The one-hour afternoon talk will be delivered by Chris Blattman, assistant professor of political science and economics at Yale University and 2010-11 visiting fellow at New York University’s Department of Politics.
Launching its fifth annual “Conflict, Security and Development” series of forums organized by NYU Wagner’s Office of International Programs, the graduate school will host one-hour afternoon presentation of research into “The Causes of Child Soldiering and Forced Recruitment” Thursday, September 23.
The talk will be delivered by Chris Blattman, assistant professor of political science and economics at Yale University and 2010-11 visiting fellow at New York University’s Department of Politics. It takes place from 12:30 pm. to 1:30 pm. at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, 2nd Floor, 295 Lafayette Street (at Houston Street).
The event is free and open to the public.
Theories of child soldiering are as numerous as the theorists who posit them. In theory, rebel leaders forcibly recruit lower-ability children under specific circumstances: when punishment and supervision are cheap, children’s other options are bad, and rebel groups are poor.
To clarify which mechanisms dominate in practice, Blattman will discuss interviews and surveys of former members of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army – and the evidence that suggests that children are more easily indoctrinated and disoriented than adults. His analysis will confirm the findings on a new “cross-rebel” dataset and results that suggest new strategies for combating child soldiering.
Sponsors of this event include NYU Wagner, the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU Law School, NYU Master’s Program in Global Public health, and the Center for Global Affairs at NYU’s School for continuing and Professional Studies.
RSVP is required: Please visit HERE or contact the press officer listed with this release.
Media coverage is invited.