Bertine Kamphuis is a part-time lecturer in the political science department of the University of Amsterdam and a freelance researcher. Her research interests include the political economy of ‘post-conflict’ development and the links between natural resources and violent conflicts. She worked as a project manager and researcher at a Kabul-based research firm, where she conducted field research in different Afghan provinces to assist large donors with programme development and evaluation. Prior to that, she worked as a consultant at the International Development group of PricewaterhouseCoopers, as a policymaker at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as a project officer at the European Centre for Conflict Prevention. These diverse positions all relate to the policy and practice of development issues and violent conflicts.