ABSTRACT

In peacebuilding contexts unemployed youth are frequently perceived as a high risk for the stability of a country while employed youth are seen as carrying an enormous potential for economic growth. This paper applies a social justice framework (4Rs) in analysing a Business Development (BD) programme that was implemented as part of Sierra Leone’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) strategy to promote entrepreneurship development and reduce unemployment among youth. Despite the BD programme’s initial strengths, to recognize youth's heterogeneity with the aim to address some of the root causes of the war, we show how the programme struggled to counter social inequality, unemployment and neopatrimonialism. Sudden decreases in donor funding led to severe modifications of redistribution processes, thereby hampering youth's representation. This raises questions about the design of TVET strategies and BD programmes in post-conflict settings in general. Our paper further showcases how the resurfacing of the root causes of a conflict in the scope of small-scheme development programmes, can have far-reaching effects on young people’s various relationships of trust, if not reconciliation process as a whole.

摘要

在建设和平的背景下，失业青年经常被视为国家稳定的高风险因素，而就业青年则被视为具有巨大的经济增长潜力。本文应用社会正义框架 (4R) 分析作为塞拉利昂技术和职业教育与培训 (TVET) 战略的一部分实施的商业发展 (BD) 计划，以促进创业发展和减少青年失业。尽管 BD 计划具有最初的优势，但为了认识到青年的异质性以解决战争的一些根源，我们展示了该计划如何努力应对社会不平等、失业和新世袭制。捐助资金的突然减少导致重新分配过程的严重修改，从而阻碍了青年的发展 的代表。这引发了关于在一般冲突后环境中设计 TVET 策略和 BD 计划的问题。我们的论文进一步展示了在小计划发展计划范围内重新出现冲突的根本原因如何对年轻人的各种信任关系产生深远的影响，如果不是整个和解过程的话。