Conflict has shaped societies for centuries, creating deep grievances that persist for generations and often perpetuate the cycles of violence. Despite these devastating consequences, Rohner (2017) shows that the number of active conflicts worldwide continues to rise. This suggests that we still lack a  understanding of the causes and consequences of conflict the factors that can help de-escalate it.

In my job market paper, I examine one widely debated yet empirically understudied factor in conflict de-escalation: the gender of leaders during conflict. Drawing from theories in multiple disciplines, I test whether female leaders can play a unique role in mitigating the harmful effects of armed conflict.

I explore this question by looking at female leadership within the Colombian civil conflict. Colombia offers a unique setting for two key reasons. First, the conflict involved many groups, many of which have already laid down their arms, making it easier to see how female leaders operated on different sides. Second, the communist ideology of the guerrilla groups led to a higher-than-usual number of women in their ranks, which resulted in occasional—but meaningful—instances of female leadership.

Read more at: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/impactevaluations/breaking-the-cycle-of-violence–how-female-leaders-curb-armed-co