When the consequences of conflicts last generations: Intergenerational mobility in Iraq and Vietnam
Vietnamese refugees living at the Songkhla refugee camp in Thailand. UN Photo/John Isaac.
The immediate effects of conflict are starkly clear. They include deaths and injuries, population displacement, the destruction of assets, and the disruption of social and economic systems. But one day the fighting stops, and life in conflict-affected areas gradually returns to normal. Or does it? How long do the economic and welfare effects of armed conflict typically persist? In particular, how long will these effects constrain growth and limit countries’ ability to reduce poverty?