multiple levels of the peace accords, to actually establish a participative democracy in Guatemala.

Binayak, Ray. "Good Governance, Administrative Reform and Socioeconomic Realities: A South Pacific Perspective." , 1900
Available at: Primary Link  [Backup Link]

This paper examines governance and administrative reform issues in twelve South Pacific Island countries, and concludes that to be effective, reform measures must specifically relate to the country's geography, history, society and economy. The reforms discussed include economic safety nets, policies that establish a clear separation between public and private interests, and predictable law and government institutions.

Murga, Gustavo Palma. "Promised the Earth: Agrarian Reform in the Guatemalan Socio-Economic Agreement." , 1997
Available at: http://www.c-r.org/our-work/accord/guatemala/promised-earth.php  [Backup Link]

Scroll most of the way down the page to this article. It examines economic justice in Guatemala, and focuses on land distribution and how it has impacted indigenous populations and agriculturalists. It also examines the effectiveness and long-term potentials associated with Guatemala's recent socio-economic reforms.

Payin, Emil. "Settlement of Ethnic Conflicts in Post-Soviet Society." In Ethnicity and Power in the Contemporary World. The United Nations University, 1996.
http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu12ee/uu12ee09.htm  [Backup Link]
This article focuses on types of inter-ethnic conflict and their distribution. The Soviet Union's rapid and unprecedented disintegration is, in the author's view, a contributing factor to mounting ethnic tensions brought to a head by plummeting living standards. The establishment of authoritarian-nationalist regimes has further inflamed nationalist passions and led to conflicts, which interact with each other and have a cumulative affect. The author presents a scale of ethno-political stability based on three types of factors: potential conflicts based on the historical and cultural alienation of ethnic communities; conflict of ideas (ranging from nationalistic statements in the press to violent demonstrations); and conflict of action - sporadic clashes or prolonged armed conflict. He suggests that the prevention of ethnic conflicts ultimately requires radical socio-economic and political reforms, plus an ethnic conflict prevention system.

Offline (Print) Sources

Ottaway, Marina. Africa's New Leaders: Democracy or State Reconstruction?. Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January 1, 2000.
"This book's starting assumption is that democracy is always desirable, but may not always be possible in the short and medium run. The road to democracy thus may not initially be democratic. In this perspective, the author examines the experience of a small number of African countries (Uganda, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo) which under the guidance of energetic new leaders have turned the corner away from conflict and economic disintegration and are now pursuing economic and political reform and assertive foreign policies that have made them into important regional players." - Editorial Reviews

Strohmeyer, Hansjorg. "Collapse and Reconstruction of a Judicial System." American Journal of International Law 95:1, January 1, 2001.
This paper discusses the reconstruction of the judicial system in Kosovo and East Timor following the wide-scale "ethnic cleansing." After these events, the United Nations was empowered with virtually all legislative and executive authority in Kosovo and East Timor, as well as responsibility for administration of justice. Part of this was reconstructing various institutions of the public sector, including both political and economic infrastructure. Hansjorg argues that the failure to address past and ongoing violations can thwart all of these broader objectives. Structural reform of the judicial system is necessary to make sure that it is capable of carrying out its central functions. These include arrests, detentions, investigations, and fair trials.

Boyce, James K. "El Salvador's Adjustment Toward Peace: An Introduction." In Economic Policy for Building Peace: The Lessons of El Salvador. Edited by Boyce, James K., ed. Boulder, CO: Lynne Reinner, June 1996.
This introduction analyzes the tensions between economic policy and peace building in El Salvador and draws lessons for post conflict transitions elsewhere. Economic policy during a postwar adjustment toward peace confronts special challenges. Short-term policy must promote not only macroeconomic, but also political stabilization, mobilizing resources and political will for immediate needs. Long-term policy must aim to achieve not only macroeconomic balance, but also equity, or balance in the distribution of income and wealth; balanced investment in human, natural, and physical capital; and democratization in the broad sense of a more balanced distribution of power.

Kinsey, Bill. "Land Reform, Growth, and Equity: Emerging Evidence From Zimbabwe's Resettlement Program." Journal of Southern African Studies 25:2, January 1, 1999.
Zimbabwe's resettlement program is nearly twenty years old. The first families were resettled in 1980, just a few months after independence, and the program has to date resettled over 70,000 families, well short of the target of 162,000 set in the early 1980s. A tension exists over where the program goes from here. This paper argues that negative assessments of Zimbabwe's land reform are both premature and have used inappropriate criteria. A long-term perspective is taken, incorporating experience from elsewhere in the region, that suggests that any attempt at comprehensive evaluation of the benefits of resettlement in less than a generation is ill-advised. The focus is not so much the program as a whole but rather the households participating in it. The paper investigates the benefits from resettlement using a set of variables defining income, consumption and welfare at the household level.

Rigby, Andrew. "Peace-Building in the Occupied Territories: The Challenge of Educational Reform." Peace and Change 19:4, October 1, 1994.
"In September 1993 an outlined peace agreement was signed between Israel and the Palestinians. This represented a major step in the peacemaking process between two hostile parties, but since then hopes of progress have plummeted. Whatever the outcome of the current phase, it is clear that some kind of Palestinian political entity must be established if the minimal demands of the Palestinians are to be met. If such a political entity is to survive and the overall peace process toward a final resolution of the conflict is to progress, then a sustained peace-building effort is required. Among many other things, sustained constructive work is necessary to create a new environment within the occupied territories that will deal with the underlying economic, social, cultural, humanitarian, and political problems that, if left unattended, will undermine any negotiated peace agreement. This article addresses one aspect of such a peace-building program: the necessary reconstruction and reform of the primary and secondary educational system within the West Bank and Gaza Strip."

Ardon, Patricia. Post-War Reconstruction in Central America: Lessons from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Oxford: Oxfam GB, January 1, 1999.
This study explores the experience of post-war reconstruction in three Central American countries. In the opening chapter, Ardon discusses various approaches to peace building and identifies structural injustice as a significant source of protracted conflict.

McCandless, Erin. "Reconciling Relationships While Pursuing Justice: The Case of Land Redistribution in Zimbabwe." Peace And Change 25:2, April 1, 2000.
The author explores how land redistribution in Zimbabwe has helped to establish constructive intercommunal relationships and build a sustainable peace. This case reveals the critical role that social and economic relationships and structures can play in peacebuilding and reconciliation.

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Audiovisual Materials on this Topic:

Offline (Print) Sources

Nkulelko Means Freedom . Directed and/or Produced by: Hallis, Ron and Ophera Hallis. First Run Icarus Films. 1983.
This film shows how an educational system helped to empower the people of Zimbabwe and thus promote a democratic civil society. Primary Link [Backup Link]

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