CGD research on fragile states focuses on understanding the process of transition from immediate post-conflict assistance to longer-term development assistance.
The goals include
- understanding the consequences of fragility;
- finding ways to improve the effectiveness of aid to fragile states; and,
- identifying turning points that signal when donors should shift from post-conflict to longer-term development assistance.
CGD senior fellow Vijaya Ramachandran leads this research, which is intended to help inform the work of policymakers and practitioners working on post-conflict reconstruction and development in difficult environments (Follow on Twitter 
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Together with Satish Chand, professor of economics at the University of New South Wales, Ramachandran has commissioned a series of papers by aid practitioners currently or recently active in post-conflict assistance programs. Drawing upon the papers, Ramachandran and Chand plan to develop practical guidelines to help policymakers and practitioners working on weak and fragile states to think through the challenges they face on the ground.
Areas of interest include analysis of donor relationships with the military, the sequencing and coordination of donor activity in post-conflict settings, the value of the European Union’s Stability Instrument, the revival of basic public services in post-conflict countries and the incentives of government actors in various post-conflict settings.
Previous CGD work on weak and fragile states includes the following working papers, books and reports:
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- Civil War: A Review of Fifty Years of Research (2009)
A CGD working paper by Christopher Blattman, a former CGD post-doctoral fellow currently at Yale University, and Edward Miguel of the University of California–Berkeley, investigates how civil wars begin, how the actors are organized, and what economic effects civil wars have on their societies.
Africa’s Private Sector: What’s Wrong with the Business Environment and What to do About It (2009)
Ramachandran, with Alan Gelb, and Manju Kedia Shah, use enterprise survey data from over 5,000 businesses to explore the roadblocks to private sector growth in Africa, including countries like Rwanda, Congo, and Angola, which are emerging from many years of conflict.
The Pentagon and Global Development: Making Sense of the DoD's Expanding Role (2007)
A working paper by Stewart Patrick and Kaysie Brown, former CGD researchers now based at the Council on Foreign Relations, looks at the growing involvement of the Department of Defense (DoD) in providing U.S. foreign aid.
Short of the Goal: US Policy and Poorly Performing States (2006)
An edited volume of chapters outlining strategies for aid to countries consistently at risk of failure.
On the Brink: Weak States and U.S. National Security Security (2004)
The report was prepared by a high level, bi-partisan commission of academics, former government officials, and business leaders who sought to draw attention to the danger that weak developing states played to the national security of the United States.
