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Join us on Wednesday, 26th March, from 1-2pm in the Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room, University of Galway, for 'Assessing Social Capital's Impact on Resilience in Humanitarian and Development Contexts' with Dr Catriona Dowd and Dr Kelsey Rhude as part of our Lunchtime Seminar Series.

Abstract:  
The study employs a scoping review to assess social capital's impact on community resilience in both humanitarian and development contexts. Few studies captured in the review substantively discuss social capital and resilience in environments affected by conflict and violence. This evidence gap is noteworthy given the concentration of humanitarian needs in conflict and violence-affected contexts, and growing attention to integrated approaches under the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. The analysis determines that evidence is strongest in relation to the impact of bonding social capital on community resilience, but this is primarily at the level of first response. Facilitating longer-term transformative resilience is associated more significantly with bridging and linking forms, but these categories tend to be collapsed in existing literature.

This research was undertaken as part of the Social Capital in Urban Fragile and Conflict-Affected Contexts (SoCap) project, a three-year research programme led by University College Dublin and the University of Vermont, with partners in Haiti and Somalia. The project is funded by Concern Worldwide.

Bio: Dr Caitriona Dowd

Caitriona Dowd is Assistant Professor and Ad Astra Fellow in UCD's School of Politics and International Relations. Her research focuses on dynamics of political violence, with particular attention to the role of conflict in humanitarian crises and food insecurity; civilian targeting; and the use of new and emerging methodologies for violence monitoring. Caitriona's work has been published in international peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Peace Research, African Affairs, Terrorism and Political Violence, Political Geography and Peacebuilding, among others. Caitriona currently co-leads the Role of Social Capital in Urban Fragile and Conflict-affected Contexts (SoCap) research project with teams in Haiti and Somalia, funded by Concern Worldwide; and a Research Ireland-funded COALESCE project on the gendered dimensions of food insecurity and hunger in peacebuilding with collaborators in South Africa, South Sudan, Liberia and Colombia. In her previous role as a peace and conflict specialist in the humanitarian sector, Caitriona worked in contexts including Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mali, Somalia and South Sudan.

Bio: Dr Kelsey Rhude

Kelsey Rhude recently completed her doctoral thesis at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the University of Galway and is currently a research associate at UCD for the project, ‘The Role of Social Capital in Urban Fragile Contexts (SoCap)’, led by Dr Caitriona Dowd. Kelsey's research evaluates local and survivor-centred approaches to transitional justice in Liberia's post-conflict landscape, with particular focus on the Palava Hut mechanism, the Liberian TRC, and reparations. Kelsey is an early career researcher with expertise in socio-legal and qualitative research in the fields of transitional justice, peacebuilding, and international human rights law.