Studies on State, Justice & Public Policy

This laboratory is dedicated to the study of the different ways in which the State has and currently functions from the 19th through the 21st centuries and its relations with Haitian society. The areas of investigation focus on the social history of the Haitian State after its emergence in the transition from the colonial system to independence, during the Duvalier dictatorship, and in the post-Duvalier era. The laboratory also examines the current sociology of the state through empirical studies concerning the administrative system, the judiciary and police, legislation, citizenship, territorial groupings, social movements and state elites. Haiti’s relations with the Dominican Republic, Caribbean countries and the international community in general are a significant focus. One of the empirical dimensions of the field of research involves evaluating the State’s practices through a close analysis of public policies.

The laboratory is currently composed of four lines of research:

1. The State and the Structures of the Peasantry
2. Social Movements and the Constitution of Civil Society
3. History of the State and Public Policies in Haiti and the Caribbean
4. Social Elites in Haiti: State, Market and National Culture

Republic of Haiti: Country of Origin Information Paper (August 2017) 
This human rights report was commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Nations and International Cooperation: The United States Foreign Assistance and Haiti (1948-2014)
Principal Investigators: Natacha Nicaise, Universidade de Campinas, Brazil;  Federico Neiburg,
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Assessment of International Aid & Reconstruction Processes in Haiti: A Neighborhood Case Study in Carrefour Feuilles (2013)
Implemented in collaboration with the Observatoire de la Societe Civile pour la Reconstruction d'Haiti
Funded by: Oxfam America

Oxfam America funded INURED’s collaboration with the Observatoire de la Societe Civile pour la Reconstruction d’Haiti (OSCRH)—a newly-minted civil society entity--to provide its members with training in quantitative and qualitative mixed-method research, and guided experience conducting fieldwork in
Carrefour-Feuilles, Port-au-Prince. OSCRH collected preliminary, evidence-based data to inform and advocate on behalf of Haitian citizens around reconstruction efforts currently underway in Haiti. 

The post-earthquake public opinion poll aimed to identify the potential strengths and weaknesses of humanitarian and development aid by examining the role of local actors in the conceptualization,
implementation and sustainability of various projects initiated in the post-earthquake context.

Mapping Justice Security and Rule of Law in Haiti (July 2012)
International research seminar hosted by INURED. Sponsored by the Social Science Research Council
Mapping Justice Seminar Report

Study of Societal Dynamics of Fragility in Haiti (September 2010)
Funded by the Social Development Department of the World Bank

Publication generated by this project:
Societal Dynamics and Fragility: Engaging Societies in Responding to Fragile Situations