Armed conflict and adolescent social capital in Ethiopia

Despite the far-ranging direct effects of armed conflict on daily life, physical health, and economic outcomes, there is limited evidence on its impacts on social and political outcomes, and even less evidence on its impacts on adolescents, despite this being a pivotal life -stage. This paper seeks to address this critical gap in the literature by exploring the effects of armed conflict in northern Ethiopia that lasted from 2020 to 2022 on adolescents' social capital, including their peer networks, relationships with trusted adults, and sense of belonging to their community and polity. The paper draws on quantitative research that book -ended the 2020-2022 armed conflict in the north of the country, as well as qualitative interviews that were conducted before, during, and after that period. The quantitative research involved approximately 2200 adolescents; the qualitative research focused on a subset of these adolescents, but also sought to understand the perspectives of caregivers and other key community informants. We find that adolescents' bonding social capital (especially relationships with peers and community members) is generally enhanced post -conflict due to a sense of common purpose. There is, however, a heightened risk of violence within the household, likely due to tensions around adolescents' future trajectories and economic pressures. Findings around bridging social capital (i.e., relationships with authorities and engagement in formal politics) suggest that while young people often play key roles in terms of defending their communities and supporting armed forces during the conflict, after the cessation of violence there is limited scope for their continued engagement, especially for opposition party supporters.