Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration Programs: An Assessment

Abstract

Disarmament, Demobilizaiton, and Reinegration programs (DDR) have come to be seen as integral to a successful transition to peace and vital to promoting long-term stability, security, and economic development following civil wars. This report provides an assessment of DDR from a social-scientific standpoint. We review the main topics considered by studies in the policy and academic worlds: war recurrence, violence and crime prevention, civic and political participation, wartime trauma, the sequencing of the component parts of DDR programs, and potential adverse effects of DDR interventions. Next, a methodological review addresses how to evaluate the effects of DDR programs. Among the questions about DDR programs currently being asked in the literature, which questions are hard, if not impossible, to answer? Are the right data being collected and appropriate methods used in impact evaluations of DDR programs? We conclude by drawing on our analytical review to provide an agenda for future research. We identify ways that the literature can move forward and draw out the implications of our discussion for the broader literature on peacebuilding interventions.

Keywords: DDR, Civil Wars, Ex-Combatants, Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration

JEL Classification: D74