Research

The Chair strongly supports both case-specific and systematic research on the nature and efficacy of peace, conflict resolution, and humanitarian endeavors. It seeks to create vigorous and objective methodologies for the assessment and evaluation of morally and spiritually-based applied activities derived from both Bahá’í and other models.

The Chair is committed to achieving pragmatic results in terms of social, economic, and political outcomes that are verifiable according to objective criteria.

Its research and evaluation orientation is:

• Highly interdisciplinary and seeks to avoid domination by any particular
  disciplines;
• Non-partisan and independent of any established political ideologies;
• Systematic both rapid and long-term, comparative when possible, and both
  qualitative and quantitative;
• Attentive to previous findings and analysis to inform its current methodologies
  and avoid past studies being lost, forgotten, or unnecessarily redone.

The Chair is dedicated to maximizing partnerships with other organizations to develop common approaches, methodologies, shared learning, and cumulative understandings. It conducts research in order to meet the immediate needs of particular activities, such as development projects, peace promotion, and conflict mitigation activities.

In addition, the Chair undertakes longer term studies in connection with key areas of interest. Research results are presented in workshops, lectures, publications, and web-based discussions and working groups.

Research conducted under the Chair's auspices is generated in a variety of ways, including: individual efforts; partnership with other organizations; and supervised studies by students.

Student research on development issues can be a highly cost-effective way for various interested parties to acquire bibliographic and analytic materials while also assisting in the training of the next generation of scholars and implementers.