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Mainstreaming inclusive violence prevention in the agenda of multilateral development banks : the case of the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank in Latin America and the Caribbean

Mainstreaming inclusive violence prevention is a policy option that has been under-studied. As a strategy, mainstreaming responds to the transversal nature of violence both in its multi-dimensionality and multi-causality, and ultimately highlights violence’s intrinsic links to development. It also acknowledges the strong gender dimensions at play in the manifestation and reproduction of violence. Building upon this understanding and developing a framework for it, this research examines opportunities and constraints for mainstreaming inclusive violence prevention in the agendas of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). For the past three decades, citizens in LAC have suffered from pandemic levels of violence, which has proved extremely complex and difficult to tackle. Governments in LAC have called for support from two of the largest MDBs in the region, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank. Both have responded, yet slowly and timidly. This research asks three main questions: Why has violence prevention remained marginalised in MDBs’ agendas despite its socio-economic multiplier effects on development? What are the opportunities and constraints to mainstream inclusive violence prevention in MDBs’ agenda? How do national counterparts perceive the potential for mainstreaming inclusive violence prevention and the relevance of MDBs in this regard? The research uses a qualitative methodology, including more than 150 in-depth interviews with MDBs’ staff, shareholders, counterparts, and key informants, and a case study in Colombia. Building on three conceptual bodies of literature related to priority-setting, mainstreaming and donor-recipient aid relations, the research uses cognitive frame, actor power, operational knowledge and organisational treatment as keys to explore the research questions. The findings show that multiple constraints exist, such as competing cognitive frames, contradictory incentives for staff, leadership turnover and lack of in-house expertise, and scattered efforts to develop operational knowledge. Yet opportunities also exist, including an increasing internal space for dialogue, particularly in some sectors, and interest and demand from countries. The main contribution of this thesis is to develop a framework to disentangle factors at play in the emergence and institutionalisation of new, complex, transversal issues that could be usefully adapted to other contexts and topics.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:644431
Date January 2014
CreatorsFevre, C. M.
PublisherUniversity College London (University of London)
Source SetsEthos UK
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Sourcehttp://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1466185/

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