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Past Research at ISERP

Protecting Children from War and Ensuring their Prospects for the Future: Educating in the Context of Crisis and Transition

by Jack Snyder (Political Science), Leigh Linden (Economics), and Dana Burde (Saltzman Institute of War and Piece Studies)

The Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and the Program on Forced Migration and Health at Columbia University will conduct a pilot project (from September 2005 to May 2006) for a larger study that will explore and assess educational programming delivered to civilian populations affected by war. Humanitarian agencies view education as a way to protect children from violence, promote child welfare, and enhance stability in communities recovering from violent conflict. The increased attention to education in relief work is reflected in the rising numbers of international organizations that focus on these programs, the greater funding available for this purpose, and the expanded role for education policies in post-conflict state building. Although these programs seem promising, little is known about the impact they have on the children they are meant to support. To examine if and how education improves child welfare in early reconstruction, and to inform policy and funding decisions, we propose to study education programs supported by international organizations working in Afghanistan. We will gather panel data on adolescents enrolled in three types of schools (NGO, government, Koranic), and on adolescents with similar socioeconomic backgrounds who are not enrolled, comparing outcomes across these four categories. The pilot project, for which we are requesting funding from the Spencer Foundation, will test the research instruments (survey, achievement test, interview protocol), and provide detailed information on their accuracy and necessary revisions in order to ensure success of the larger study.