Conflict is a major source of poverty in many developing countries and it also affects neighbouring countries. Why not try and avoid the human and economic costs during conflict? What economic strategies would be most fruitful? Research from the University of Oxford examined how Afghanistan, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Uganda ran their economies during war. The research analysed the interaction between economic and political forces during conflict and how the economic effects could result in indirect effects which magnified the direct costs of war. By what mechanisms does war affect the economic and political status of a nation and the wellbeing of individuals? What strategies would best reduce economic and social damage during conflict?