The Power-Sharing Event Dataset (PSED): a new dataset on the promises and practices of power-sharing in post-conflict countries

Past research on the relationship between power-sharing arrangements and the recurrence of civil conflict has primarily analyzed the promises of power-sharing stipulated in peace agreements. What happens afterwards, however, has not yet been sufficiently explored. This represents a major research gap, as the actual practices of power-sharing in post-conflict countries are likely to be influential in the possibility of civil conflict recurring. To address this shortcoming, we present a new global dataset on the promises and practices of power-sharing between the government of a state and former rebels in post-conflict countries. The collected data captures if, when and how power-sharing institutions have been promised and/or put into place, and whether they have subsequently been modified or abolished. The dataset encompasses every peace agreement signed after the cessation of a civil conflict in the years between 1989 and 2006, and covers a five-year period after the signature of each of these agreements (unless violence recurred earlier). The unit of analysis is the government–rebel dyad during the post-conflict period and data is recorded in an event data format. A first analysis of the Power-Sharing Event Dataset (PSED) reveals that the effects of the promises of power-sharing on civil conflict recurrence follow a different logic than the effects of their practices. This finding emphasizes the necessity for in-depth analyses of post-conflict situations for which the PSED provides the necessary data

Negotiating peace: the role of procedural and distributive justice in achieving durable peace

Many civil wars have been terminated with a peace agreement that ends the fighting, but these agreements have not always resulted in lasting peace. Earlier research on peace agreements has missed important points during which justice principles can play a role in establishing durable peace – during the negotiation process itself (procedural justice: PJ) and as incorporated into the negotiated outcome (distributive justice: DJ). Nor has the earlier research con-sidered the variety of dimensions that define durable peace, including recon-ciliation, governance and security institution building and economic growth. This study fills these gaps by examining the relationship between the justice and peace variables in 50 civil wars. Our analyses show that PJ and DJ led to more stable agreements and to a more durable peace: A significant time-lagged path from the justice to peace variables was demonstrated. The results suggest that just negotiation processes and outcomes are important contributors to peace