When Do Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Programs Succeed?

Abstract

One of the key problems in post-war societies is the identification of schemes that convince former combatants to hand in their weapons and reintegrate into civil society. In an attempt to facilitate the transition from war to peace, Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs have become key components of national and international efforts to pacify post-conflict societies. Assisting fighters to gain a foothold in civil society is thought to prevent their return to combat and in the long-run the re-outbreak of war. Analogous to sustained investments in DDR measures as well as to a noteworthy increase in the number and scope of such measures, a growing -- but still relatively small -- body of literature is attempting to catch up with these developments. In an effort to gather what we know about factors contributing to the success of DDR, this discussion paper provides a synthesis of the current literature. Even though emphasis is put on the emerging body of quantitative research, it also draws on reports of practitioners and in-depth case studies responding to two guiding questions: How effective are DDR programs? And which factors and circumstances contribute to or impede their success. Analytically this paper proposes to locate findings in literature on three levels of analysis: the macro level/context factors, meso level/program factors and micro level/individual level factors.