Alumni

If poverty is a cause of all violent conflicts, economic development should be a powerful approach to end wars. To what extent does development make peace? Can hearts and minds be bought, as suggested by the literature? The first part of the dissertation explores the limit of the development approach of counterinsurgency. It shows how development aid can sustain conflicts and contribute to conflict diffusion when aid is captured by rebels. The second part of the dissertation examines the socio-psychological aspect of post-conflict reconstruction. It shows that it is the mental health condition, not the economic well-being of an ex-combatant, determines ex-combatants’ reintegration outcomes. Finally, this dissertation unpacks the trust-building mechanism. Contrary to what most people think, improved public services do not always buy government trust. And it is how the sense of local ownership was cultivated that matters in trust-building. Listening and responding to the demands of people are the most effective ways of restoring trust and peace.

	Selected publications by Pui-hang Wong
Articles (journal, professional, popular)
Collazos Ortiz, Maria & Pui-hang Wong, 2024, `The effects of resource rents and elections on human capital investment in Colombia, Resources Policy, 89, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, Ortrun Merkle & Melissa Siegel, 2024, `Remittance Receivers as Targets for Corruption in Latin America, Journal of Development Studies, 60, More information
Torres Chedraui, Ana Maria & Pui-hang Wong, 2024, `A stranger at home? A multilevel analysis of anti-Muslim sentiment in Western European societies, Ethnicities, 24, More information
Celbis, Mehmet Guney, Pui-hang Wong, Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2023, `Job Satisfaction and the ‘Great Resignation’, Social Indicators Research, 170, More information
Celbis, Mehmet Guney, Pui-hang Wong, Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2023, `Impacts of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Older-Age Cohorts in European Labor Markets, Regional Science, Policy & Practice, 15, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, 2022, `Moral Injury in Former Child Soldiers in Liberia, Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 15, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2021, `The ideal neighbourhoods of successful ageing: A machine learning approach, Health & Place, 72, More information
Wong, Pui-hang & Mehmet Guney Celbis, 2019, `Human Rights, Income and International Migration, International Migration, 57, More information
Celbis, Mehmet Guney, Pui-hang Wong & Tatjana Guznajeva, 2018, `Regional integration and the economic geography of Belarus, Eurasian Geography and Economics, 59, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, 2016, `How can political trust be built after civil wars? Evidence from post-conflict Sierra Leone, Journal of Peace Research, 53, More information
Book chapters
Wong, Pui-hang, Mehmet Guney Celbis, Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2023, Same Bed, Different Dreams? Socio-Economic Strata and Differences in Liveability Perception in European Cities, in: Fusco Girard, L., Kourtit, K., Nijkamp, P (eds.), The Future of Liveable Cities, Springer, Cham, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, 2021, Economic Deprivation: Approaches, Causes, and Consequences for Violent Conflicts, in: Leal Filho W., Azul A.M., Brandli L., Lange Salvia A., Özuyar P.G., Wall T. (eds), Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Springer, Cham, More information
Turkeli, Serdar, Pui-hang Wong & Eleni Abraham Yitbarek, 2020, Multiplex Learning: An Evidence-Based Approach to Design Policy Learning Networks in Sub-Saharan Africa for the SDGs, in: In: Ramutsindela M., Mickler D. (eds), Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals, Springer, Cham, Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Sustainable Development Goals Series, More information
Merkle, Ortrun & Pui-hang Wong, 2019, It is all about power: Corruption, patriarchy and the political participation of women, in: Konte, Maty & Nyasha Tirivayi (eds.), Women and Sustainable Human Development: Empowering Women in Africa, Palgrave Macmillan, Geneva, More information
UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Moore, Lindsey, Mindel van de Laar, Pui-hang Wong & Cathal O'Donoghue, 2023, Making impact with agricultural development projects: The use of innovative machine learning methodology to understand the development aid field, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2023-011
Celbis, Mehmet Guney, Pui-hang Wong & Tatjana Guznajeva, 2018, The Eurasian customs union and the economic geography of Belarus: A panel convergence approach, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2018-029
Wong, Pui-hang, 2017, How development aid explains (or not) the rise and fall of insurgent attacks in Iraq, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2017-006
Wong, Pui-hang & Mehmet Guney Celbis, 2015, Migration as a response to differences in human rights and income: A bilateral panel study, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2015-053
Wong, Pui-hang, 2014, How can political trust be built after civil wars? Lessons from post-conflict Sierra Leone, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2014-083
Wong, Pui-hang, 2014, Insurgents in motion: Counterinsurgency and insurgency relocation in Iraq, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2014-045
External working papers
Sillen, Daan, Pui-hang Wong & Serdar Turkeli, 2019, Community Currency Programmes as a Tool for Sustainable Development: The Cases of Mombasa and Nairobi Counties, Kenya, More information
Conference contributions
Wong, Pui-hang & Russell TN Wong, 2024, Strategic Complementarity and the Rise of Polarization: Theory and Evidence, Allied Social Science Associations Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, USA, 5 - 7 Jan 2024, More information
Celbis, Mehmet Guney, Pui-hang Wong, Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2023, Job Satisfaction and the ‘Great Resignation’: An Exploratory Machine Learning Analysis, The Regional Science Academy and The 70th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International, Virtual and San Diego, CA, 15 - 18 Nov 2023, More information
Collazos Ortiz, Maria & Pui-hang Wong, 2023, Doubly Cursed? The Effects of Resource Rents and Elections on Human Capital Investment in Colombia, 62nd European Regional Science Association Congress, Alicante, 28 Aug - 1 Sept 2023
Wong, Pui-hang, Mehmet Guney Celbis, Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2023, Liveability perceptions in European cities, The Regional Science Association Nederland Voorjaarsdag. Emotions and Perceptions in Space. Utrecht, 16 June, 2023
Wong, Pui-hang, 2021, Livability and Inequality, The Future of Liveable Cities, Napoli, 22-23 November, 2021, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, Mehmet Guney Celbis, Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2021, Nature as a source of urban resilience, ReGrowEU International Conference, Iasi, 7-11 October, 2021, More information
Celbis, Mehmet Guney, Pui-hang Wong, Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp, 2020, Innovativeness as a Product of Work-related and Place-based Conditions: Results of a Spatial Econometric and Machine Learning Approach, The 67th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, 2019, Paths of Catch-up along the Global Value Chain: A Trajectory Analysis, Workshop, Center for Economic Catch-Up, Seoul, 14 March, 2019
Wong, Pui-hang, 2017, Explaining dropout from reintegration programme in Liberia, Symposium, Research School on Peace and Conflict, Oslo, 20-21 April, 2017
Wong, Pui-hang, 2016, Robust Peacekeeping, Symposium, Research School on Peace and Conflict, Oslo, 21-22 April, 2016
Merkle, Ortrun & Pui-hang Wong, 2016, Rethinking the old boys club: corruption and gender equality in  Sierra Leone, ISA's 57th Annual Convention: Exploring Peace, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, 2015, How Can Political Trust be Built after Civil Wars? Lessons from Post-Conflict Sierra Leone, European Network for Conflict Research (ENCoRe) Spring Meeting, Bonn, 5-7 March, 2015
Wong, Pui-hang, 2015, Insurgents in motion: Counterinsurgency and insurgency relocation in Iraq, Asian Political Methodology Conference, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 9-10 January, 2015, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, 2014, A Simple Model of Rebel Group Fragmentation, European Political Science Association (EPSA) Annual General Conference, Edinburgh, 19-21 June, 2014
Wong, Pui-hang, 2013, Rebel Group Fragmentation and Conflict Escalation, European Network for Conflict Research (ENCoRe) Event Data Workshop, Konstanz, 6-7 December, 2013
Wong, Pui-hang & Lutz Krebs, 2013, Are Anocracies More Likely to Experience Civil War?, Peace Science Society (International) - International Studies Association Joint International Conference, Budapest, 27-29 June, 2013
Wong, Pui-hang, 2013, Democratic transitions in divided societies, International Studies Association Annual Convention, San Francisco, 3-6 April, 2013
Theses
Wong, Pui-hang, 2017, The Hearts and Minds in Conflict and Peace: The Economics of Counterinsurgency and the Psychology of Reconstruction, PhD dissertation Maastricht University / United Nations University
Other (editorship, media appearance, keynote, etc.)
Wong, Pui-hang, Karima Kourtit & Peter Nijkamp (eds.), 2023, Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Special Issue, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, 2017, , Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Oslo, Norway
Wong, Pui-hang, 2017, The Conversation, More information
Wong, Pui-hang, 2016, UNU-MERIT Blog, More information