The Owl and the Dove : Knowledge Strategies to Improve the Peacebuilding Practice of Local Non-Governmental Organisations

Local non-governmental organisations in conflict-torn countries find themselves in rapidly changing circumstances. This calls for flexibility and the capacity to learn. Locally appropriate ways to deal with conflict are needed but difficult to find. Peacebuilders (the dove) face various constraints as they develop and share their knowledge (the owl). Based on research carried out mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and the Philippines, The Owl and the Dove maps these elements in order to find out how peace workers can become more effective learners. It pays attention to exchanges with donor organisations, knowledge institutions and networks.The book makes concrete recommendations for capacity building, organisational learning, research, and networking, so that these activities may help overcome structural inequalities and constraints, strengthen the learning capacity of peacebuilders, and improve the global knowledge base for better peace policy and practice

Supplemental Data for: Civil society in a divided society

This dataset includes data from a survey of constituencies (members and/or beneficiaries) of case study CSOs in Bosnia-Herzegovina conducted in 2014. It consists of raw survey data and R script which generates a report. It also includes an appendix with additional data supporting the conclusions

Learning by Southern Peace NGOs

Literature and policies on learning by NGOs focus on internal processes in Northern organisations. This article examines the learning processes of Southern NGOs by studying peacebuilding organisations in several African and Asian countries. These organisations learn mostly in an interactive way, emphasising exchange with other practitioners and beneficiaries. However, these learning strategies are limited by competition and distrust among SNGOs and by the imposition of policy by donors. SNGOs feel constrained particularly in doing research and documenting local knowledge, activities for which they lack the time and skills, but which potentially could strengthen their role in international debates and policymaking.

Thinking beyond the liberal peace: From utopia to heterotopias

Contains fulltext : 111914.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)25 p