Working Papers
Introducing the Special Political Mission Finance and Personnel Dataset. With Evelyn Zhu
Abstract: As peacekeeping has declined, Special Political Missions (SPMs)--UN peace operations without military personnel--increasingly operate in active conflict zones. A growing literature examines SPM mandates, but there is less available data on SPMs than on PKOs. This data feature introduces the Special Political Mission Finance and Personnel Data (SPMFP), a new dataset presenting information on the proposed budget, approved budget, expenditures, proposed personnel, and approved personnel for all SPMs operating from 2005 to 2025. We describe the coding process, and present descriptive analyses showing that SPM budgets and personnel levels differ dramatically across missions. We conduct analyses showing that SPMs with more substantial mandates and that operate in more violent contexts are on average larger and have more substantial budgets, but that there is important variation in size and funding in missions with similar mandates and that operate in countries with similar levels of violence. The SPMFP data enable analyses both of what affects the size and resources of these missions as well as how mission personnel and finances influence conflict management success. These questions are increasingly important as funding cuts and geopolitical competition mean that SPMs are becoming a primary leader of UN conflict management efforts.
Abstract: As peacekeeping has declined, Special Political Missions (SPMs)--UN peace operations without military personnel--increasingly operate in active conflict zones. A growing literature examines SPM mandates, but there is less available data on SPMs than on PKOs. This data feature introduces the Special Political Mission Finance and Personnel Data (SPMFP), a new dataset presenting information on the proposed budget, approved budget, expenditures, proposed personnel, and approved personnel for all SPMs operating from 2005 to 2025. We describe the coding process, and present descriptive analyses showing that SPM budgets and personnel levels differ dramatically across missions. We conduct analyses showing that SPMs with more substantial mandates and that operate in more violent contexts are on average larger and have more substantial budgets, but that there is important variation in size and funding in missions with similar mandates and that operate in countries with similar levels of violence. The SPMFP data enable analyses both of what affects the size and resources of these missions as well as how mission personnel and finances influence conflict management success. These questions are increasingly important as funding cuts and geopolitical competition mean that SPMs are becoming a primary leader of UN conflict management efforts.
Can Regional Organizations Reduce Violence?
Abstract: Many Regional Organizations (ROs) have developed significant institutional capacity for conflict management, but these organizations vary substantially in their capabilities. I argue that ROs with greater conflict management capacity contribute to reduced violence in member states because such capacity enables coordinated deployment of multiple conflict management tools, facilitates rapid response to escalating conflicts, and allows organizations to work effectively alongside international actors. Statistical analyses of 18 regional organizations from 1989-2010 provide robust support for this argument: states in organizations with greater conflict management capacity experience lower levels of violence than comparable states, with this relationship holding across multiple model specifications and alternative measures of violence. These findings suggest that continued investment in organizational capacity—diplomatic mechanisms, military capabilities, and institutional infrastructure—will be essential as Regional Organizations play an increasingly important role in conflict management while UN engagement declines.
Abstract: Many Regional Organizations (ROs) have developed significant institutional capacity for conflict management, but these organizations vary substantially in their capabilities. I argue that ROs with greater conflict management capacity contribute to reduced violence in member states because such capacity enables coordinated deployment of multiple conflict management tools, facilitates rapid response to escalating conflicts, and allows organizations to work effectively alongside international actors. Statistical analyses of 18 regional organizations from 1989-2010 provide robust support for this argument: states in organizations with greater conflict management capacity experience lower levels of violence than comparable states, with this relationship holding across multiple model specifications and alternative measures of violence. These findings suggest that continued investment in organizational capacity—diplomatic mechanisms, military capabilities, and institutional infrastructure—will be essential as Regional Organizations play an increasingly important role in conflict management while UN engagement declines.