Bridge over Troubled Water: Conflict and Cooperation During Water Scarcity

Summary

This Development Dissertation Brief (DDB) builds on completed doctoral research on the role of water resources for cooperation and conflict among non-state actors. Building on statistical modeling, the analyses make extensive use of geographic information to gauge the relationship between water access and socio-economic processes, such as conflict. The work investigates how insufficient groundwater access can increase the incidence of communal violence. The analysis of spillover processes, specifically, shows that drought impacts violence not locally but through wider neighborhood effects. Shifting to the potential of cooperation between actors, the research further provides evidence of how drought could be a harbinger for cooperation, both between individuals and groups. This work has several implications for policy and research. Throughout the dissertation, the author argues that analyzing and addressing different group-levels is key because conflict and cooperation dynamics transition different spheres of action (individual, group, state, etc.). The author further argues that groundwater represents a vital buffer during drought. Yet, ground water needs to be better monitored and managed in order to prevent conflicts.