Can International Interventions Build States? Evidence from UNDP

• In Event: Poster Session: International Collaboration

Abstract

Are international interventions successful at state-building? Existing research is inconclusive and presents contradictory arguments about the effectiveness of state-building projects. I take a fresh look at this debate by focusing on one of the largest but under-studied state-building organization in the world: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). UNDP provides a crucial test for the power of international interventions: its work with long time horizons, deep financial resources, and broad global presence better situates its projects for success than any organization. Using a new dataset of geolocated UNDP state-building projects and expenditures, I find that UNDP's state-building work is associated with a statistically significant decrease in violence -- overall, by state actors, and by non-state actors. This is consistent with the most optimistic arguments in support of state-building, suggesting that with the right approach international organizations can successfully build states.

Author

• Annamaria Prati, Washington University in St. Louis