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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

The Kenyan case also underlines the destructive effects of a general perception of the urban poor as a security risk: election-related violence in these cities also includes police brutality and extrajudicial killings of real or perceived criminal elements during election periods. (8/9)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

I complement the statistical analyses with qualitative insights from low-income areas of Nakuru and Nairobi, two rapidly growing Kenyan cities. The dynamics of contestation in these neighbourhoods align with my overall argument but also underline the importance of local context and history. (7/9)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Extended analysis indicates that urban growth is associated with a higher risk of election violence in larger, more established cities (including both major and secondary cities), but not in the smallest cities. This is in line with arguments that ‘new cities’ feature distinct urban politics. (6/9)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

My analysis also underlines that factors like political importance and city size are stronger predictors of electoral violence, and that context-specific dynamics condition the effects of urban growth. (5/9)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

In my statistical analyses, I identify a robust positive correlation between the pace of population growth and the risk of electoral violence in the city. The results hold when controlling for city size, media freedom, and socioeconomic factors that could affect both urban growth and violence. (4/9)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

While many previous studies of urban growth and violence have focused only on major cities (and generally found little evidence of such a relationship), I include a broader range of smaller and larger cities across Africa, enabling new insights. (3/9)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

While urbanization holds a strong potential for progress and democracy-enhancement, rapid urban growth can also sharpen political competition and intensify urban grievances. I argue this can incentivise and enable political leaders to use violence to shape election outcomes. (2/9)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

How does rapid urban growth affect the risk of electoral violence in African cities? In a new article (open access in World Development), I find that cities growing more rapidly were at higher risk of electoral violence. doi.org/10.1016/j.wo... (1/9)

doi.org

Redirecting

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

These findings make two important contributions: we provide new empirical evidence about the discontinuity in wartime and postwar urban violence, and develop and test theoretical arguments about how the transition from war to postwar shapes urban contestation, under different conditions. (5/5)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Instead, we find that politically important cities (national or regional capitals) and cities where the war ended through rebel victory, are more likely to see high levels of postwar violence. We connect this to the way that contestation remains, but motives and opportunites shift, after war. (4/5)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

In our analyses, we find that the level of violence in the city during war is a poor predictor of postwar urban violence. If anything, cities that saw high wartime violence experience lower levels of postwar violence compared to other cities. (3/5)

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Using cross-case and micro-level data, we study how both levels and dynamics of violence change from war to postwar. We analyse a dataset covering postwar cities around the world, as well as novel micro-level data from five cities to study the dynamics of violence in more depth. (2/5)

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Reposted by Emma Elfversson

Department of Government, Uppsala University @uu-polisci.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

We’re live! 🚀 Say hello to the official Bluesky account of Uppsala University's Department of Government 🏛️✨ Follow us for the latest on cutting-edge research, publications 📚, and upcoming events.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Agenda 2030 is being systematically deprioritized by the Swedish government, with harmful consequences both for global development and Swedish security. Debate article by me, Jesper Sundewall, Janet Vähämäki and Petra Tötterman Andorff, on behalf of SweDev and CONCORD Sweden (in Swedish).

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

No universal cure for the growing pains of African cities, me, @krishogl.bsky.social, Angela Muvumba Sellström & Camille Pellerin conclude in this recent NAI blog post. It summarizes research within our Urban dilemma project (funded by the discontinued VR Uforsk grant). nai.uu.se/stories-and-...

nai.uu.se

No universal cure for the growing pains of African cities - The Nordic Africa Institute

Cities like Addis Ababa, Nairobi, and Kampala demonstrate how urbanisation can drive economic progress but also exacerbate communal violence and resource competition. Research on these cities reveals ...

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Reposted by Emma Elfversson

Sebastian van Baalen @sebastianvanbaalen.se · 25/11/2024

🎓 The call is out for my favorite academic conference: the Conflict Research Society Annual Conference 2025. If you like your conferences inviting, informal, theoretically and empirically diverse, and full of relevant practitioners, CRS is for you! conflictresearchsociety.org/call-for-pap...

conflictresearchsociety.org

Call for papers 2025 - CRS

Call for papers 2025 CRS

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Reposted by Emma Elfversson

Sebastian van Baalen @sebastianvanbaalen.se · 09/11/2024

As people are leaving X and joining Bluesky instead, here is a starter pack of peace and conflict researchers for all new users ⤵️ go.bsky.app/7o8tZt2

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 16/04/2024

About two-thirds of respondents (65%) say their work was either discontinued or significantly altered as a result of the funding cuts. Long-term projects, collaborative research with colleagues in other countries, and networks that have been built up over time are particularly impacted.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 16/04/2024

67% say that their incentives to include researchers from the Global South were negatively affected and 38% reported that their research teams’ structure has changed because of the funding cuts.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 16/04/2024

Some key findings: 53% of the respondents in research/academia have adjusted their research in response to the funding cuts. 33% of respondents say they have changed their research topics, and 20% have shifted geographical research focus.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 16/04/2024

How have the cuts in funding affected development researchers? SweDev surveyed 200 researchers and practitioners, and responses indicate significant impacts in research foci and collaborations. Read the report here: swedev.dev/report-the-c... #polisky #conflictsky

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 15/02/2024

While you're there, check out CHRIPS' other reports - in depth and insightful analyses of insecurity and human rights in Kenya: chrips.or.ke/category/pub...

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 15/02/2024

5) The experience of living in slum areas influences women and men differently. Women on average rated their living conditions lower than men, saw fewer positive developments in their area of residence, and expressed more fear of insecure housing conditions.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 15/02/2024

4) More transitory areas pose challenges for conflict management. In Korogocho there is overall more familiarity with potential conflict management actors, and also higher trust in relevant conflict management actors, compared to Kawangware where respondents had on average lived for shorter periods.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 15/02/2024

3) The fear of being evicted from the place of living is high, and more so in Korogocho where land ownership is less formalised and land not privately owned. Residents in both areas saw the local administration (e.g local chief) as most relevant for addressing conflicts related to land or housing.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 15/02/2024

2) Trust in police is low, but the police is not irrelevant. Of the different actors relevant for local security, police enjoy the lowest trust. However, a majority still say they would turn to police for help/report crime.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 15/02/2024

Some key insights: 1) The sources of conflict in the settlements are diverse, yet intersect. Several of them intertwine with politics and may spill over into election-related violence. There is a need to address these challenges with attention to how conflict dynamics are connected.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 15/02/2024

Recently, me, @krishogl.bsky.social , Patrick Mutahi and Benard Okasi conducted a survey in two low-income areas of Nairobi to understand security challenges and conflict management strategies of residents. Key findings summarized in this report: chrips.or.ke/publications... #polisky #conflictsky

chrips.or.ke

Insecurity and Conflict Management in Urban Slums – CHRIPS

CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS & POLICY STUDIES

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 25/01/2024

Come join us for a stimulating poli sci movie night!

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 03/01/2024

Our special issue on violence and peace in contested cities is now published in full by Peacebuilding. Do check it out - a tremendous collection of empirically grounded, theory-developing work, covering cities from around the world! www.tandfonline.com/toc/rpcb20/1...

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 21/12/2023

POV: When you are doing the last grading and feel you are on top of things ahead of Christmas, and get a reminder about the two reviews you promised to do which are due on 28th December

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 06/12/2023

Great opportunity to do a PhD at my department! We are a broad camp of political scientists & development researchers, with strong competence in both political theory, qualitative, and quantitative research.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 28/11/2023

Jag kommer inte heeeeem ikvääälll

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/11/2023

Three clusters of factors stand out in understanding postwar patterns: urban splintering and the gray city; the cosmopolitan city; and the suburbs. Overall, the analysis underscores the multiscalar processes that reproduce and restructure violence in postwar cities.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 20/11/2023

The article uses assemblage theory (which Brendan has published extensively on - see e.g. book below) and combines our own data on conflict-related violence in postwar cities with other geocoded socioeconomic data to identify different forms of postwar spaces using factor analysis

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 16/11/2023

Mycket bra av Oskar MacGregor (i senaste Curie) om alltför legalistisk etikprövning: "Så funkar inte etiken. Den, liksom filosofin generellt, präglas mer av att man ställer stora och viktiga frågor än att man kommer fram till entydiga svar med tillräcklig konsensus för att anse debatten avslutad."

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 03/11/2023

During this trip, we continue probing these findings through interviews and focus group discussions. Stay tuned!

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 03/11/2023

Respondents had very low trust in actors relevant for security, including - and most notably - the police. Overall, levels of trust in different security actors were higher in Korogocho, despite this area having higher reported insecurity.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 03/11/2023

We covered two areas - Kawangware and Korogocho. In the latter, which is less formal, respondents were more worried about being evicted. At the same time, respondents in Korogocho had usually lived there longer.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 03/11/2023

Some initial insights are that women were more negative about their living conditions, housing security, and the development of their area than men. Women reported slightly higher levels both of perceived and experienced physical insecurity.

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Emma Elfversson @emmaelfversson.bsky.social · 03/11/2023

Me and @krishogl.bsky.social are in Nairobi, discussing initial results from a survey and had a chance to get a pic with the implementing team spearheaded by Patrick Mutahi and Benard Okasi! The survey covers two low-income areas and highlights security challenges of residents. #polisky #afripolsky

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