Research cooperation between Somalia and Sweden began in 1982, but was interrupted in the early 1990s due to the civil war. As Somalia gradually starts the process of institution-building and shifting towards a federal system, the Swedish government is considering whether and in what form to...

Research cooperation between Somalia and Sweden began in 1982, but was interrupted in the early 1990s due to the civil war. As Somalia gradually starts the process of institution-building and shifting towards a federal system, the Swedish government is considering whether and in what form to...

Despite ambivalence towards current state reforms, Somali merchants interact with state agents in the trade corridor that connects southern Somalia to central Kenya. Since the Somalia state collapse of 1991, informal livestock value chains have expanded into north-eastern Kenya. Here, the...

A new DIIS study presents an overview of the role of transit taxes levied at checkpoints in financing ongoing conflicts around the world. Compiling evidence from six different contexts, this DIIS Working Paper finds that in each of the conflicts, checkpoints form a key source of revenue for...

Despite ambivalence towards current state reforms, Somali merchants interact with state agents in the trade corridor that connects southern Somalia to central Kenya. Since the Somalia state collapse of 1991, informal livestock value chains have expanded into north-eastern Kenya. Here, the...

The post-2005 period witnessed an intensified state-led mobilization of the Ethiopian diaspora, leading to the enactment of a national diaspora policy in 2013. This policy was aimed at creating a favorable environment for diasporic involvement in socio-economic life. Prior to this, Ethiopia's...

From the 1980s on Somalia was in the grip of a looming civil war and formal institutions were weak and corrupt, which affected livestock exports. Livestock exports from northern Somalia, now Somaliland, resumed in the early 1990s in the absence of formal institutions and by late 1990, they were...

A new DIIS study presents an overview of the role of transit taxes levied at checkpoints in financing ongoing conflicts around the world. Compiling evidence from six different contexts, this DIIS Working Paper finds that in each of the conflicts, checkpoints form a key source of revenue for...

The United Nations in February 2017 declared a famine emergency in light of the imminent danger of starvation facing an estimated 20 million people in four countries, and appealed urgently for US$4 billion to meet immediate needs. Other countries face grave food shortages that present urgent...

In December 2018, Denmark published a new priority paper guiding its future engagement in the Gulf of Guinea to combat piracy and other types of maritime crime. Against such background, this DIIS report presents the main challenges to maritime security in the region and maps the actors and...

The United Nations in February 2017 declared a famine emergency in light of the imminent danger of starvation facing an estimated 20 million people in four countries, and appealed urgently for US$4 billion to meet immediate needs. Other countries face grave food shortages that present urgent...

Donors face distinct challenges in operating in fragile states and supporting the building of state capacity. This paper explores one type of assistance - the 'embedding' of highly-skilled staff members within local government agencies - through a unique case study of Finn Church Aid's...

Donors face distinct challenges in operating in fragile states and supporting the building of state capacity. This paper explores one type of assistance - the 'embedding' of highly-skilled staff members within local government agencies - through a unique case study of Finn Church Aid's...

The study focuses on specific issues in the system of international security related to modern-day piracy. The first part examines the adequacy of the classical approach treating piracy as a common crime with an international element, comparing contemporary piracy to other illegal activities...

In many developing countries, natural resources such as oil and gas have had negative impact on economic development. There is a myriad of literature on “the resource curse” which shows an austere relationship: countries endowed with huge deposits of oil and gas usually experience lower...

Institution-building in Somalia has met with high levels of failure for two decades. But successes have occurred in other Somali-inhabited regions of the eastern Horn, and have been especially present at the local and municipal level. The most effective aid to institution-building in Somalia has...

Institution-building in Somalia has met with high levels of failure for two decades. But successes have occurred in other Somali-inhabited regions of the eastern Horn, and have been especially present at the local and municipal level. The most effective aid to institution-building in Somalia has...

In many developing countries, natural resources such as oil and gas have had negative impact on economic development. There is a myriad of literature on “the resource curse” which shows an austere relationship: countries endowed with huge deposits of oil and gas usually experience lower...