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The report examines whether Official Development Assistance (ODA) prevents or exacerbates violent conflict. A systematic review of 20 studies indicates that while assistance can foster stability by improving livelihoods and accountable governance, it can also fuel violence by creating 'prizes' for elite capture or provoking insurgent backlash. Case studies of South Sudan and Mozambique highlight a contrast between fragmented states and capable but exclusionary states, suggesting that prevention strategies must be tailored to the specific institutional context. The authors recommend shifting from externally imposed state-building models toward community-driven initiatives and inclusive governance reforms.

The study identifies significant community grievances in Central Kalimantan regarding water pollution and scarcity caused by oil palm plantations, including the release of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) and the degradation of peatlands. It argues that current governance is failing due to a lack of trusted water data, conflicting land-use maps, and weak enforcement of environmental laws. Furthermore, it critiques the EU Renewable Energy Directive (EU-RED) for its 'water blindness,' focusing almost exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions while delegating local environmental protections to voluntary standards like the RSPO, which the study finds are inconsistently implemented.

The research examines how increasing the EU's 2020 emission reduction target beyond 20% interacts with energy security in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Latvia. It distinguishes between 'objective' energy security (quantifiable parameters) and 'subjective' energy security (political discourse), finding that these often diverge. The authors argue that more stringent targets could improve energy security by reducing import dependency through renewables and energy efficiency, and by providing a clearer policy framework to avoid 'suboptimal investment' and 'stranded assets' in technologies like nuclear and carbon capture and storage (CCS). While Poland and the Czech Republic express high subjective insecurity despite relatively stable objective positions, Latvia remains objectively vulnerable due to its high reliance on Russian imports, though it possesses significant renewable potential.