Dr Martin Ottmann

Dr Martin Ottmann

International Development Department
Associate Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies
Head of Research in the School of Government

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 415 1076
Email
m.ottmann@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@martin_ottmann
View my research portal
Address
International Development Department
School of Government
Muirhead Tower
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham,
B15 2TT, United Kingdom

Martin Ottmann is Associate Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies as well as Head of Research for the School of Government.

His research examines the political economy of civil war and development, focusing on the effects of power-sharing on resource redistribution, contentious politics, and political trust. He is also co-founder of the Citizens in Peace Processes (CIPP) research network. 

Martin's research combines advanced statistical research methods with qualitative field research. He relies on a wide range of unique data sources that include geo-referenced event data, public opinion surveys, and qualitative elite and expert interviews. His current and past research projects involved field research in Liberia and Indonesia. 

His research has been published across a range of leading peer-reviewed journals bridging Political Science, International Relations, and Development Studies. He is currently leading a large research project funded by the German Research Foundation. 

Qualifications

  • PhD in Politics, University of Nottingham, 2012
  • Diploma in Political Science (equivalent to MSc), Free University of Berlin, 2007

Biography

Martin joined IDD in 2015 as a Birmingham Fellow in International Security. Prior to this, he was a post-doctoral research fellow at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies in Hamburg. He holds a PhD in Politics from the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham.

Martin’s research investigates the political economy of civil war and development, specifically focusing on:

  1. Post-conflict power-sharing and its effects on resource redistribution, contentious politics, and political trust;
  2. The attitudes and actions of citizens in peace processes;
  3. The role of elections in post-conflict reconstruction.

His research has been published across a range of leading peer-reviewed journals bridging Political Science, International Relations, and Development Studies, including British Journal of Political Science, Conflict Management and Peace Science, Journal of Peace Research, and World Development.

Teaching

Martin’s teaching focuses on peace and conflict studies and advanced statistical research methods. He currently convenes three postgraduate modules:

  • Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (on campus)
  • Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (distance learning)
  • Introduction to Causal Inference 
Previously, Martin has convened the module “Research Design, Practice and Ethics” for the doctoral training programme of the College of Social Sciences.

Postgraduate supervision

Martin welcomes new PhD applications exploring the characteristics of civil wars, peace processes and post-conflict development, including especially those interested in advanced statistical research methods.

Martin is currently working with the following PhD candidates:
• Owen Frazer
• Hermawan

Research

Research interests

  • Political economy of civil war and development
  • Effects of post-conflict power-sharing
  • Post-conflict elections
  • Citizens in peace processes

Current projects

The Political Economy of Power-Sharing in Post-Conflict Situations Funding, funded by the German Research Foundation

Other activities

Martin is the convenor of IDD Guest Seminar Series.

Please check Martin's Publons profile for an overview of his peer reviews.

Membership of professional organizations:

  • American Political Science Association
  • International Political Science Association
  • International Studies Association
  • Peace Science Society

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Haass, F, Hartzell, C & Ottmann, M 2022, 'Citizens in peace processes', Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 66, no. 9, pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220027221089691

Haass, F & Ottmann, M 2022, 'The effect of wartime legacies on electoral mobilization after civil war', The Journal of Politics, vol. 84, no. 3, pp. 1322-1336. https://doi.org/10.1086/718976

Ottmann, M 2020, 'Peace for our time? Examining the effect of power-sharing on post-war rebellions', Journal of Peace Research, vol. 57, no. 5, pp. 617-631. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343319883676

Haass, F & Ottmann, M 2020, 'Rebels, revenue, and redistribution: the political geography of post-conflict power-sharing in Africa', British Journal of Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123419000474

Haass, F & Ottmann, M 2017, 'Profits from Peace: The Political Economy of Power-Sharing and Corruption', World Development, vol. 99, pp. 60-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.07.006

Ottmann, M 2015, 'Rebel constituencies and rebel violence against civilians in civil conflicts', Conflict Management and Peace Science, pp. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0738894215570428

Ottmann, M & Vüllers, J 2015, 'The Power-Sharing Event Dataset (PSED): A new dataset on the promises and practices of power-sharing in post-conflict countries', Conflict Management and Peace Science, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 327-350. https://doi.org/10.1177/0738894214542753

Chapter

Ottmann, M & Vüllers, J 2019, Government-rebel relations in the wake of power-sharing peace agreements. in CA Hartzell & A Mehler (eds), Power Sharing and Power Relations After Civil War. Lynne Rienner, Boulder, CO, pp. 19-45.

Doctoral Thesis

Ottmann, M 2012, 'Biting the Hand that Feeds You: Rebel Organisation and One-Sided Violence in sub-Saharan Africa'. <http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12418/>

Preprint

Haass, F & Ottmann, M 2021 'The effect of wartime legacies on electoral mobilization after civil war' Center for Open Science, pp. 1-49. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/pufn9

Working paper

Ottmann, M 2018 'A Compromised Peace? The Effect of Power-Sharing Arrangements on Post-War Violence'. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/s48hz

Ottmann, M & Haass, F 2017 'Does Peace Trickle Down? Micro-Level Evidence from Africa'. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/j8s5q

View all publications in research portal

Expertise

Foreign, security and development policy

I am expert on civil wars and post-conflict development with a particular focus on violence against civilians, rebel organisation, peace agreements, power-sharing, and perceptions of peace.