Kristian HoelscherView profile
Research Professor
Kristian Hoelscher serves as Research Director at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), where he leads interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cities, markets, politics, conflict, and development in the Global South. His work spans Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, employing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine urban political transformations and peacebuilding processes. Hoelscher earned his PhD in Political Science from the University of Oslo, complemented by an MSc in Population and Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and dual undergraduate degrees (BA in Business and BSc Honors in Psychology) from the University of Queensland, Australia. His multilingual capabilities include fluency in English and Norwegian, with working knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish. His research agenda centers on understanding how urbanization shapes political change in the Global South, with particular focus on African cities. A distinctive thread throughout his work examines small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as critical actors in conflict-affected urban environments, exploring how businesses navigate insecurity while contributing to community resilience and peacebuilding. His approach integrates political science, urban studies, development economics, and peace and conflict studies to address complex urban challenges in rapidly transforming cities across the Global South. Analysis of Hoelscher's recent publications reveals three interconnected research streams: 1) Urban political transformations in Africa, examining how demographic shifts reshape state-society relations; 2) SME resilience in conflict zones, documenting business strategies for navigating polycrises in cities like Kampala and Beirut; and 3) Digital peacebuilding, critically assessing technology's role in conflict resolution. His work consistently emphasizes place-based approaches that account for local context while identifying broader patterns across regions. Hoelscher has secured significant research funding including: Young Researcher Talent Funding from the Research Council of Norway for the Political Change in African Cities (PACE) project Funding for The Crime-Reducing Effect of Education project (CREED) He leads multiple collaborative initiatives including Peace Positive Private Sector Development in Africa (P3A), Working Through Violence; SMEs and the SDGs in Fragile Urban Spaces, and Critical Perspectives on Digital Peacebuilding. These projects involve partnerships with researchers across Africa, Latin America, and Europe, reflecting his commitment to globally engaged scholarship that bridges academic research with practical peacebuilding applications.
