Reintegrating veterans of the Ukraine conflict through a Research and Action Initiative

The Poland Research and Action Initiative (RAI) for the Reintegration of Ukrainian Veterans aims to serve as an incubator for scaling effective grassroots initiatives for reintegrating Ukrainian veterans of the current conflict, provide job opportunities for Ukrainian veterans, and operate as an ongoing research lab and field school for Carter School students and select students from other universities. This RAI aims to explore and understand the processes and dynamics involved in successfully integrating Ukrainian veterans into their desired home communities. Through fully participatory engagement with these communities, the researchers will identify and document the various forms of organization and social dynamics that contribute to their successful reintegration.
A significant problem in international development and multilateralism arises from the fact that a considerable amount of financing is often wasted on projects that do not effectively address community needs. Gains have been made through scoping studies and impact assessments, but these are generally highly contingent on unpredictable funding and often happen post hoc. The RAI research team has identified the fact that the gap between provision and efficacy is primarily caused by the mismatch between the local organizations that are most capable of securing large grants and those that actually achieve the best outcomes in context. To bridge this gap, the RAI aims to identify successful strategies and approaches, serving as an incubator for them and offering training and support to make these efforts more visible and understandable to donor agencies.