Transforming Conflict in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties: Some Lessons from the Peace Programmes on Valuing Participative Democracy

Abstract

Many of the proposed solutions to the Northern Ireland conflict failed partly because of over‐concentration on the political through ‘Track I’ actors. So once a political agreement was reached, the conflict was viewed as having been ‘solved’, rather than opening the door to a whole new process. The Peace I and Peace II Programmes in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties in the Republic of Ireland have taken the opposite approach. By concentrating on the involvement of ‘Track III’ actors through social and economic development they have highlighted the equal value of grassroots participatory democracy to top‐level representative democracy. This article examines the significance of this aspect of the work of the Peace programmes as a key post‐conflict transformation tool since 1995 as the third phase of the programme – Peace III – comes on stream.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier draft.

Notes

1. While the programmes are formally separate and are generally discussed in this article in this manner, they also are understood in transformation terms as phases of a unified approach and are alluded to in this way from time to time.

2. The policy initiatives listed include: the National Strategic Reference Framework in Northern Ireland and Ireland; the European Territorial Co‐operation Programme (INTERREG IV); A Shared Future and Racial Equality Strategy, Northern Ireland; National Anti‐Poverty Strategy, Ireland; the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, Northern Ireland; the Task Force [sic] on Active Citizenship, Ireland; The National Development Plan for Ireland 2007–2013; The Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland; The National Spatial Strategy for Ireland 2002–2020; the Rural Development Programme; and the European Fisheries Fund; and the International Fund for Ireland.

3. [euro]300 million was initially provided for the period from 1997 to 1999 with further funding for the remaining two years to be subject to a Commission review. Two further tranches of 100 million were consequently made available in 1998 and 1999.

4. For a full list all of the various Peace I submeasures, see European Structural Funds (n.d.: 49–50).

5. For a list and discussion of the various Peace II submeasures see EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (n.d.: 59–160).

6. The ‘Common Chapter’ activities are a framework for building and developing appropriate and mutually beneficial forms of cooperation. Three major types of cooperation have been identified: cooperation along the Border Corridor, cooperation North/South within the island of Ireland, and cooperation East/West between the island of Ireland and Great Britain, Europe and internationally.