Pilot study to explore measurement of spillover effects of Tearfund’s peace dialogues in Mozambique

Over one-third of elections globally result in violence. In polarized contexts, community- based interventions may offer a promising approach to reduce electoral violence and strengthen social cohesion. Yet, individuals frequently self-select into socially or politically homogeneous environments, raising important questions about the effectiveness of such interventions. In partnership with Tearfund and local churches in Maputo, Mozambique, we pilot a randomized evaluation of a church-led peace dialogue program. In Mozambique, politics and religion are closely related, especially between different denominations of christianity. Facilitators enable participants to engage in structured peace dialogues. Group composition is randomly assigned: either homogeneous groups (within a single church) or heterogeneous groups (across ideologically distinct churches). Comparing across group composition allows us to test whether exposure to different perspectives enhances tolerance and conflict resolution more effectively than dialogue within like-minded groups. The pilot assesses impacts on attitudes toward violence, tolerance, and civic behavior, while testing the feasibility of measuring spillovers and community-level outcomes for a future scaled-up study.