The costs of war in poor countries: conclusions and policy recommendations

Abstract

The economic and social consequences of conflict in poor countries are considered. A major objective is to identify policies which may reduce the heavy human and economic costs. A general framework is provided for understanding the economic interactions. It also provides an empirical overview of the costs of war for the worst affected countries in the 1970s and 1980s. This paper was presented at 'Conflict Prevention and Peaceful Development: Policies to Reduce Inequality and Exclusion', a CRISE policy conference held on July 9-10, 2007 at Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford