The Political Economy of Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Assessing the Impact of Commercial Resource Demarcation on Indigenous Livelihood Dispossession

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 16, No. 5, May 2026 | pp. 37–45

DOI: 10.46882/2026/GJPCS/160501

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: The Political Economy of Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Assessing the Impact of Commercial Resource Demarcation on Indigenous Livelihood Dispossession

Authors: Sibusiso K. Khumalo¹, Jean-Louis Dupont²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Public Law, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; ²Centre de Recherches Internationales, Sciences Po, Paris, France

Abstract:
Post-conflict state policies routinely prioritize the alienation of communal land holdings to attract foreign direct investment and generate short-term fiscal revenue for state building operations. This paper examines the long-term socioeconomic outcomes of this development model, evaluating how modern commercial extraction concessions impact peripheral land tenure and local community stability. Utilizing extensive spatial mapping software combined with localized household wealth surveys conducted between 2023 and 2025, we measure the structural shifts in municipal land ownership patterns. The quantitative analysis reveals that large-scale state allocations of peri-urban land to international corporate syndicates have displaced substantial numbers of smallholder families, creating deep-seated socio-economic grievances. Our regression models establish that administrative districts with high corporate land concentration show a 42% increase in localized land tenure disputes and higher relative deprivation indices. The study demonstrates that prioritizing elite-driven commercial investment without safeguarding traditional communal land rights accelerates rural-urban migration and exacerbates social polarization. We argue that sustainable post-conflict reconstruction requires establishing strict legal frameworks that protect traditional property ownership and mandate inclusive local profit-sharing.

Keywords: Political Economy; Post-Conflict Reconstruction; Resource Demarcation; Land Tenure; Indigenous Dispossession; Structural Inequality.

Manuscript Timeline: Received: June 10, 2024; Revised: August 20, 2024; Accepted: November 15, 2024; Published: May 20, 2026

Citation: Khumalo, S. K., & Dupont, J. L. (2026). The Political Economy of Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Assessing the Impact of Commercial Resource Demarcation on Indigenous Livelihood Dispossession. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 16(5), 37–45. DOI: 10.46882/2026/GJPCS/160501

Subscribe to read the full article: https://internationalscholarsjournals.org/subscribe-to-read