ABSTRACT
Post-conflict societies are often characterized by weak economic and political institutions and domination by entrenched interests. The end of violence creates an opportunity to put a stop to the “institutional sclerosis” that results when rent seeking holds back socioeconomic progress (Olson 1982). 1 But the question of how best to take advantage of this opportunity remains controversial. In a 2008 publication on post-conflict economic recovery, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) described recovery as “building back differently and better” (UNDP 2008, 1). But what, exactly, should be done “differently” and “better”?
