Currently there are almost 80 million displaced people in the world – mostly due to violence. But what are the different types of violence? Who are the victims? Where does violence take place? And can violence be reduced? Anke Hoeffler describes how raising awareness and addressing these four questions can be a step towards ending the vicious circle of violence. In addition to these questions, she reports on her research on the different patterns of collective and inter-personal violence to promote violence reduction strategies.

Anke Hoeffler is a social scientist and Professor of Development Research at the Department of Politics & Public Administration at the University of Konstanz, Germany. Her research is in the areas of development and security, were she uses quantitative methods to examine the causes and costs of violence.

Intro animation created by Mike Costelloe. Music intro from Phase 3 by Xylo-Ziko, used under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Video edited by Lilith Kugler.

Anke Hoeffler’s research is in the areas of development and security. She is a widely cited social scientist and received an Alexander von Humboldt professorship, Germany’s highest award for international research. In February 2019 she left the University of Oxford and moved to the University of Konstanz in Germany where she has a chair in development policy in the Department of Politics and Public Administration. Prof. Hoeffler holds a DPhil in economics from the University of Oxford, an MSc in economics from Birkbeck College, University of London and a Diplom in Volkswirschaftslehre from the University of Würzburg. Her research interests are wide ranging and interdisciplinary. Broadly, she is interested in the social causes of excess morbidity and mortality and uses mainly quantitative methods in her academic quest. Current research projects focus on: (1) the impact of interpersonal violence on development, in particular violence against children and women (2) the relationship between interpersonal & political violence (3) costs of violence. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx