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NUPI skole

Researcher

Morten Bøås

Research Professor
morten_bøås_11.jpg

Contactinfo and files

mbo@nupi.no
+(47) 920 97 958
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Summary

Morten Bøås (PhD) is Research Professor and works predominantly on issues concerning peace and conflict in Africa, including issues such as land rights and citizenship conflicts, youths, ex-combatants and the new landscape of insurgencies and geopolitics.

Bøås has authored, co-authored and co-edited several books and published a number of articles for academic journals. He has conducted in-depth fieldwork in a number of African countries and travelled widely elsewhere on the continent.

Expertise

  • Terrorism and extremism
  • Development policy
  • Africa
  • Peace operations
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Migration
  • Insurgencies
  • International organizations

Education

2001 Dr.Polit. (Ph.D) in Political Science, University of Oslo

1995 The CRE/Copernicus Seminar on Environmental Law

1994 Cand.Polit., in Political Science, University of Oslo

Work Experience

2013- Research professor, NUPI

2010-2012 Head of Research, Fafo’s Institute for Applied International Studies

2002-2010 Research Fellow, Fafo

Aktivitet

Publications
Publications
Report

The External Dimension of EU Migration Management: The Role of Aid

Aid is seen as a key EU instrument in addressing the root causes of migration, but it has not been decisive for the drastic reduction of irregular arrivals in Europe in recent years. Nevertheless, development assistance has become crucial leverage for the EU in persuading major transit countries to improve their border control. Although this “externalisation” of EU border management seems like a successful approach for now, it is not sustainable in the long term. The Union still needs to find better synergy between migration management and development policy that is not designed to stop migration but to manage and regulate it in a more mutually beneficial way.

  • Development policy
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Migration
  • The EU
  • Development policy
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Migration
  • The EU
Research project
2020 - 2026 (Ongoing)

Jihadist Governance in the Sahel (JIGOV-Sahel)

This project is about jihadist insurgent governance in West Africa's Sahel region. ...

  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Insurgencies
  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Insurgencies
Publications
Publications
Report

Lessons from the Ebola Crisis in West Africa: Community engagement, crisis communication and countering rumours

What lessons can we draw from the 2014-2016 Ebola crisis in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone? While both the outbreak itself and the context is different, there are enough similarities between the Ebola crisis and COVID-19 to extract useful lessons and best practices. In this research note, the focus is on three key lessons from the Ebola experience: community engagement, crisis communication and countering the rumour mill. In the world’s most fragile states, an uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19 would have devastating consequences for the population. In a scenario where the spread of the coronavirus is under control in large parts of the world, the survival of COVID-19 in fragile states would also most certainly be a source for new waves of infections to the rest of the world. Not only do fragile states lack capacity to react adequately on their own, but their ability to utilise external support and assistance is limited due to low absorption capacity.

  • Africa
  • Pandemics
  • Africa
  • Pandemics
Publications
Publications
Report

Can Aid Solve the Root Causes of Migration? A Framework for Future Research on the Development-Migration Nexus

An important dimension of the European Union’s response to the 2015 refugee and migration management crisis has been to address the root causes of irregular migration. A major tool the EU has to mitigate push factors of migration is development assistance. Yet, the literature shows that the casual relationship between aid and migration is complex and far from obvious. This article summarises the ongoing debates and major findings concerning the development-migration nexus in order to better inform policymakers about the potential risks and shortcomings of using aid in migration management. It suggests a framework for future research on what kind of assistance might work, for whom, and where.

  • Development policy
  • Europe
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Migration
  • The EU
  • Development policy
  • Europe
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Migration
  • The EU
Publications
Publications
Scientific article

Attentatet i Bagdad: Farlig og feilkalkulert

Den 3. januar kom nyheten om at generalmajor Qasem Soleimani ble drept i et amerikansk droneangrep i Bagdad. Ifølge president Trump handlet USA «for å stoppe en krig, ikke for å starte en krig», men angrepet bør heller ses i forlengelse av Trump-administrasjonens maximum pressure-strategi, som har økt konflikten mellom Iran og USA.

  • Security policy
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • North America
  • Security policy
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • North America
Research project
2019 - 2023 (Completed)

Preventing Violent Extremism in the Balkans and the MENA: Strengthening Resilience in Enabling Environments (PREVEX)

The overarching objective of PREVEX is to put forward more fine-tuned and effective approaches to preventing violent extremism. ...

  • Terrorism and extremism
  • Europe
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Conflict
  • Governance
  • The EU
  • Comparative methods
  • Terrorism and extremism
  • Europe
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Conflict
  • Governance
  • The EU
  • Comparative methods
Event
16:00 - 17:30 Europe/Oslo
NUPI
Engelsk
Event
16:00 - 17:30 Europe/Oslo
NUPI
Engelsk
15. Oct 2019
Event
16:00 - 17:30 Europe/Oslo
NUPI
Engelsk

How does the Norwegian Oil Fund affect the companies it has an ownership stake in?

Knut Christian Myhre will talk about expectations, communication, and ownership in Norway’s Oil Fund.

Publications
Publications
Report

Local Drivers of Violent Extremism in Central Mali

This policy brief examines the processes of violent extremist mobilisation and radicalisation in Mopti, Central Mali. Specifically, it looks at the strategies employed by one of the most salient radical jihadist groups in the region, the Katiba Macina. It seeks to answer the following questions: 1) Given that violent extremist mobilisation has not taken root uniformly across regions in Mali, and because it is often endogenous to local dynamics, how has Mopti as a region become an enabling environment for jihadist actors like the Katiba Macina? 2) How do groups like the Katiba Macina mobilise local support and integrate themselves among communities? 3) Why do individuals join, adhere to or accept the Katiba Macina?

  • Terrorism and extremism
  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Migration
  • Insurgencies
  • Terrorism and extremism
  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Migration
  • Insurgencies
Illustrasjon av ulike mennesker som går oppå et Europa-kart med EU-ringen av stjerner
Research project
2019 - 2021 (Completed)

Migration and Development: Sharing knowledge between Norway and Poland (MiDeShare)

The aim of this project is to improve our understanding of the relationship between migration and development in order to suggest more effective policies for addressing root causes of ...

  • Development policy
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Humanitarian issues
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Migration
  • Development policy
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Humanitarian issues
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Migration
Publications
Publications
Chapter

Konflikt, ustabilitet og migranter: "post-Gaddafi blues" i Sahel

(In norwegian only) Hvilke lærdommer kan vi trekke av bombingen av Libya i 2011? Var krigføringen i tråd med krigens folkerett? Brøt norske myndigheter grunnloven i forbindelse med krigsdeltagelsen? Levde media opp til sitt samfunnsoppdrag så lenge krigføringen i Libya pågikk? Ble det norske folk holdt for narr om de egentlige årsakene til krigen? Og hva ble konsekvensene av Libya-krigen for nasjonen Libya, regionen og verdenssamfunnet? Libya: Krigens uutholdelige letthet setter et kritisk søkelys på Norges deltagelse i den Nato-ledete operasjonen i Libya. Blant forfatterne finner vi folkerettsjurister, historikere, militære, statsvitere og professorer i journalistikk og fredsforskning. Et felles utgangspunkt for alle bidragsyterne er spørsmålet om hva norske politikere, militære og det norske folk kan og bør lære av Norges første krig i Afrika.

  • Defence
  • NATO
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Conflict
  • Defence
  • NATO
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Conflict
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