A jury consisting of Mats Hammarström (Uppsala University), Caroline Hartzell (Gettysburg College), and Eric Neumayer (LSE) has awarded the 2013 Journal of Peace Research 'Nils Petter Gleditsch Article of the Year Award' to Anja Shortland (King's College London), Katerina Christopoulou (Risk Management Solutions), and Charalampos Makatsoris (Brunel University). In its assessment of all research articles published in JPR's 50th volume, the jury paid attention to theoretical rigour, methodological sophistication and substantive relevance. According to the jury, the prize-winning article, 'War and famine, peace and light? The economic dynamics of conflict in Somalia 1993-2009', Journal of Peace Research 50(5): 545–561, '...devises a creative means of testing a central argument in the war economy literature regarding the economic incentives actors may have for prolonging a conflict. Noting the problems that the absence of reliable economic data pose for statistical tests, the authors cleverly employ night-time light emissions as a proxy for income. Employing geospatial analyses of settlement patterns in Somali cities, the authors find that while rich residents are generally able to insulate themselves from the effects of conflict, the poor reap a significant dividend from the peace. The authors' finding that some groups benefit economically from the international aid flows triggered by conflict constitutes yet another piece of evidence they suggest needs to be considered by actors associated with peace initiatives.'
The article is available online
The award is USD 1,000.
Honourable mention goes to the runners-up:
Jennifer L Erickson (Boston College) 'Stopping the legal flow of weapons: Compliance with arms embargoes, 1981–2004', Journal of Peace Research 50(2): 159–174.
And
Cyrus Samii (New York University) 'Who wants to forgive and forget? Transitional justice preferences in postwar Burundi', Journal of Peace Research 50(2): 219–233.
