Project Overview · Peace Science Digest

The Peace Science Digest is a project of the War Prevention Initiative of the Jubitz Family Foundation.

We believe that there is a gap between the insights of peace science and the working knowledge that policy makers and practitioners use in global peace and security. Additionally, there is a delay in the application of academic research to policy and practice. As result, policy and practice reflects and reinforces militarist narratives about the necessity and legitimacy of the use of force. We believe that these militarist narratives are, in part, informed by xenophobia, racism, and hegemonic masculinities. These same forces also stifle diversity in the field of global peace and security.

The Peace Science Digest is a tool to usher in change. By increasing the visibility and application of academic knowledge from peace science, we aim to strengthen the peace and security field by making evident how militarism undermines peace around the world. The Digest contributes to a broader narrative shift about the assumed effectiveness of violence by demonstrating that nonviolent responses are often more effective, less costly, and, most importantly, more humane than military action. Drawing on a diversity of scholars, it highlights scholarship that critically examines the racial and gendered power structures, amongst others, that underpin militarism.

The Peace Science Digest is designed to lower barriers of access to academic knowledge in peace science by selecting articles from peer-reviewed, academic journals and summarizing their main findings in a more accessible language. The Editorial Team (see more below) pulls out broader implications and practical relevance in each analysis.

Article Selection Process

The Editorial Team carefully selects articles from peer-reviewed academic journals. We look for articles that have been published within the past two years, engage with core questions in peace science, represent a diversity of authors, methodological approaches, and geographic scope; and hold high potential for policy impact and practitioner use.

Each analysis is structured into the following sections: Talking Points, Article Summary, Informing Practice, Continued Reading, and Organizations.

Talking Points: Highlight the main findings from each article.
Summary: Summarizes each article’s theoretical approach, research question(s), methodology, and main findings.
Informing Practice: Pulls out the broader implications and policy relevance of each article, often identifying a particular country, sector, policy, and/or stakeholder. This section reflects the insights and/or opinions of the Editorial Team, not necessarily those of the original author(s) of the summarized article.
Continued Reading: Lists other articles, reports, op-eds, etc., on a related topic, including other related analyses published in the Peace Science Digest.
Organizations: Lists relevant organizations that work in the thematic or geographic areas identified in the article, or an organization specifically identified in the article.

We select from a variety of academic journals including but not limited to the following:

Editorial Team

	Kelsey Coolidge is a social science researcher and non-profit professional with a specialization in peace and conflict, gender, urbanization, and environmental sustainability. This expertise is crafted from a curiosity to better understand current global challenges in order to create a more just, sustainable, and peaceful future. Kelsey is driven to translate vision into action by employing monitoring and evaluation techniques as well as data-based evidence to help non-profits thrive. Read more.
	Molly Wallace is Contributing Editor at the Peace Science Digest and Visiting Scholar in Portland State University’s Conflict Resolution Program. Previously, she taught in the International Affairs and Political Science Programs at the University of New Hampshire and Brown University. Her recent book, Security without Weapons: Rethinking Violence, Nonviolent Action, and Civilian Protection, explores nonviolent alternatives for civilian protection in war zones—and particularly the unarmed civilian peacekeeping work of Nonviolent Peaceforce in Sri Lanka. Read more.
	Kristin earned her Master’s in International Relations from CSU Chico. She wrote her thesis on the rehabilitation of child soldiers in West Africa. She then spent the next year working in international development while in Chico, CA and had the opportunity to work overseas on a health and sanitation project in Ethiopia. Her work has been guided by a passion for advancing human rights in conflict zones and supporting peacebuilding as well as conflict resolution in African countries. Read more.
	Patrick holds a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova Southeastern University and an M.A. in Human Geography from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. He teaches at the Conflict Resolution Program at Portland State University. Following an interdisciplinary approach, his work and research interests encompass war and peace, conflict resolution, peace studies, environmental issues, ethnicity, human rights, nationalism, social justice, Mexico, Latin America, social/peace movements, identity formation, culture and conflict and migration. Read more.

Advisory Board

We are currently developing an advisory board for the Peace Science Digest. Please email our editorial team at digest@warpreventioninitiative.org if you are interested.