Melani Cammett

Efforts to improve relations among ethnic and religious groups after violent conflict have often focused on small-scale, person-to-person programs that struggle to produce durable change at scale. In looking for solutions, Professor Cammett’s research has explored the powerful role local and national elites play in promoting or thwarting reconciliation and cooperation among groups that have historically been in conflict. Through the Fellowship, Professor Cammett will work with peacebuilding organizations, policymakers, and civil society leaders to apply insights from her research to develop strategies that create incentives for influential actors to pursue shared interests that could create lasting improvements in intergroup relations in conflict-affected societies.