Evidence Review for Service Delivery in Contexts of Protracted Conflict and Violence (PCV)

Overview & Synopsis

This review evaluates the challenges faced by aid actors in supporting service delivery in settings of protracted conflict and violence (PCV). It views these challenges as acute and multifaceted due to the unpredictable effects of conflict and violence on the political dynamics surrounding service provision, and the complexity and risks associated with designing, implementing and adapting programs to support delivery in what are subsequently highly volatile operating environments for aid. The review focuses on three services - education, primary health care, and urban services. Each is foundational to human capital, livelihoods, and social stability, yet acutely vulnerable to the effects of persistent conflict and violence. Basic education fosters human capital but is prone to ideological conflict and political capture and can exacerbate tensions when access is inequitable. Primary health care is a life-saving service, but its delivery in crisis is too often hindered by security risks and acute capacity deficits. Urban services, including water, wastewater treatment, and roads, are essential for stability, health and economic activity but surges in displaced populations can strain infrastructure and exacerbate social tensions. In contexts where authority is contested, services become arenas through which broader struggles over power, legitimacy, and survival are enacted - often violently. This review evaluates the capacity of aid to achieve three outcomes - effectiveness, do no harm, and the potential to contribute to lasting systems - in this context of contestation.