The Conflict and Recovery Lab is a research group in the Department of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, directed by Dr. Blair Welsh. The lab studies how people and institutions respond to insecurity in conflict-affected societies. Its work is organized around four themes: the strategic logic of armed violence, law and justice in and after war, health and environmental risk, and recovery and reconciliation. The lab's regional focus is sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa.
The lab aims to produce rigorous social science research that is relevant to policymakers, practitioners, and international organizations working in conflict-affected settings. Its research has been supported by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), the IKEA Foundation, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), New York University Abu Dhabi, and the University of Western Ontario. It includes collaborations with the Ministry of Justice in Somalia, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Department of Peace Operations, UN Women, and Youth Action Against Poverty.
Field Sites
The lab conducts fieldwork across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa. The map shows active and prior field sites, which are listed by country below it.