The Centre for the Study of Illicit Economies, Violence and Development (CIVAD) is an international network of affiliated researchers and research organisations working on different aspects of illicit economies across the world.
It aims to provide grounded, policy-relevant evidence on illicit economies and development in some of the world’s most fragile, conflict-affected regions. It will also trace the cross-border connections of illicit economies, illuminating North-South linkages.
Building on the foundation of Drugs & (dis)order, CIVAD is planning a strategic and innovative programme of research. This will extend and deepen some of the programme’s work in Afghanistan, Colombia and Myanmar. It will also expand the research themes of Drugs & (dis)order both geographically and thematically. It is developing four strands of research:
- Illicit flows and geographies of uneven development: How the circulation of illicit flows (capital, commodities, people, ideas) shape and connect processes of (uneven) development within and across regions.
- Violence, (dis)order and public authority: The relationships between illicit economies, violence(s), state and non-state orders.
- Illicit lifeworlds: The everyday realities, perspectives and experiences of participants in illicit economies.
- Policies and programmes addressing illicit economies and conflict (from the local to the global): The dynamics and impacts of interventions that intersect with illicit economies and disorder/state fragility
This page will be updated as CIVAD projects develop alongside the closing stages of Drugs & (dis)order in 2022.
To find out more about CIVAD, contact jg27@soas.ac.uk or visit the CIVAD website here.