Laura Saavedra-Lux is a research associate at UNU-WIDER. In her work she examines the micro-foundations of political violence, socio-economic development, and the consolidation of peace. She is specifically interested in understanding how ordinary citizens respond to local security, development and environmental challenges, and when these responses can have a positive effect on political and economic outcomes.
For her research she collects micro-level data using administrative records, geographic information systems (GIS), text-as-data approaches, surveys and interviews. Her work draws upon strategies for causal inference, spatial econometrics, as well as qualitative analysis of interviews and field work observations.
She is a fellow of the Peace Research Institute Oslo's Research School on Peace and Conflict. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Essex and a master’s degree in peace and conflict studies from the University of Uppsala.

Beyond Ukraine and Gaza: five consequences of overlooking other conflicts
Nov 12, 2024 04:39 am UTC| Insights & Views
The years since 2020 have been one of the most violent periods since the end of the second world war. The war in Ukraine and the escalating violence in the Middle East have dominated global headlines and captured the...
Development aid cuts will hit fragile countries hard, could fuel violent conflict
Nov 19, 2023 06:01 am UTC| Economy
Fragile and least developed countries have had their development assistance cut drastically, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. For instance, net official development assistance to...