Development Consequences of Armed Conflict

Abstract

This paper conducts the first analysis of the effect of armed conflict on progress in meeting the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals . We also examine the effect of conflict on economic growth. Conflict has clear detrimental effects on the reduction of poverty and hunger, on primary education , on the reduction of child mortality, and on access to potable water . A medium-sized conflict with 2500 battle deaths is estimated to increase undernourishment an additional 3.3%, reduce life expectancy by about 1 year, increases infant mortality by 10%, and deprives an additional 1.8% of the population from access to potable water.