The Empirical Studies of Conflict (ESOC) is a multi-campus, interdisciplinary network of scholars engaged in research on politically motivated and organized criminal violence worldwide. Currently headquartered at Princeton University, it launched in 2009 at Stanford University in collaboration with the University of California Institute on Conflict and Collaboration (IGCC). ESOC was initially inspired by a desire among its founders to provide evidence-based prescriptions to practitioners wrestling with the challenges of reducing violence and stabilizing conflict zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries facing terrorist threats... We share a commitment to blending theory with careful empirical analysis to generate scholarship of the highest quality, and to training the next generation of conflict scholars. Beyond academic research, ESOC is committed to supporting evidence-based policy-making and works with a variety of public agencies and international organizations to improve..