Development organizations are exploring different ways to address the root causes that breed violent extremism in vulnerable communities across the world, but one of the key challenges is clearly identifying those causes.
Mercy Corps, a global nongovernmental organization, has undertaken several years of research to inform its evidence-based approach to reducing violent extremism. Data and research collected between 2010 and 2015 enabled Mercy Corps to shift their approach to programs aimed at countering violent extremism.
“We were making assumptions about why young people were behaving in a certain way by talking to informants and youths not involved in violence,” said Rebecca Wolfe, director of peace and conflict at Mercy Corps, who presented some of that research at a recent event in Washington, D.C.