Wealth sharing beyond 2011: economic issues in Sudan’s North-South Peace Process

Together with studies on Nepal and Indonesia (Aceh), this working paper is part of a project jointly developed with, and generously funded by, Political Affairs Division IV of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The paper provides a deeper insight into the economic dimension of peace processes. Despite an ever growing academic literature on the economic characteristics of armed conflict, there has been little work on the practical implications that these characteristics may have for peace processes and post-conflict transitions. The larger project behind this paper addresses this gap by elaborating on the value-added of pursuing an economic perspective on peace processes. An overview of this project can be found in the annex to this paper. The paper is organized around three transversal themes that are part of the backward and forward looking functions of peace processes. In terms of the former, these themes include the role of economic characteristics of armed conflict in the engagement of armed groups, and the treatment of the economic agendas and conflict-driving conditions in peace process negotiations. In terms of forward looking functions, the paper asks if and how the inclusion of economic issues in a peace process can support post-conflict transitions.