Professor Sultan Barakat
Director of PRDU

Profile

Biography

Professor Sultan Barakat (BSc University of Jordan, Amman, MA and DPhil University of York, UK) is the Founding Director of the Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit (PRDU), which was established at the University of York in 1993. He is internationally known for having pioneered both scholarship and practice in the field of post-war recovery. Among his principal achievements has been the shaping of a generation of academic and practitioner leaders, both in the UK and overseas, in the fields of post-conflict reconstruction, disaster management and recovery, humanitarian assistance, conflict management and foreign policy. Back in 1996 he designed and launched the PRDU's innovative Master's course in Post-war Recovery Studies. Professor Barakat has supervised 12 successful doctoral candidates and is currently supervising another six.

Professor Barakat was the Director of the prestigious FCO Senior Chevening Fellows Programme on Conflict Resolution, 2006-2009. He has served as a Visiting and Guest Lecturer at a number of European and North American universities. Outside of the classroom, Professor Barakat is engaged in providing guidance as a Senior Adviser and Consultant to the United Nations, the World Bank, European Union, DFID, ILO, IFRC, the Dutch and Norwegian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, United States Institute of Peace, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and a variety of governments and international non-governmental organizations including CARE and Tiri. Since 2004, he has generated more than ₤2 million from his research and consulting activities, which have included major evaluations and programming initiatives. In 2005-2006, he led a seminal evaluation of the National Solidarity Programme in Afghanistan, one of the largest post-conflict reconstruction projects in recent history, for the World Bank and Afghan government.

Professor Barakat currently leads the PRDU's involvement in the Fragile States Development Consortium which is providing expertise to the UK's Government Departments (DFID, FCO, MoD) regarding stabilisation, recovery and development in conflict-affected states. The Consortium regularly provides services related to programme development, training and capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, policy development and conflict analysis and mitigation with an emphasis on the political-economy of violence.

Professor Barakat has published more than 100 scholarly articles, book chapters, papers and commissioned reports and has conducted research across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Career

Departmental roles

  • Director, PRDU
  • Member of Executive Committee
  • Member of Research Committee

Research

Overview

Professor Barakat's research focus includes strategic conflict assessment and the linkage of context to policy; the Research-Policy Nexus; Post-conflict reconstruction and state-building; Humanitarian response; and Evaluation and value attribution. Underlying these themes is a principal research concern with public diplomacy in the Muslim World. He has conducted academic research in a number of post-conflict states worldwide, most notably including in the Middle East and North Africa region; Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia.

Current projects

Strategic conflict assessment:

This research theme highlights the centrality of context to strategic conflict assessment and policy in post-conflict reconstruction. Current research roles include:

  • Principal researcher in a study of Gulf State Donorship to Conflict-Affected Environments in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Global Governance at the London School of Economics (January 2009-July 2010) Gulf state assistance to conflict-affected environments (PDF) 
  • Lead Investigator  of the Strategic Conflict Assessment team of DFID's 'Understanding Afghanistan ' initiative (March to August 2008); also, author of the 'Understanding Afghanistan Synthesis Report' on behalf of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) 
  • Lead researcher for a major study on mapping conflict in Uganda and deciding on how best decentralization and conflict resolution mechanisms could be supported in order to address root causes and induce local development. The study was commissioned by the Ugandan Ministry of Finance and supported by the European Commission (November 2003 ‐ July 2004) 

Research group(s)

The Research-Policy Nexus

This theme comprises a central focus on the ways and means to measure policy impact of academic research, and has included the building of a close working relationship with the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in this regard. Current research roles include:

  • Principal Investigator of the systematic review 'What is the evidence to support sustainable scale‐up of low‐cost private schools in South and West Asia, in particular in Afghanistan and Pakistan?' on behalf of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) (May 2011 ‐ March 2012).
  • Principal Investigator for an ESRC-funded research programme on 'The Influence of DFID-Sponsored State Building-Oriented Research on British Policy in Fragile, Post-Conflict Environments'. January 2011-January 2014.  More information.

Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Statebuilding:

Specific cross-cutting themes in this area of interest include integrity in reconstruction, policy transfer and community driven reconstruction. Current and recent research roles include:

  • Principal Investigator, 'Assessment of Qatar's role in peacebuilding: motivations and impact', for Safer World (April-August 2011).
  • Team Leader of a 'Training for Municipal Officials on Peace Building and Conflict Prevention Methodologies' on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Lebanon
  • Principle Investigator for the British Council-sponsored study on 'Rebuilding Trust with the Muslim World in the aftermath of 9/11' with empirical work undertaken in Jordan, Syria, Palestinian Territories, Egypt and UK (October 2003 ‐ September 2004)
  • Team Leader for an EU-sponsored capacity building training programme for senior members of the Afghan public administration and civil servants preparing the national budget and working to restore and introduce new public services, Kabul (December 2002 – February 2003)

Humanitarian Response

More specifically this research theme has covered the influx of humanitarian aid in post-conflict environments, and issues of coordination and sustainability. Current and recent research roles include:

  • Principal Investigator for a Humanitarian Needs Assessment of Sa’ada Governorate, Yemen on behalf of the United Nations and the International NGO Forum (March-August 2009) 
  • Principal Researcher of in a study of 'Housing Compensation and Emergency Preparedness in Southern Lebanon', with the Norwegian Refugee Council (September 2008 to January 2009)
  • Lead Investigator for an 'Audit on the Capacities of Humanitarian Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations to Engage in Conflict-Sensitive Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Efforts in North and East of Sri Lanka'[A3] , commissioned by the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies in Colombo (14 April - 1 May 2001)

Evaluation and Value Attribution

This theme has most recently included a focus on aid modalities and the efficacy of multi-donor trust funds. Current and recent research roles include:

Supervision

Professor Barakat is interested in supervising high-quality research projects related to post-conflict recovery policy and programming, disaster management and recovery, aid modalities, conflict analysis and management and the role of the private sector in post-conflict and international development. He has supervised 16 students who have successfully completed their PhDs and is currently supervising the following five doctoral candidates:

  • Katie Bishop: Using Cultural Heritage in the Development of War-torn Communities
  • Anna Larson: The Politics of Post-Conflict Democratisation in Afghanistan
  • Alexandra Lewis: Crime and Crime Control in Post-Conflict Settings
  • Sam Milton: Higher Education and Post-war Recovery:  A Case-Study of Iraq
  • Simon Robins: Transitional Justice and the Missing
  • Andrea Varisco:  The influcence of DFID-Sponsored State Building Orientated Research on Fragile, Post-Conflict Environments

Further information can be found at:  PhD Research

Publications

Selected publications

Books/chapters

  • (2008) (ed.) Reconstructing Post-Saddam Iraq (New York, Routledge)
  • (2007) 'Postwar reconstruction and the recovery of cultural heritage: critical lessons from the last fifteen years', in Stanley-Price ed. Cultural Heritage in Postwar Recovery. Rome :ICCROM
  • (2005) (ed.) After the Conflict: Reconstruction and Development in the Aftermath of War (London, I.B. Tauris)
  • (2004) (ed.) Reconstructing War-Torn Societies: Afghanistan (Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan)
  • (2003) Housing Reconstruction After Conflict and Disaster. London :ODI

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  • (2010) ‘Housing Reconstruction as Socio-economic Recovery and State Building: Evidence from Southern Lebanon’, Housing Studies, 14th October 2010, with S. Zyck
  • (2010) ‘Afghanistan’s insurgency and the viability of a political solution’, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Vol. 33, No. 3, with S. Zyck.
  • (2010) ‘’A Tradition of Forgetting’: Stabilisation and Humanitarian Action in Historical Perspective’ Disasters, Vol. 34, No. 3, with S. Deely & S. Zyck
  • (2009) "The State Building Implications of Post-Conflict Demilitarization: Military Downsizing in Bosnia and Herzegovina", Contemporary Security Policy, Vol. 33, No. 6, with S. Zyck
  • (2009) "The Evolution of Post-war Recovery", Third World Quarterly Vol. 30, No. 6, with S. Zyck
  • (2009) "The Failed Promise of Multi-Donor Trust Funds: Aid Financing as an Impediment to Effective State-Building in Post-Conflict Environments", Policy Studies Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 107-126
  • (2005) 'Attributing Value: evaluating success and failure in post-war reconstruction', Third World Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 4&5, pp. 831-852, with M. Chard and R. Jones
  • (2005) 'Impact of the reintegration of former KLA combatants on the post-war recovery of Kosovo', International Journal of Peace Studies, Vol 10, No 1, Spring/Summer 2005, pp. 27-45 (with Alp Ozerdem)
  • (2002) 'Winning and Losing in Aceh: Five Key Dilemmas in Third-Party Intervention', Civil Wars, Vol 5, Issue No.4, pp. 1-32, with David Connolly and Judith Large
  • (2002) 'Setting the scene for Afghanistan's reconstruction: the challenges and critical dilemmas', Third World Quarterly, Vol. 23, No.5, 2002, pp. 801-816

Guest editor of academic journals

  • (2005) 'Reconstructing Post-Saddam Iraq: A Quixotic Beginning to the ‘Global Democratic Revolution', Third World Quarterly, Vol. 26, No 4&5
  • (2002) 'Reconstructing War-torn Societies: Afghanistan', Third World Quarterly, Vol. 23, No.5, 2002
  • (1995) 'War and its aftermath: rebuilding war-torn societies', Disaster Prevention and Management, MCB University Press, Vol.4, No.1

Reports

  • (2010) Programme Review and Evaluability Study (PRES): UNICEF’s Education in emergencies & Post-Crisis Transition (EEPCT) Programme. UNICEF, (with F. Hardman, D. Connolly, V. Sundaram and S. Zyck)
  • (2010) Gulf State Assistance to Conflict-Affected Environments. Kuwait Programme on Development, Governance, and Globalisation in the Gulf States: London School of Economics, (with S. Zyck)
  • (2009) The Reconstruction of Gaza: A Guidance Note for Palestinian and International Stakeholders, York: Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit, (with S. Zyck and J. Hunt) 
  • (2008) Housing Compensation and Emergency Preparedness in the Aftermath of the July 2006 War in Southern Lebanon, a report commissioned and published by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Beirut, December (with S. Zyck) 
  • (2008) Synthesis Report of the 'Understanding Afghanistan' Initiative, for DFID, August 2008
  • (2008) A Strategic Conflict Assessment of Afghanistan, a report for DFID as part of the 'Understanding Afghanistan' initiative, July 2008
  • (2006) Governance and Recovery in Darfur: UNDP Options for Community Empowerment and DPA Institutional Development, York, University of York: 7 September, pp. 1 – 34
  • (2006) Final Report of the NSP mid-term Evaluation, York, University of York: May, pp. 1 - 350 (with M. Chard, D. Connolly, M. Evans and R. Jones)
  • (2006) (with R. Jones, G. Junne, G. Meijer, A. Mohammad and W. Verkoren Evaluation of Peace-building Activities financed by the Government of The Netherlands through the TMF Framework, Triple L bv., Amsterdam, 190 pages
  • (2004) Rebuilding Trust in the Muslim World; perceptions of the British Council in the Middle East, British Council, London
  • (2004) (with R. Jones and W. Lume) Mapping Conflict in Uganda, the Government of Uganda and the European Commission
  • (2003) Housing Reconstruction after Conflict and Disaster, London: Overseas Development Institute
  • (2001) (with Evans, M. & Strand, A.) Preparing for Reconstruction and Development, Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit, Department of Politics, University of York, April, report commissioned by the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies
  • (2001) (with Evans, M. & Strand, A.) Back to Basics: Reconstruction and Development in Sri Lanka, Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit, Department of Politics, University of York, June, report commissioned by the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies in Sri Lanka, pp. 1 - 111
  • (2000) (with W. Lume and N. Salvetti), Political Transformation in Indonesia, Humanitarian Needs in Aceh: Charting constructive dialogue between varying aspirations, Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Geneva, 73 pages
  • (2000 – 2004) (with S. Deely), The rehabilitation of the Health Sector in the Puntland State of Somalia, IFRC and World Bank, Geneva, 6 volumes

Sultan Barakat

Contact details

Prof. Sultan Barakat
Department of Politics
University of York
Heslington
York
YO10 5DD

http://www.york.ac.uk/politics/centres/prdu/

External activities

Memberships

  • Senior Advisor to Tiri's Integrity in Reconstruction Programme (January 2007 ‐ December 2009)
  • Senior Advisor to HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) on the future of the UK's response to disasters and emergences (May ‐ June 2007). As part of this project, Professor Barakat led a major review of the UK's contributions to humanitarian relief and pots‐disaster assistance.
  • Senior Advisor to UNDP Sudan to evaluate the governance of humanitarian and recovery-oriented activities in Darfur (July 2006)
  • Senior Advisor to CARE Nederland in Egypt for the Water and Stability Action Research Project (June 2006 - December 2008)
  • Senior Advisor to UNDP country office in Nepal to assess the viability of a new programme for post‐conflict recovery zones (May 2006). A key achievement of this position was designing a pilot scheme to kick‐start the recovery zones.Senior Advisor to the Afghan Red Crescent and IFRC on the challenge of sustaining their health service networks in post‐conflict in Kabul and various regions in Afghanistan (May 2004).

International positions held

  • Member of the Advisory Board for the Global Peace Index
  • Moderator, West and North Africa (WANA) Forum