The abundance or scarcity of resources decides what direction the development of a society will take. Imbalances, not only of scarcity but of abundance also, may distort environmental and socioeconomic policies, leading to social friction, though newer approaches to social problems do not see scarcity as leading necessarily to conflict.
This article considers conflict resolution capabilities, in particular the institutional dimensions, comparing capacities in developed and developing countries. The article presents mostly tools for large-scale change, but the relevance of incremental advances is also considered. Early warning models to predict the likelihood of conflict are compared, as are risk-assessment models such as that of the Minorities at Risk Project and conflict prevention trajectories to identify ‘preventors’ of conflict.